It all started in 2019, when Bjartmar LeĂłsson started to see a rise in bike theft in ReykjavĂk. Rather than accepting that once a bicycle was stolen it had disappeared forever, the bus driver and self-confessed âbike nerdâ decided to start tracking them down and returning them to their rightful owners.Four years and, he estimates, hundreds of salvaged bikes later, the 44-year-old has developed a reputation in the Icelandic capital among cyclists and potential bike thieves. Known as the ReykjavĂk âbike whispererâ, people across his home city turn to him for help to find their missing bicycles, tools and even cars. Often, he says, bike thieves hand over bikes without being asked and some former bike thieves have started to help him.
âItâs like a little snowball that got really big really fast,â says LeĂłsson, whose other nicknames include âthe bike copâ, âbike priestâ and âbicycle Jesusâ.
... His challenge, which is due to finish at the end of the month, will see him ride a "1914 BSA Huntingdon Cycle Core" bike, he said."It comes complete with a rifle strapped to the handlebars and a grenade in the back ammunition pouch - both decommissioned, of course," said Mr Bedford.
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