We've all heard some variant of this joke before:

Q. Why shouldn't you hit a (insert race, colour, or creed here) riding a bike?

A. Because it's probably yours.

Not only is that joke just plain ignorant, it's also pretty ridiculous for so many reasons.

Well, this afternoon it actually happened. Me and a friend were out for coffee this afternoon. We're just thinking about heading back to the office when this guy rolls slowly behind us on his mountain bike. My friend looks over, sees the man on the bike, and says to me, "Hey, that's my bike!" I laughed, thinking he was just referencing the well-known joke above, but he was serious. The cyclist wasn't in any hurry, so my buddy walked by to get a closer look - sure enough, it was his bike. The bike had been stolen last December.

We started downtown in the park and followed him across the street down the Scarth Street Mall while my buddy called the police and got them to send somebody. Meanwhile, we follow this guy on foot as he meanders around and finally parks (and locks!) the bike outside of the Cornwall Centre. The cops call us back and ask for the bike's serial number, which they had on file from the police report last December. My buddy lies down on the ground to get a look at the serial number and reads it back to the cops - it was the same bike, all right! We hang around and wait and just as this guy exits the mall a cop pulls up. The cop questioned the guy, who claimed that his brother was the one who stole the bike. Interestingly enough, this cycling enthusiast just got out of jail himself.

So, in the end, who knows what will happen to said criminal, but my buddy has his bike back (minus the original back tire, seat, bell, and generally worse for wear considering it was a $600 bike). Kudos to the Regina Police Service for showing up inside of five minutes.

When somebody asks you to go for coffee, you should go, because you never know what might happen - it could change your life. At the very least, you should consider writing down the serial numbers of your valuables or putting some identifiable after-market parts on them. My friend did all of the above and it paid off ;)