Lifted bikes bring kids down

Deepa Bharath

There is something about riding a bike that makes 11-year-old McKinna

Krieghoss feel special.

Her blue and silver Trek moved at her command, giving a sense of

liberation and exhilaration. In her heart, she believed, just for

those few minutes, that she was above parental rules or homework or

her worst fears.

But on Tuesday, McKinna and her 13-year-old brother Austin lost

some of that freedom and part of their innocence.

Both of their bikes were stolen Tuesday afternoon when they went

for ice cream in Fashion Island with an aunt, their mother Anne

Krieghoss said.

“They were shocked and devastated,” Krieghoss said. “Who would do

this to innocent children?”

Both Austin and McKinna were riding custom-fitted Trek bikes, the

same brand of bike ridden by Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong.

The Lake Forest family headed to Newport Dunes for a vacation after

watching the big race, which concluded on Sunday with Armstrong as

the victor for a record sixth time.

His win was special for the family because Armstrong is a cancer

survivor, as is Darryl Krieghoss, the children’s father. Darryl

Krieghoss, diagnosed with a rare form of cancer a year ago, went

through chemotherapy and other treatments, his wife said.

“The kids have been through so much,” she said. “They’ve had a

rough year, but they’ve been such troopers.”

This vacation at the Dunes was their reward for maintaining good

grades through troubled times, Anne Krieghoss said.

“The bikes were special to them not only because Lance rode that

brand,” she said. “The children have taken several trips on those

bikes with their dad. Those bikes are not pieces of metal to them.

They have emotional value.”

Austin said he was “shook up” when he learned his bike was stolen.

“I watched Tour de France from the first day to the last day,” he

said. “I love my bike. My dad ordered special disc brakes for our

bikes.”

McKinna used to ride her bike with her best friend to school and

back, she said.

“It was, like, a tradition,” McKinna said. “And now it’s gone.”

They could get new bikes, but it wouldn’t be the same, she added.

Summer time is notorious for bike thefts, Newport Beach Police

Sgt. Steve Shulman said.

“We do get a lot of these during the summer, and the majority of

these cases involve children,” he said.

Many children get upset over the loss of their only mode of

transportation, Shulman said.

“Sometimes they’re just concerned that Mom and Dad are going to be

mad at them,” he said. “The best precaution is to make sure bikes are

locked.”

Bike owners may also register them with the city they live in,

Shulman said.

“That way, we have another way to track them down,” he said. “We

have a pretty good track record of recovering stolen bikes in this

city.”

That’s what Anne Krieghoss is hoping for, she said.

“Or better still, we wish the person who took the bikes will have

a change of heart and return them to us,” she said. “They have a lot

of sentimental value, and to my kids, it was everything to be able to

ride and to be free.”