Missing Singaporean cyclist found dead in drain in Ipoh
Singaporean just 13km from finish line of Ipoh race
The leader of the 20-man Singapore cycling team, Mr Alvin Low, and team member Mohamad Rizal Abdol Aziz had stayed behind in Ipoh to help in the search for teammate Abdul Samat Ismail, who went missing during the 160km Perak Century Ride 2018 event on Sunday.
Mr Abdul's close friend, Mr Mohamed Fadzli Hayof, also travelled to Ipoh on Tuesday to join in the search.
However, the trio returned to Singapore yesterday afternoon after the search involving scores of police and volunteers combing the route proved futile.
Hours later, they received the bad news - the body of Mr Abdul, 56, had been found in a drain around 13km from the finish line.
He was found with his bike by a group of volunteers mobilised by the event organiser.
A police spokesman told The New Straits Times that they had ruled out foul play and would conduct an autopsy.
Mr Abdul's family travelled to Ipoh yesterday evening.
Speaking to The New Paper yesterday, Mr Fadzli, 38, said: "This is a huge loss for me, I am very sad as Mr Abdul was just like a father to me, he was family."
Describing Mr Abdul as "soft-spoken, polite, helpful and understanding", the bike shop owner fondly recalled how "Abang Samat" would drop by his shop in Crawford Lane to chat and play with his two sons.
He emphasised that the late cyclist was "fit and healthy" and had participated in four cycling events in Malaysia last year.
Mr Abdul, a building technician, was last seen at 1.45pm on Sunday at a water station, with a teammate, 24km from the end.
Team leader Mr Low, 45, said: "I am shocked at what happened to a good man like Mr Abdul... This is so unexpected and tragic. We will have to wait for the post-mortem to find out exactly what happened."
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