UC Davis Student On BMX Scholarship Asking For Public's Help After Bikes Were Stolen
DAVIS (CBS13) — A UC Davis freshman is asking for the public's help tonight after the tool she used to get a college scholarship has been stolen away from her.
Lizzie Bowers, 19, is a freshman who has a BMX scholarship to go to school, and now her bikes are gone. She said she saw her car's door open with shattered glass on the ground and knew instantly her beloved BMX bikes were gone.
"I was absolutely terrified because I absolutely loved those bikes," she said. "I knew they were in [the car] and I could see the back open and I couldn't see the bikes inside."
Here is a photo below of the brightly painted specialized racing bikes — each valued at $3,000 apiece.
"I won't be able to apply for the scholarship next year because I don't have my bike so I can't currently race," Bowers said.
Bowers, who said she's been racing since she was 12, received a scholarship through USA BMX that helps pay for housing at UC Davis. Campus rules don't allow her to keep the bikes inside her dorm room, so she's felt forced to keep them in her car.
"I know that it's a risk keeping them in my car. Unfortunately, my RA has told me I can't keep them in my dorm," she said. "I usually cover them with blankets and beach towels, and I try to make it look like there are no bikes in my car."
Swipe left for more photos of the incident.
Bowers said she thinks she was targeted.
"My bikes were hard to see," she said. "I made it intentionally that way so I don't know what else to think."
This UC Davis student, depending on bike races for a partial ride to college, is now racing to find out who has them.
"I'm going to search my hardest to get my bikes back," Bowers said. "I'm going to search on Craigslist. I'm going to go around to local bike shops."
Bowers said stolen bikes are a big issue on campus.
"I think that everybody on campus probably knows someone whose bike has been stolen," she said. "So it's a huge issue."
Bowers says whoever broke into her car also took her helmet and some specially designed pedals. She has filed a report with campus police.
