Mountain bike icon Danny MacAskill gets £8,500 stolen bike returned… after two years

Trials ace, wheelie champion, YouTube sensation, executor of jaw-dropping stunts on his Santa Cruz, and now... finder of stolen bikes, Danny MacAskill has recovered £12,000 worth of stolen items, including an expensive bike, after a man pleaded guilty to the crime.

Francis Stevenson admitted to stealing items from the Isle of Skye-born cyclist’s flat in Glasgow in 2019. MacAskill had posted the CCTV footage on social media and appealed his followers to nail down the culprit, who was caught a few days later.

The 37-year old professional cyclist had locked his flat when he left, but an hour later a neighbour noticed a stranger sorting two polythene bags on the staircase, according to Glasgow Live.

MacAskill returned around 5pm to find that a variety of items had been taken, including a £8,500 mountain bike, along with three watches worth £1,500, ski jackets, a Nintendo Switch, £600 in cash… and a beard trimmer worth £15.

> Danny MacAskill doing Danny MacAskill things

***STOLEN*** My friend has had his bike nicked tonight in the south side of Glasgow! It’s a Santa Cruz 5010cc with distinctive yellow Magura brakes and a yellow.
The guy also stole a lot over stuff watches bags ect. If anyone has information give me a shout.
Cheers Danny pic.twitter.com/mUEhUK76Uu

— Danny MacAskill (@danny_macaskill) May 7, 2019

However, MacAskill had an image from a nearby CCTV, and he called on his over 100,000 followers on Twitter to help him in recovering the stolen goods. The man, later identified as Stevenson, was recorded cycling away from the flat.

Prosecutor Sean Docherty said: “On 13 May 2019, following the message on social media, witnesses observed Stevenson riding the bike on Maryhill Road. They stopped Stevenson and retrieved the bike and cycle helmet before he then made off.”

Stevenson, of the city's Maryhill, was arrested nearly a month later for another matter. He pled guilty to a single charge of theft and sentencing has been deferred until October for good behaviour.

Danny MacAskill rose to the fame in the budding years of a platform that goes by the name of YouTube, arguably becoming the first ‘viral’ social media cycling sensation. His videos have garnered over 500 million views on the website and over the years, he has achieved several feats that defy physics.

In November, MacAskill teamed up with Red Bull Bike for a ‘Postcard from San Francisco’ video, which involves his journey, and tricks, through some of San Francisco's iconic sights, including the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, and Chinatown.

> Video: Danny MacAskill - Postcard from San Francisco

It was described as his most challenging video showcasing “pure hard riding that no practice prepares you for”, and nearly didn't happen as he suffered a broken kneecap five years ago while initially filming the project.

“Postcards from San Francisco is a true passion project of mine, it reflects pure hard riding that no practice prepares you for. Some of these stunts have taken over 300 tries to land perfectly, but I’m stronger than ever and will always thrive on pushing the boundaries of the sport to create progression,” Danny MacAskill said.