Stories about stolen bicycles don’t typically have happy endings, but this isn’t a typical story and it isn’t a typical bike.
In November 2020, Peter Slofstra noticed “Big Blue” — the tandem bicycle he and his wife, Marja, had ridden across the country to raise money for charity — was missing from his shed on his Orillia property. He had forgotten to lock the shed and said at the time he “felt sick” upon noticing the bike had been taken.
Word spread quickly after an article ran in OrilliaMatters. Slofstra was hearing from strangers, including someone from Hamilton, who thought they might have seen the bike on the street or for sale online.
“We knew people had their eyes and ears open,” Slofstra said.
One of those people was Tristan Spurr, co-owner of the Crank and Sprocket Bicycle Co. As soon as Slofstra told him the bike had been stolen, Spurr set off on a half-hour tour of local trails to see if he could spot Big Blue, but to no avail.
About eight months later, Spurr found what he was looking for, but not on a trail. He saw a tandem bike listed for sale on Facebook Marketplace. It was at Uncle Buck’s on Mississaga Street.
Spurr showed the listing to the Slofstras and asked, “Isn’t this your bike?” They knew immediately it was Big Blue, so they called the police and then headed to the downtown pawn shop, where the bike was displayed near the front entrance.
Uncle Buck’s owner Rob Byers gave them their bike back and told them he had taken down the name and birth date of one the two people who sold it to him. He even had a photo of one of them. He told them he takes those steps in case a situation like this arises.
“He was very professional about it,” Slofstra said.
Byers told Slofstra the couple who sold the bike said it was a difficult decision to part ways with it, but that they were in financial trouble and hoped to buy it back eventually.
After contacting police, Slofstra was told an investigation was underway. Orillia OPP has not responded to OrilliaMatters’ requests for comment.
For the Slofstras, the most important part of the story is that Big Blue is home. They took it for a 20-kilometre ride right away.
“We kind of had resolved that we wouldn't have this experience again,” Slofstra said. “I don’t think we realized until that ride just how big the loss was and how special this bike was to us.”
Big Blue is symbolic for many reasons, he said. Riding a tandem bike requires trust, teamwork and patience.
“Big Blue is a symbol of the kind of marriage Marja and I enjoy. Getting Big Blue back is like getting the metaphor for our marriage back,” he said.
The Slofstras have had the bike for 16 years. During that time, they have used it to raise $50,000 to fight poverty on two Sea to Sea rides from Vancouver to Halifax and $10,000 during two Ride to Conquer Cancer events.
