California, Feb 19: Champion cyclist Lance Armstrong's time-trial bike that was stolen from the Team Astana truck before the first stage of the Tour of California has been found.

Police said a local resident brought the custom bike, worth about 10,000 dollars, to a police station in the city of Sacramento on Wednesday,Feb 18. Police said the investigation of the theft is continuing, and added that they will return the bicycle to Armstrong, who is competing in the Tour of California.

According to the Daily Telegraph, the seven-time Tour de France champion had used the bicycle Saturday at a rain-pelted, wind-pounded opening of the 750-mile race that continues through the week.

Armstrong's bicycle was one of several stolen from an Astana team truck parked behind a hotel in Sacramento.

A lock on the truck was clipped to get inside, according to police.

Armstrong on Sunday sent out a rallying cry to the more than 128,000 Twitter members who have signed up to receive the brief text messages he routinely fires off on the popular micro-blogging service.

A Facebook group called '1 Million Citizens Looking for Lance Armstrong's Stolen Bike' had grown to 1,282 members by the time word of the Trek's return hit the Internet on Wednesday.

Cancer-survivor Armstrong, 37, retired in 2005 but has set out to make a comeback. The California race is his second on a comeback trail that started last month in Australia, where he finished 29th place in the Tour Down Under.

Armstrong intends to compete in this year's Tour de France.

ANI