Pete Thomas Outdoors

Search turns up body of missing Death Valley cyclist

Sad news out of Death Valley National Park as the body of a cyclist who had been missing since March 12 was found Tuesday between the Mesquite Spring campground and Scotty's Castle Road.

George Kohler, 67, who is from San Francisco, had strayed on-foot from a cycling group he had been traveling with and had been the subject of a multiagency search effort since March 13.

The Sierra Wave reports:

Kohler had been exploring Death Valley with a bicycle touring group and was last seen at a campfire at the Mesquite Spring campground Monday March 12th at approximately 8:00 PM.  According to interviews conducted with the bicycle group, Kohler departed from the campfire after saying he was tired. 

In the morning when Kohler did not meet up with the rest of the group, his tent was opened up; but there was no sign of Kohler or any indication that he slept in his tent.

The Inyo County Coroner will perform an autopsy to determine the cause of death. Foul play is not suspected but the incident is under investigation.

Death of Belgian cycling star Wouter Weylandt rocks sport

Belgian cyclist Wouter Weylandt died Monday after a high-speed crash during the third stage of the Giro d'Italia, casting a pall over the race and sport.

Many athletes expressed their dismay via social media platforms.

American cycling legend Lance Armstrong stated via Twitter: "Just back from a run and got the news of Wouter Weylandt's death today in the Giro. I'm shocked and saddened. May he rest in peace."

British star Mark Cavendish tweeted: "Things like this shouldn’t happen. Absolutely sick to the stomach. My thoughts are with his family. RIP Wouter Weylandt."

The Giro race website stated: "It is sadly ironic that he was the winner of last year's Stage 3 at the Giro d'Italia in Middleburg."

Weylandt crashed on a downhill section of the course about 12 miles from the third-stage finish line in northern Italy, near the town of Mezzanego. Paramedics cut his helmet free during resuscitation attempts, according to the Associated Press.

He becomes the first cyclist to have died after a crash during one of the sport's three main tours since Italy's Fabio Casartelli died during the 1995 Tour de France. Weylandt is the fourth cyclist to have perished as a result of a crash during the Giro competition, but the first in 25 years.