Media Coverage Surrounding Igor Kenk

(See Reviews Page for coverage of KENK: A Graphic Portrait)

Gearing up from salsa to stolen bikes
“With food in their bellies, I mention Igor Kenk, Toronto’s notorious maven of bike thievery. It sets them all off.”
Toronto Star, 23 April 2010

Igor Kenk crashes stolen bike giveaway
“The Kenk saga has evolved into lore in Toronto’s west end, where his influence mostly lay.”
Toronto Star, 6 April 2010

Ontario kids to ride new bikes seized from theft ring
“Giving thousands of bikes that were stolen in the Toronto area to children is a fitting end to the case”
CTV Toronto, 5 April 2010

Bike thief Igor Kenk released from jail
“He’s a crook. And he’s an outlaw. But the characters on the fringe of our society tell us what’s going on in our city.”
Toronto Star, 6 March 2010

Igor Kenk, ‘the last of the Queen West outlaws,’ spared assault trial
“Mr. Kenk was notorious in the neighbourhood before the raid, and residents cheered as police cleaned out his Bicycle Clinic”
Toronto Star, 12 February 2010

Igor Kenk gets 30 months
“The man accused of being Toronto’s most notorious bike thief has pleaded guilty to the possession of drugs and only 10 stolen bicycles.”
Toronto Star, 16 December 2009

Crime Solved, but It’s Still a Mystery
“While various theories have been floated about his plans for the bikes, he declined an invitation by the judge to make a statement.”
New York Times, 15 December 2008

Looking ‘broken,’ Igor Kenk faces trial
“But today he looked more like Moses, or perhaps Charles Manson; his beard curls down to his chest and his mane of brown hair is starting to form into dreadlocks. His face is lined and worn.”
National Post, 22 September 2009

When property is seized, there’s no such thing as a free lunch
“The Ontario Attorney-General’s office has decided to skip the niceties of waiting for the trial.”
The Globe and Mail, 2 September 2009

Bicycle-theft accused was `trying to hit me,’ trial told
“After being discovered taking boxes from a garage behind a west-end home, former bike shop owner Igor Kenk attempted to hit a father of three with a brass pipe, a Toronto court was told yesterday.”
Toronto Star, 27 August 2009

One year after Kenk’s arrest, no sign of trial for alleged bike thief
“I honestly don’t know what evidence would take such a long time to disclose at this point. I mean, 58 charges, that’s a lot of charges. But that shouldn’t be so complex.”
National Post, 21 July 2009

Igor Kenk: bicycle thief or stellar recycler?
“He told people he was preparing for a fossil fuel apocalypse, when bikes would reign supreme.”
Toronto Star, 20 December 2008

The case for Kenk
“It’s so easy to believe that Igor Kenk’s an asshole.”
NOW Magazine, 19 December 2008

Police catch world’s most prolific bike thief
“It was so packed with bikes that the fire service had to come to remove upper-floor windows and lower them out with ropes.”
Telegraph, 26 August 2008

2,865 bikes recovered from world’s most prolific cycle thief
“Ever since Igor Kenk was arrested last month, some 15,000 Torontonians have visited the police station garage where his swag was taken, hoping to pick out their own bikes among the vast collection.”
The Guardian, 26 August 2008

In a Cyclist-Friendly City, a Black Hole for Bikes
“He’s easily the most hated man in Toronto…”
New York Times, 21 August 2008

Cleaned-up Igor Kenk back in court
“But it wasn’t Kenk’s legal woes that had court watchers talking, it was the bike shop owner’s makeover from ragamuffin to runway model look-alike.”
Toronto Star, 6 August 2008

He’s not the messiah, he’s just a very naughty boy!
“Yes, it’s a man bites dog story with a feel good ending.”
Sydney Cyclist, 4 August 2008

Bike store owner Igor Kenk granted bail
“‘I’m a dead man,’ the handcuffed and dishevelled Kenk said enigmatically as he was led out of the Old City Hall courtroom”
Toronto Star, 1 August 2008

Bike sting evolves into drug probe
“The saga of Igor Kenk is ballooning into one of urban myth proportions.”
Metro, 31 July 2008

Three kilos of dope found in bike raids
“Reports of bicycle thefts have “dropped dramatically” since the arrests, police said.”
Toronto Star, 30 July 2008

Hundreds more bikes recovered as raids continue
“The city’s biggest ever stolen bike recovery operation just keeps getting bigger.”
Inside Toronto, 29 July 2008

Police recover stolen bikes by the hundreds
“Initially, police removed hundreds of bikes from Mr. Kenk’s shop, but hundreds more were found in weekend searches of his Yorkville home”
Toronto Star, 22 July 2008

Police line up battered wheels for cyclists
“As the day wore on, the crowds grew thicker, so much that police extended the viewing by a day, stretching it beyond the weekend to accommodate cottagers and others on vacation.”
Toronto Star, 20 July 2008

Sweet Revenge
“Even though it feels good, I don’t expect this to be the last of Igor, not by far.”
I Bike T.O., 17 July 2008