THUNDER BAY — Brett McLeod left Thunder Bay feeling pretty down when his bicycle and camping gear were stolen.
But after the intervention of a stranger, he plans to return to the city next spring to resume his ride from British Columbia to Nova Scotia.
The retired Kamloops man, who's had three knee surgeries, left B.C. in June with no certainty as to how far he might get.
By the time he got to Thunder Bay last weekend, he was starting to think he just might have a chance to reach the east coast this fall.
His optimism evaporated, though, after he stopped at a local Wal-Mart to look for a new tent.
He had double-locked his bike and bike trailer in front of the store, but when he exited 10 minutes later, everything was gone.
"I am so deflated," the 59-year-old wrote on his Instagram account. "I am sorry my journey had to end in Thunder Bay."
In an interview this week, he said it struck him at the time that he was in an unfamiliar city where he didn't know a soul, and there were only two hours of daylight left.
Feeling overwhelmed, McLeod returned the tent for a refund and decided to head to the airport to buy a ticket to Toronto where a family member lives.
"I slept the night in the airport . . . just coming down off this panic that I was going through. In Toronto, I checked my Instagram, and there's a flood of people saying 'Check your social media, some guy's got your stuff all back for you,'" he told TBnewswatch.
That man turned out to be a Thunder Bay resident named "Chris."
He said he'd learned about McLeod's story on social media, and immediately decided to help.
Without going into the details, Chris said in an interview it was his persistence and familiarity with the neighbourhood that enabled him to track down the stolen items.
"Just say my demeanour persuaded the people to hand over all the goods," he said. "I never did it to be a hero. I did it to save the city from getting a black eye."
McLeod said he holds "nothing against Thunder Bay for getting ripped off," saying there are thieves in every city, but "these guys didn't win this one, right?"
Chris will store McLeod's property until he returns to resume the bike trip next spring.
McLeod, who's already reimbursed him for what he had to pay to recover his things, said his benefactor will pick him up at the airport, take him to dinner, and send him on his way "for part two, from Thunder Bay to Nova Scotia."
