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Published: 15 July, 2010
by JOSH LOEB

NEWSCASTER Jon Snow has offered a £1,000 reward for the return of his bicycle after it was stolen from outside television studios in Holborn.

It is the second time the broadcaster has lost a high quality bike to thieves in two years.

His Gran Fondo Condor, with a silver titanium frame, had been hand-built especially for Mr Snow and was worth around £2,000.

He told the New Journal the theft was “like a stake in my heart”.

It went missing from Gray’s Inn Road between 2pm and 8pm on Monday, even though both wheels had been locked to a post using a lock normally used for motorbikes.

Mr Snow, who lives in Primrose Hill, said the bike was insured but was special to him because of how it had been tailor-made to his requirements.

“Sure, it’s insured,” he wrote on the Channel 4 website. “But I daren’t even tell the people whose craft made it.” 

He later confirmed that it had been stolen in broad daylight from right next to a CCTV camera, probably by someone using a bolt cutter. 

“The Serious Fraud Office is based in this building,” he said. “Someone must have seen something. Security is looking at the CCTV footage. 

“Some people might question why I own a £2,000 bike but they wouldn’t ask that if it was a car. If you buy a £2,000 bike and use it regularly it easily pays for itself within two years. 

“I am offering a £1,000 reward for its return. That’s substantially more than you would get for it by selling it in Brick Lane.” 

Mr Snow, who describes himself as a “jobbing cyclist”, has previously spoken of his bike as a vital reporting tool, allowing him to arrive “on the scene” earlier than his competitors.

Last September he had a bike – the same model – stolen from outside the block of flats where he lives in Primrose Hill. It was never found or returned.

To get to and from work, he has brought an old bike he owns out of retirement.

A police spokesperson confirmed that Mr Snow had reported the missing bike to them.