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After cross-country ride and 30th St. Station theft, Philly college student offered new bike from company

Philadelphia college student Jimmy Mulholland, who bicycled across the country last year, received many offers of help after his bike was recently stolen at 30th Street Station.

Philadelphia college student Jimmy Mulholland, who bicycled across the country last year, received many offers of help after his bike was recently stolen at 30th Street Station.

Readers, touched by his misfortune, were quick to offer aid after reading a story on Philly.com about his plight last week.

A Philadelphia lawyer provided tips on how Mulholland could possibly find his stolen bike: Call local bike shops in case the thief or someone else brings it there. Check out the Philadelphia Stolen Bikes group on Facebook.

Another reader, noting that Mulholland was not looking for donations, suggested setting up a fund to raise reward money to entice the thief to return Mulholland's stolen gray 1984 Fuji Touring Series IV bike. Mulholland has thanked this reader, but turned the offer down.

And a Huntingdon Valley doctor offered to give Mulholland his own bike, saying he believes he has the same model and year of bike that was stolen from Mulholland and that he no longer uses it.

Last, but not least, Advanced Sports International, the Northeast Philadelphia company that manufactures, markets and distributes Fuji Bikes, offered to give Mulholland a brand-new Fuji Touring bike.

Mulholland, 21, accepted, given the slim chances of finding his own bike. He thanked the company, calling it "truly a blessing," and said he still loved Philadelphia.

"Not everybody in Philly steals bikes, for the most part everyone in Philly is awesome," Mulholland wrote in an email Monday. "I went across the whole United States, and I wouldn't choose anywhere else but Philadelphia to live."

Larkin Silverman, marketing and advocacy coordinator for Advanced Sports International, said Monday: "It was disheartening to hear he had this amazing journey, took beautiful photos, and it was so disheartening that at the conclusion of his journey," his bike was stolen.

A brand-new 2016 Fuji Touring bike, which was manufactured in Taiwan, will be shipped from Advanced Sports' southern California facility, likely arriving in Philadelphia later this week, she said.

She said the 1984 Fuji Touring bike that Mulholland had was made before Advanced Sports acquired Fuji Bikes. Advanced Sports was "so impressed" by Mulholland's cross-country journey that it offered him a new bike after reading the story on Philly.com, she said.

On July 10, Mulholland had locked up his old bike outside of 30th Street Station, where he took a train to Media, Delaware County, to visit his parents overnight. When he returned to get his bike the next day, it was stolen from the rack on the Schuylkill River side of the station. He realizes he probably shouldn't have kept his bike there overnight.

The bike had been his constant companion on his road trip last year when he took a break from Temple University, where he was having difficulties in school.

The freelance photographer also took beautiful photos of his 4,228-mile trip from Oregon to Virginia. He rode solo 50 of the 60 days on his trip, which began Sept. 3 and ended Nov. 3.

During his trip, he added stickers on his bike from each of the 10 states he pedaled through - Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky and Virginia, plus Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park.

This past spring semester, Mulholland, who still lives in an apartment near Temple University in North Philadelphia, transferred to the Community College of Philadelphia, where he is studying business administration. He is taking summer classes now.

He plans to start a photography business and hopes to transfer back to Temple to finish his bachelor's degree.

Last week, he said of his stolen bike: "It means a lot to me, more than just the dollar amount. It's sentimental."

Anyone who has information on his stolen bike should contact the police department.

shawj@phillynews.com

215-854-2592

@julieshawphilly