Dramatic moment cyclist winched to safety from Snowy River

Dramatic footage has revealed the moment a cyclist stranded for hours in the Snowy River in East Gippsland was rescued to safety by winch.

The experienced cyclist became stranded in rapidly rising waters in the Suggan Buggan area shortly before 8pm on Monday evening.

Police said the experienced cyclist was trying to cross the Snowy River when water levels began to rise “higher than expected”, leaving them stranded in the middle of the river.

The 31-year-old cyclist was clinging to the reeds in the middle of the river when they activated his satellite communication device.

The rescue team arrived at the scene and searched for the cyclist stranded in the river.

In the dramatic footage, the cyclist was seen holding on to his bike in the river as the water continued to flow.

“We found the person in the river. They’re in the reeds,” an Air Wing officer said in the clip.

“Our plan is to get them out of there.”

A police officer lowered himself slowly into the river, picked up the cyclist and took them back to safety shortly after 12pm on Tuesday.

The 31-year-old man was taken to hospital for evaluation and was able to escape without injury.