County' King of the Road has lost his wheels.
Now because of a bicycle thief, a spoke has been stuck in the wheel of 60 years of glorious cycling.
Veteran cyclist, 70-year-old Jim Aveling of Church Street, Burton Latimer, has pedalled his way through just about every village in Northamptonshire. He clocks up an average 5,000 miles every year.
But a piffling eight-mile ride into Kettering ended in disaster because someone stole Jim's £120 racing bike.
"Words really fail me. I bought that bike when I retired five years ago. It was the lightest I had ever had," said Jim who worked as steward at Kettering's Masonic Club.
He is vice-president of both Kettering Amateur and Kettering Friendly cycling clubs and has been labelled the county's King of the Road.
Jim's bike was a red Viscount Aerospace sports and was taken from outside the Newborough Centre.
"I really would like it back because I like to go cycling every day." he said.
JIM'S NO TO FUND
The cogs of kindness this week started turning for the pensioner whose 60 years of happy cycling were halted by a thief.
Hailed as the county's King of the Road, Jim Aveling (70) had his £120 racing bike stolen in Kettering.
But a businessman - who wishes to remain anonymous - has suggested that a fund be started to put the pensioner back on the road.
"I am very grateful for this gesture of kindness - but I feel I cannot accept the offer," said Jim at his Burton Latimer home.
The veteran cyclist is now using his wife's machine. "It's the old sit-up-and-beg-bike. But I have plans to get another racing bike," he said.
THRONE REGAINED
The county's King of the Road has regained his throne - in the saddle of a brand new bike.
Just weeks after veteran Jim Aveling lost his treasured racing bike to a thief, friends in his cycling club rallied round and actually built hm a replacement.
"And it's a lovely machine, really first class." said 70-year-old Jim from his Burton Latimer home.
Jim earned his regal title after cycling through almost every village in the county.
He is vice-president of the Kettering Amateur Cycling Club and this year he celebrates 50 years membership.
The bike built for him is worth over £150 - more valuable than the cycle he lost - and was specially built, right down to each spoke.
"The three chaps who did this lifted me out of a hole. I felt at a blessed loss without my bike. This machine will not be used for shopping," said Jim.
It was on a shopping trip to Kettering he lost his £120 racing bike.
After Jim's bikeless plight was featured in the Evening Telegraph one Kettering businessman tried to begin a fund to replace the stolen machine, but the pedalling pensioner gratefully turned down the offer.
And when his friends produced the handbuilt bike Jim insisted on meeting part of the cost himself.
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