Former Australian Open Road Champion Darren Lapthorne has arrived in Croatia and joined the search for his missing sister Britt. The 21 year-old went missing after leaving Club Fuego in Dubrovnik on September 18, with the youngster never returning to the hostel where she had been staying.
"It's taking a long time and it's time that Britt doesn't have," Darren told The Age. "She's paying for this time right now. We are desperate … it's not looking good."
The Lapthorne family had been frustrated with the efforts of local police and have now offered a €100,000 reward for information leading to the safe return of Britt, which will be funded by the sale of their family home. A member of the Australian Federal Police has also flow to Croatia to assist with the hunt.
"I'm prepared to post a very large reward," Dale told News.com.au. "I don't have the money, but I'm prepared to sell my house if I have to for our daughter.
"I can't say I'm confident," he added. "At the moment I'm feeling ... she will be found. I'd be naive and stupid if I said she was definitely alive. In a case like this it's generally for the worst, but I'm living on that glimmer of hope and until I know otherwise we're not going to give it up."
Darren won the Australian titles in 2007 while riding for Melbourne-based Drapac-Porsche and held the jersey until Silence-Lotto's Matt Lloyd won this year's event. He joined Team Sparkasse at the start of 2008 in order to race more in Europe.