A cyclist has spoken of his anger at the theft of his £3,000 racing bike in the city centre - one of 40 similar thefts in the last six weeks.
Jack Ibbotson popped into a baker's shop in Sidwell Street on his way to work without locking the bike and watched in horror as it was ridden off by someone else.
The 29-year-old from Ide is one of 40 people within the last six weeks who have had their bike stolen in Exeter.
As he was only going to be about a metre from the bike at any time Jack thought it would be safe to leave it unlocked.
But within seconds he saw a man jump onto the bike, turn it around and head off down High Street,
Jack gave chase but the thief escaped with the rare racing bike.
City police have now issued a warning that bikes should always been locked up when left.
PCSO Sara Giles said: "It takes just seconds to steal a bike so the message has to be 'Lock it or Lose it'.
"We have had 40 in the last six weeks, over half of which have been from gardens, courtyards, porchways, the rest from bike racks outside shops.The city centre is a regular target for bike thieves."
Jack is a member of the Exeter Wheelers and takes part in between 25 and 40 races a year.
He would not normally have had this Ridley Noah racing bike with him but had been racing the night before.
"We have a secure lock up at work for bikes and I never normally go into a shop when I have a bike with me but I thought I would be so close to it all the time that it would be all right," he said.
"When he jumped on the bike he was almost within touching distance. I almost got him and a guy in a suit saw what happened and looked as though he was going to rugby tackle him, but at least he slowed him down, although he still got away."
PCSO Giles added: "If someone wants to steal something they will but cycle owners can make it harder for thieves.
"It may well be that the fine summer has meant bikes being used more regularly and owners keeping them easily accessible instead of locking them away.
"It may seem that a rear garden or courtyard is a secure place to leave the bike unlocked. Sadly this isn't true.
"The only way to ensure that your bike doesn't get stolen is to lock it with a good quality lock like a D lock in combination with a toughened chain."
In addition you should buy the best lock you can afford, use two locks and always leave the bike against an immovable object.
Exeter police will be organising bike marking sessions.
