An American TikToker and competitive triathlete is upset after his $16,000 bike went missing during an Air Canada flight from Europe to Montreal last week.
Noel Mulkey competed in the IRONMAN World Championships in Nice, France, on Sept. 10 and brought his TREK bike with him for the event.
The 28-year-old said the airline lost the pricey bike and he and his mom have been on the phone for the past six days trying to find out why it didn’t make it on the Sept. 12 flight. Frustrated by a lack of answers after multiple calls, he said he posted videos about the ordeal for his 1.5 million TikTok followers to put pressure on Canada’s largest airline to locate his bike. The videos have more than 380,000 views combined.
The bike was packed in a large, green storage box that he takes with him on long-haul flights around the world, making the disappearance all the more confusing, he said.
“How do you miss that? It’s a giant, green box,” he said in an interview on Monday.
He said he stayed in Nice for a few extra days of vacation after the Sept. 10 competition, and that his parents checked the green box for him when they returned home before him.
The bike box that carries Noel Mulkey’s $16,000 bike. (Submitted photo)
After calling Air Canada customer service, he had high hopes that he would get the bike delivered on Monday. Air Canada gave him a tracking number for a FedEx delivery, but when it arrived at his home, it was just the racing wheels of the bike, which he packed separately. The bike frame and two training wheels that are in the green box haven’t been returned.
“Now, we’re really mad because we thought that it was gonna show up, it was resolved,” he said, adding that calling Air Canada for help has been an uphill battle.
“We call them and they’ll kind of give us the runaround. They’ll say we’re gonna go through the emails, they put us on hold and then on hold, [the call] disconnects. So we’ll be on hold for, like, an hour or whatever and then disconnects, and then we have to go through the whole process again,” he explained.
Noel Mulkey says Air Canada lost his $16,000 bike on a flight from Nice, France to Montreal on Sept. 12, 2023. (Submitted photo)
CTV News reached out to Air Canada for comment. In an email sent Monday evening, the airline said the bike arrived in Montreal “and is set to be delivered to the customer shortly.”
“We regret the delay, however there were other carriers involved transporting it. We will follow up with the customer directly,” the company said.
Reached again late Monday, Mulkey said he still hadn’t heard from the airline.
“I have not seen anything and we didn’t get a call. And my reaction is I don’t understand why that was so difficult, like the last five days to let us know where it is. And they let you guys know instantly,” he said.
Noel Mulkey brought his bike to France to compete in the IRONMAN World Championships. (Submitted photo)
There has been no shortage of social media posts and news stories about complaints from passengers regarding Canadian airlines over the past several months about everything from lost luggage, to flight delays, and cancellations. One woman said she was asked to sit on a vomit-covered seat on an Air Canada flight(opens in a new tab) from Las Vegas to Montreal last month.
Mulkey said he travels the globe often as an athlete and has lost his bike once on a Qantas flight, but he got it back within a few days.
“This is my job … I have flown all over the world and never had an experience like this with any airline ever. Just this year alone, I’ve been to Africa, Australia, Europe. I’ve been with this bike, and I’ve never had a problem,” he said.
His mother, Karen Mulkey, said she was told by an Air Canada employee earlier in the day on Monday that the bike box was actually still in Nice, after being told otherwise previously.
“I’ve been quite frustrated. I mean, it’s my son’s livelihood … it’s not a black suitcase. It’s a big, green box. And it’s just sitting there, and I can’t get help from either end to know for sure, like, confirmation of what’s going to happen next,” she said.
Mulkey said he usually puts an AirTag — a battery-operated Bluetooth tracking device made by Apple — into the bike box so that he could track its location in case it gets lost, but this time he forgot to do it.
“It didn’t make it into the bike bag,” he said, “and it’s the time we needed it.”
OTTAWA – The pressing issues of climate change and food security join more familiar ones like violent extremism and espionage on a new list of Canada’s intelligence priorities.
The federal government says publishing the list of priorities for the first time is an important step toward greater transparency.
The government revises the priorities every two years, based on recommendations from the national security adviser and the intelligence community.
Once the priorities are reviewed and approved by the federal cabinet, key ministers issue directives to federal agencies that produce intelligence.
Among the priorities are the security of global health, food, water and biodiversity, as well as the issues of climate change and global sustainability.
The new list also includes foreign interference and malign influence, cyberthreats, infrastructure security, Arctic sovereignty, border integrity and transnational organized crime.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette returned to the 10-day injured list Thursday due to a right middle finger fracture.
The move, retroactive to Wednesday, essentially ends an injury-plagued season for Bichette.
He had two hits and one RBI in a 13-8 loss to Texas on Tuesday in his return from a 52-game stint on the IL with a right calf strain.
Bichette also missed nine games due to the calf issue in June.
His latest injury was suffered Wednesday during infield practice. Bichette was a late scratch in a 2-0 loss to the Rangers.
Bichette hit four homers with 31 RBIs in 81 games this season. He posted a .225 batting average and a .322 slugging percentage.
The Blue Jays also recalled outfielder Jonatan Clase from Triple-A Buffalo. He was active for the series finale against the Rangers on Thursday afternoon, the team said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Falcons wide receiver Drake London was penalized after catching a touchdown pass in the final minute of Atlanta’s 22-21 victory in Philadelphia on Monday night for pretending to shoot in the air, a violation of a longstanding NFL rule that prohibits violent gestures.
London immediately apologized on the sideline, according to Falcons coach Raheem Morris, and did it publicly on Wednesday.
“There’s a lot of stuff going around in the world with gun violence that I don’t think I should have displayed there,” London told reporters. “So, I’m not too happy with it, and (you) probably won’t see that again from me.”
The NFL has strict rules for celebrations and players are reminded annually that violations will result in unsportsmanlike penalties.
London’s 7-yard TD catch on a pass from Kirk Cousins tied the score at 21-21. His penalty pushed the extra point back 15 yards but Younghoe Koo made it from 48 yards out to give Atlanta a lead and Jessie Bates intercepted Jalen Hurts’ pass on the ensuing drive to seal the victory.
“We approach player celebrations as expressions of exuberance that are part of the excitement of the game. Rules were modified in 2017 that permitted group celebrations, including choregraphed demonstrations. Offensive demonstrations, celebrations that are prolonged and delay the game, and those directed at an opponent are still penalized,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement. “Players are reminded annually and it’s part of the player manual that demonstrations that constitute taunting or unsportsmanlike conduct, or delays the game, will result in a foul against his team.
“Also prohibited acts that occur anywhere on the field or sideline include longtime prohibitions against throat slash; machine gun salute; sexually suggestive gestures; or stomping or demonstrations on a team logo.”
London’s celebration came 12 days after four people were killed in a shooting at Apalachee High School near Winder, Georgia. The Falcons hosted the school’s football team at their practice facility last week.
