Laurence Dollimore
A BODY has been found during the search for a missing US cyclist and father-of-two after he vanished from Andalucia in January.
Matt Opperman, 50, disappeared after driving to the Segura de la Sierra region of Jaen, where his family believe he took his bike out for a ride.
Hundreds of volunteers have joined the search since he went missing on January 25, aided by Guardia Civil officers, sniffer dogs, drones and helicopters.
According to Malaga Hoy, the force today said that it had found a body next to a bicycle near the Peña del Olivar in Siles, Jaen.
The body has yet to be formally identified but they believe it could belong to Matt. An identification process is underway.
According to reports, volunteers taking part in the search discovered the body.
It comes after his brother Marc told the Olive Press the family were ‘worried beyond belief’ and were on standby to fly over from the US in the event of a ‘significant update’.
Footage previously shared with the Olive Press showed a chopper scouring above trees as Guardia Civil officers looked on with binoculars.
Marc previously told the Olive Press: “Matt’s professional work with various bike companies – Trek Factory Racing, Rocky Mountain Cycles, and now Yeti Cycles – has always had him traveling the globe in support of professional riders.
“He’s been a well-respected and liked head mechanic for many teams, including the Australian MTB team at the Rio Olympics in 2016.
“It was not uncommon for him to spend most the summer race season at a different point on the globe every week. Much of his work has been in Western Europe.
“Our family was originally from Ohio, and Matt had been a resident of Houston, Texas and Longmont, Colorado, where he developed much of his professional and personal cycling career.”
