LAKEPORT — Just before Christmas, Charles Bristol rode his stepson’s new bike to Angelina’s Bakery & Espresso on Main Street in Lakeport. He was only going in for a double mocha so he left the bike outside, unlocked, thinking it would be safe. “It was Main Street, in front of the bakery. I figured it was okay.” As he finished his drink, he saw a figure from the corner of his eye go towards his son’s bike. Bristol sprinted out the door and ran after a “kid peddling quickly down the street on my son’s bike.”
The incident created quite a buzz in Angelina’s since several people witnessed the theft. Shanon Tyson, a daily customer, witnessed the incident from the front window. She said out loud, “I think that guy (Bristol) just had his bicycle taken.” That’s when Brian Lundeen, manager of Angelina’s, sprang into action, got in his car and took chase, only to find Bristol a half-mile away by Plaza Paints, still searching for the bike thief. Joining Lundeen in his car, the two men continued to search but to no avail.
Witness Shanon Tyson was upset. She told her husband, JT Tyson of California Ramp Works, known as a leader in premiere action sports event builds, such as the X-Games, about the disturbing incident. It so happened that JT had a brand-new Fitbikeco BMX Freestyle bike in his shop and he offered it to Lundeen to give to the man’s son. “I hate thieves,” said JT, “especially when someone works their butt off for something and then it’s gone, stolen! Go buy your own bike!”
With a sense of surprise and excitement, Lundeen met with Tyson for the bike handoff. Lundeen hid the bike above the bakery. He anticipated giving it to the man’s son for an early Christmas present on behalf of JT Tyson, but the bike sat above Angelina’s over Christmas. Linden waited daily for the regular customer to come in and order his normal double mocha. But he was a no-show. Lundeen had no idea how to contact him. Didn’t even know his name.
December turned to January and still no man at Angelina’s ordering his double mocha.
It turns out that Bristol went to Stockton and Sacramento for the holidays with his family, hence he didn’t know about the good-will gesture by Tyson and the bike waiting for his 8-year-old stepson, Gino “Little Wolf” Watchman.
Lundeen went shopping at Safeway last week and by chance saw the mystery man in the parking lot. “Hey!” he said to him, never anticipating he’d find him at Safeway. Lundeen briefed Bristol on what had happened since the day the bike was stolen and told him there was a new bike donated by JT Tyson, a local businessman. He asked him to come into the bakery so he could present the boy with a brand-new BMX bike.
Bristol promised to take Watchman to Angelina’s after school that week.
The day arrived and Bristol and Watchman were amusing themselves at a table in Angelina’s playing with vinyl ‘Sticky Hands’ that Lundeen had given them. They were early and Shanon Tyson was going to be late. The boy was clueless that they were actually waiting for Tyson to show up before Lundeen brought the bike downstairs into the bakery. When she did arrive, Watchman looked perplexed as to why so many people were looking at him. Lundeen then brought out the bike – a sleek, professional BMX, root beer-colored with fat, whitewall tires and other specs that bike geeks would understand; frame, forks, bars (handlebars), stems, sprockets, pedals, cranks, seating, grips, tires, wheels.
When asked by the crowd watching Watchman’s reaction, what he thought of the new bike, he shrugged his shoulders. Not a big talker. Bristol spoke for him, “Gino loves it. We watch the X-Games at times and he would love to do those kind of tricks. He will too. The wide tires are good for doing tricks because the more air, the more space on the tires gives better control for landing. “We can’t thank everybody enough.” Bristol choked up saying that he had never received such a kind offer.
The boy was also given a California Ramp Works hat and with that on backward and his hands on the bars, Gino “Little Wolf” Watchman was ready to ride!
