Armstrong urges Twitter ranks to find stolen bicycle

Tour de France legend Lance Armstrong is calling on legions of Twitter users to track down a one-of-a-kind bicycle stolen from a northern California racing venue.

Armstrong sent out a rallying cry to the more than 128,000 Twitter members who have signed up to receive the brief text messages he routinely fires off on the popular micro-blogging service.

"Whoa! They just came to my room and said our truck was broken into and someone stole my time trial bike!" Armstrong wrote in a Twitter message sent before sunrise on Sunday. "APB out to the twitterati."

The seven-time Tour de France champion had used the bicycle a day earlier at a rain-pelted, wind-pounded opening of the Amgen Tour of California. The 750-mile race continues through the week.

Armstrong's bicycle was one of four stolen from an Astana team truck parked behind a hotel in the California capital city of Sacramento.

The other bicycles reportedly belonged to team members Janez Brajkovic, Steve Morabito and Yaroslav Popovych.

Armstrong later posted a picture of his stolen bicycle in a Twitter "twitpic" accompanied by the message "There is only one like it in the world therefore hard to pawn it off. Reward being offered."

Replies ranging from supportive and empathetic to biting and cynical streamed back to Armstrong.

"On it," a Twitter user with the screen name 'krenoir' replied to Armstrong on Tuesday. "Spread the word and get it found ... and the perps too!"

Another Twitter follower wrote that he or she posted the bicycle's picture on social-networking website Facebook to "help spread the word in hope of finding this amazing machine."

"Sorry to hear about the bike," Twitter member 'Hotonabike' said Tuesday in a message to Armstrong. "If it's any consolation, you can borrow mine."

A Twitter member noticed what may have been the bicycle for sale at online auction house eBay, which was alerted and the page removed.

"Why some lowlife would list this bike on eBay is beyond me," wrote Twitter user 'seaflite,' who sent a message revealing a defunct eBay page.

"Definitely poor taste."

Cancer-survivor Armstrong, 37, retired in 2005 but has set out to make a comeback. The California race is his second on a comeback trail that started last month in Australia, where he finished 29th place in the Tour Down Under.

Armstrong intends to compete in this year's Tour de France.

"Hitting the sack early tonight," Armstrong wrote in a Twitter update late Monday. Two days in the pouring rain has worn my old @$$ out."

u00a0