Western News Staff
A 60-year-old Kelowna mountain biker who was the subject of major search effort by central and south Okanagan rescue crews returned to Kelowna on his own June 1.
According task manager Randy Brown of Penticton and District Search and Rescue (PENSAR) the unidentified man was last seen May 30 at 4 p.m. and was reported missing to Kelowna RCMP the following evening when he failed to return at the scheduled time.
The man was believed to have been riding to Naramata.
Police notified Central Okanagan Search and Rescue Monday morning which responded with 14 members and contacted PENSAR which put 18 personnel in the field who were joined by another five from Oliver, Osoyoos and Princeton SAR.
Civil search and rescue aircraft were also used in the attempt to locate the cyclist.
According to Brown the man was unaware he was being looked for by the agencies.
“It’s great having no one hurt and it all turned out well,” Brown wrote in a press release. “From an operations perspective it proved to be a great opportunity to deploy our teams and assess how we do in coordination, communication and working with our fellow SAR teams in the Valley.”