British cyclist killed in head-on collision as he descends Alpe d'Huez

A British cyclist has been killed in a head-on collision with a car as he descended Alpe d’Huez in the Rhône-Alpes region of France – with the driver of the vehicle involved being a fellow tourist from the UK.

The fatal incident took place at around 6.30pm on the evening of Sunday 29 June, reports the Dauphiné Libéré.

The 53-year-old victim, who has not been named, died at the scene despite the efforts of first-aiders to revive him.
The collision took place on bend number 17 of the road, which regularly features on the parcours of the Tour de France, including a double ascent to mark the 100th edition of the race last year.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the motorist involved took the bend too widely and was unable to avoid colliding with the cyclist.

The driver was breathalysed at the scene, and returned a negative result, reports the newspaper.

Last year, a British coach driver was proclaimed a hero after he died on the same descent due to his vehicle’s brakes malfunctioning, according to a report on ITV.com.

Maurice Wrightson, aged 64, crashed the coach into a tree and rocks rather than letting it plunge off the road and was credited with saving the lives of his 50 passengers who were returning from the Alpine resort.

Following the incident, French transport minister Frederic Cuvilliern paid tribute to Mr Wrightson’s “remarkable courage."