Talk about a comeback.

Lance Armstrong's stolen bicycle turned up at Sacramento's police headquarters Wednesday morning in the back of a local resident's car.

The black-and-gold time-trial bike valued at more than $10,000 had been swiped from a team van following Saturday's Sacramento prologue to the Amgen Tour of California.

Sgt. Norm Leong said he was driving into the police station's parking lot midmorning Wednesday when he saw the bike's distinctive wheels protruding from the trunk.

One had three black spokes. The other was spokeless, with a spiral design.

"I immediately thought, that's it," Leong said.

The bike's frame was in the back seat. All appeared in good shape, Leong said.

An officer stood beside the car talking with the man who had brought the bike, he said.

Police aren't identifying the man or saying much about him.

He walked into the Freeport Boulevard station at about 10:35 a.m. and said he thought he had Armstrong's bike, Leong said.

Officers later confirmed it.

He said the man was not a suspect. "This person did the right thing," Leong said.

Police are investigating and hoping to make arrests, Leong said.

Leong said the man was nervous. He didn't want the people he'd gotten the bike from to learn he had turned it in.

Armstrong had offered an unspecified reward for the bike, but Leong said the man didn't ask about it.

Armstrong, 37, a seven-time Tour de France champion, ended his retirement to race on this year's Amgen tour.

He was radioed the news that his bike had been found as he pedaled halfway through Stage 4 – a 115-mile route from Merced to Clovis that climbed the Sierra Nevada.

At the end of the day, Armstrong sent a message to his fans using Twitter, a social networking service. Many of the "twitterati " had asked about the stolen bike, he wrote.

"Oh!! And they recovered the bike!" Armstrong twittered within 20 minutes after he finished in fourth place overall.

"Don't have details yet but it's apparently on it's way here. Thanks to the Sacramento P D for the help!"

On twitter.com, a self-described fan of Armstrong and his team sent a message Tuesday night saying: "i have found lance armstrong bike i will turn it in to the police first thing in the morning."

Less than an hour before the bike was turned in, the person sent a tweet: "im turning the bike to the police right now lance."

The last message was sent hours before city police announced they had the bike.

Armstrong's bike was stolen late Saturday or early Sunday from a truck parked in an alley behind the Marriott Residence Inn near the Capitol.

Thieves cut the padlock and made off with the first three bikes they could lay their hands on, police said.

One of them was Armstrong's. Two others belonged to his Astana teammates.

A fourth bike was reported stolen but was found later in storage by hotel staff.

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson had called the theft a black mark on an otherwise triumphant day for the city.

As many as 75,000 spectators turned out to watch the time trials and the top cyclists racing in the world today. The international media spotlighted Sacramento.

Police gave the investigation high priority.

Leong said he understood many residents were frustrated with what seemed like an unwarranted effort to find the bike. But he said the crime was bigger than a common theft because of the benefits the Amgen tour brings to Sacramento.

"This impacts the community at large and reflects upon the city nationally," he said.

The bike is valuable for its cutting-edge design. The parts alone are worth more than $10,000, Leong said.

After it was turned in, the bike was processed for forensic evidence.

Leong said he thought it would be ready to be released as soon as Wednesday night.

Someone from Armstrong's team might come to retrieve the bike, he said. Armstrong could use it Friday at the tour's next time trials in Solvang, Santa Barbara County.

Call The Bee's Hudson Sangree, (916) 321-1191.