Ironman's road bike recovered

COEUR d'ALENE - You know that sick-to-your-stomach feeling, when you realize you made a mistake or something happened that you didn't expect.

Wes Vanhooser felt that way, and probably far worse last Thursday.

The 23-year-old from Lake Stevens, Wash., returned to his Mitsubishi Lancer to find the $3,000 Blue Competition Cycles bike he planned to ride in the Ford Ironman Coeur d'Alene was gone. It was stolen, along with another bike, despite being chained to the car rack, left alone for an hour while he checked in for the race.

He stood, stared, and wondered what he was going to do without the bike he bought in September.

His first thought was what you might expect.

"I'm not going to be able to race now," he said.

But thanks to some good, old-fashioned police work with the help of witnesses, some technology, and crime analysts, he did race, on that bike, on Sunday.

An investigation led to the arrests of Justin C. Luce, 31, and Lukas R. Porto, 18, both of Coeur d'Alene, in connection to multiple thefts in the area.

According to a Coeur d'Alene police report, two bikes valued at $4,500 were stolen from the back of a car near Hubbard Avenue and Lakeshore Drive on Thursday.

Later, a witness told police she saw the stolen bikes in a maroon vehicle with no license plate. That same day, a snowblower was reported stolen from the Coeur d'Alene Best Western Inn, and the theft was linked to a red Chevrolet Corsica with no plates. The snowblower was located the next day at a pawn shop, which led police to Luce, who had a warrant out of Spokane for a car theft.

Luce was later arrested and provided information on one of the Ironman bikes, which was found at a pawn shop in Spokane. The second bike was also found and returned.

Vanhooser, who was competing in his first Ironman, had already asked friends to borrow a bike when police called with good news.

"I was actually out in the water swimming when they called and my girlfriend answered my phone," he said. "She was waving me in and said they had my bike. It was pretty exciting."

The bike was banged up, and needed nearly $300 in repairs. Still, it was ready for the race.

He completed his day in 13 hours, 22 minutes, and 14 seconds, including a solid 6:31:34 on the 112-mile bike segment.

"I was definitely more comfortable riding my bike," Vanhooser said.

He may try another Ironman in 2013, and despite the theft, may return to the Lake City.

"Coeur d'Alene is a possibility," he said. "It's a nice town."

According to the police report, Luce has been linked to multiple thefts in Coeur d'Alene and stolen property is still being identified. He was booked into jail for charges of burglary and possession of stolen property.

Porto was arrested and charged with possession of stolen property, police said.