THIEVES used bolt cutters to steal a specialist road bike a cyclist was planning to ride from London to Paris on to raise cash for charity.

Carl Cook found his £300 Dawes Giro 300 road bike had been taken from the front of his home in Cater Walk, Colchester, on Sunday as he prepared to go out on a training ride.

Mr Cook, 38, also had a mountain bike stolen which he uses to ride to the train station before heading off to work in London.

Wife Jodie said the couple were shocked at the theft, especially as Mr Cook had already raised £1,000 for St Helena Hospice for the challenge which is due to take place next year.

She said: “They were being stored in a carport and chained to the wall.

“They must have used bolt cutters and left the chain hanging there because the two bikes had been locked together.

“Our car was parked in front so the bikes had to be carefully manoeuvred through, they certainly knew what they were doing.”

Mrs Cook added: “He is doing the ride next September and had bought the new bike especially for it.

“The thing is it is not going to be any use to anybody else because the pedals are especially adapted to fit Carl’s shoes so they won’t even be able to ride it properly.

“We are going to have to spend hundreds of pounds to get a new bike and they might have cost the hospice a £1,000.

“Police told us to report the theft online so we don’t really hold out much hope of ever getting it back.”

Anyone with information about the theft is asked to contact Essex Police on 101