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Rescuers search for lost cyclist in Arizona mountains — then deputy sees a light

The Mojave Desert is pictured. A cyclist got lost in an Arizona mountain range within the desert.
The Mojave Desert is pictured. A cyclist got lost in an Arizona mountain range within the desert. Peter Chen via Unsplash

A 22-year-old cyclist got lost in remote Arizona mountains and called for help, deputies said.

A moving light led rescuers to him.

The man had been cycling off-trail June 20 in the Virgin Mountains, the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue said in a June 29 Facebook post.

At one point, he lost his bike, then trekked up a peak to get service and called 911 at about 9 p.m., rescuers said.

Deputies said they went to the remote desert area, where there were no roads.

One deputy saw a “moving light on the side of the mountain,” so search teams went in that direction in off-road vehicles.

Once they couldn’t get closer with the vehicles, rescuers set out on foot and found the lost man, deputies said.

He was found in “good health” and helped back, though his bike was never found, deputies said.

The Virgin Mountains run across Nevada, Utah and Arizona in the Mojave Desert.

A map shows where the man called 911 and where he was found in the Virgin Mountains in Arizona.
A map shows where the man called 911 and where he was found in the Virgin Mountains in Arizona. Mohave County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue
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This story was originally published June 30, 2025 at 4:50 PM with the headline "Rescuers search for lost cyclist in Arizona mountains — then deputy sees a light."

Helena Wegner
McClatchy DC
Helena Wegner is a McClatchy National Real-Time Reporter covering the state of Washington and the western region. She’s a journalism graduate from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She’s based in Phoenix.
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