A New York man's dream of cycling cross country has been put on hold in San Diego.

That's because the bike he was riding was stolen in Coronado.

Greg Butterick has spent the past few months cycling across the United States. He and his wife, who drives alongside him, had to change their route because of weather and decided to stop in Coronado.

Butterick never imagined the Hotel Del Coronado’s parking lot would be where someone would steal his bike.

“The bike I’ve had for 25 years. I’ve literally been across the country with it,” he said.

After years planning, Butterick started his journey in June at the Empire State Building. Thousands of miles and months later, he made it to Coronado on Saturday.

To commemorate the moment, Butterick did a ceremonial “tire dip” in the Pacific Ocean. On Sunday, he enjoyed a celebratory brunch at the Hotel Del.

“We figured the parking lot is real secure. There’s a guard and security cameras and all that stuff,” Butterick said. “By the time we got out of brunch, it was gone.”

Someone had taken Butterick’s beloved bike off the back of his wife’s Jeep.

"The perpetrator actually rode up on their bike with bolt cutters, cut my bike off and left theirs,” Butterick explained.

Coronado police are helping to find the bike, checking websites like Craigslist and reviewing surveillance video.

Butterick had these words for the bike thief:



“To them, it was just a simple bike theft. To me, it was almost putting a stop to a lifelong dream,” he said. “They should really consider what they're doing.

This setback won’t stop Butterick from reaching his final destination, the Golden Gate Bridge. He tells NBC 7 that his brother, who lives in Los Angeles, got him a new bike. Butterick will continue his journey Thursday.

