Tragedy in Spain: Yeti mechanic found dead after long search

Matt Opperman Yeti Cycles

Photo: spain_dh/yeticyles/Instagram

The US American Matt Opperman did not return from a bike tour on January 25. After a search lasting more than three weeks, the Yeti Race Team mechanic, who lived in Málaga, was found dead. The cause of death is still unknown.

An intensive 22-day search in Andalusia, southern Spain, has come to a sad end: Matt Opperman, race mechanic at Yeti, is dead. Most media give his age as 50. According to the Facebook post of his brother Marc, however, he was born in 1971.

On January 24, Opperman had set off on a bike tour in the province of Jaén in Andalusia, Spain, from which he did not return. Because he wanted to spend the night in a hut, he only went missing a day later. He was said to be extremely fit and familiar with the area when the search was still underway. Born in the US, he had been living in Málaga, Andalusia, for years.

The Guardia Civil police searched for Opperman with the support of the Spanish mountain bike community. According to the Bikemag, it was volunteers who discovered the dead man. He was reportedly lying on the ground next to a tree, his bike nearby. According to a government representative from the province of Jaén, Matt Opperman has been identified. It is not yet clear what caused his death. However, officials have ruled out violence.

Opperman leaves behind a family with two children. There is great sympathy in the mountain bike community and the racing circus.