Talented downhill racer Liam Jones had the £4,500 mountain bike it took him a year to save up for, stolen from under his nose.

And his dad is so upset for his son that he's offering a £1,000 reward for its return.

The Bream 17-year-old, who is a member of the Pedalabikeaway Flyup Team, was sitting down to dinner on Saturday when thieves snatched the bike from his back garden, after trying to break through the garage roof.

Liam, who lives for his cycling, was on the brink of a major break into downhill mountain biking until his hopes were dashed sometime between 5.30 and 7.45pm.

It took the former Whitecross School pupil, who works for a local builder, a year to save up for his prized limited edition World Champion 2011 Specialized Demo 8 bike.

The eye-catching, fluorescent yellow and black machine is only one of 40 such bikes in the country.

Liam, who believes the thieves followed him home from Pedalabikeaway, said: "I'm absolutely gutted – this was my life – and this year I'd been hoping to compete both at home and abroad.

"Whoever took my bike knew exactly what they were doing – and mine isn't the first to have been stolen by thieves who've followed cyclists home."

Dad Nick, who was critical of the lack of action from police, said: "I am raging at the fact that someone got into my home. They got into the back of my property and took that bike.

"My son doesn't go out smoking or drinking like many youngsters – instead he spends his spare time mountain biking – which is his passion. He took months saving up for it.

"The police know that these thefts go on but they seem to be unwilling to act on it.

"There have been several incidents like this and I can guarantee there'll be more because the thieves are never caught."

Liam's is one of several high value bikes taken during the last 12 months. Last May, four bikes worth around £20,000 were stolen – one an irreplaceable prototype – from a group of Americans who were visiting the Forest for a race.

In March, a £5,000 Cove bike was stolen from a shed in Woodcroft and a month earlier two bikes worth a similar amount were stolen from a garage in Milkwall.

Jody Hoare, the manager of Pedalabikeaway, said they were installing an expensive new camera system at their Cannop shop to try to combat the thefts.

Police spokesman Chris Jackson said: "We are continuing to carry out inquiries into this incident and are doing everything we can to identify who was responsible. Officers have visited the victim and his family and will be reviewing CCTV from the shop as part of their investigation.

"In the meantime, if you witnessed any suspicious activity in the area or have seen the bike since it was stolen we would urge you to get in contact with us on 101, quoting incident 397 of December 29."