Man pleads guilty to stealing $100K in bikes from Lance Armstrong storage unit

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man was sentenced Oct. 10 related to the December 2023 theft from Lance Armstrong’s storage unit where more than $100,000 in bikes and equipment were stolen.

According to Travis County court documents, 34-year-old Ethan Harms pleaded guilty to theft of property between $30,000 and $150,000, a third-degree felony, and burglary of a building, a state jail felony.

Harms was sentenced to 42 months of community supervision for each charge. Records showed the sentences would run concurrently.

Police alleged Harms and another man burglarized Armstrong’s ExtraSpace Storage Unit sometime between Dec. 10 and 12 in 2023 and took four Trek road racing bikes with markings identifying Armstrong as the owner. Police said a silver and black Cannondale Super Six Evo racing bike and a Ventum GS-1 gravel racing bike were also taken.

An affidavit provided the following values for Armstrong’s bikes and equipment:

• 2023 Ventum GS-1 gravel bike, with Shimano GRX Di2 electronic shifting and Zipp carbon wheels was brand new and valued at $8,500.
• 2016 Cannondale Super Six EVO road bike with SRAM ETAP electronic shifting and Zipp carbon wheels and a custom paint job was valued at $10,500.
• 2010 Trek Madone road bike with SRAM Red mechanical shifting and Bontrager wheels. The bike was personally used by Armstrong for road races and triathlons from 2010-2012. The bike would retail for $10,000, but Armstrong’s assistant said a bike with the same hardware had sold for $50,000 at auction.
• 200-2002 Trek S500 frame with Shimano Dura Ace components was valued at $6,500
• A “custom one-off” MyBike mountain bike frame with a custom paint job built specifically for Armstrong in Europe. Armstrong’s assistant stated the frame could bring about $30,000 “on the low end” at auction.
• Trek Madone 6.9 Red carbon road frame used by Armstong’s Trek-Livestrong development team and ridden by Ryan Baumann valued at $500.

The combined value of the stolen bikes and parts was $105,800, according to the affidavit.

KXAN’s David Barer and Sarah Al-Shaikh contributed to this report.