[ad_1]
A Southland man who died at a fundraiser for a high school bike ride was a well-known excavation contractor.
It is understood that Lindsay Roy of Riversdale died at the Lake to Sea Trail Ride, a fundraiser for the Tokomairiro High School PTA, on Saturday near Milton.
A relative in Australia said the family would now have to await the outcome of a police investigation.
Robyn Cooper-Radke is Roy’s second cousin. She was born in Gore but moved to Australia as a child.
READ MORE:
* Police investigate a number of accidents on the trails.
* Man killed, 11 injured, in off-road event in Otago
* Fiordland Trails Trust counting the cost of consents
Chris Hillock / Stuff
Police are conducting investigations after the death of a man at a fundraising event near Milton on Saturday. [File photo]
The family was still rebuilding what happened, Cooper-Radke said.
Cooper-Radke said there were risks with any motorsport.
It was a “tragic accident” and the police investigation would now have to be carried out, he said.
In the case of some 900 cyclists, 11 other people were also injured.
Riversdale Rugby Club president Garth Lindsay said Roy supported his sons from the bench.
While Roy didn’t have a large stake in the club, he was known as a good man, Lindsay said.
Southland District Council Ardlussa Community Board Vice Chairman Ray Dickson said Roy was a well known contract excavator who had worked with many farmers in the area.
Roy worked on the Dickson farm.
The trail ride fundraiser was held for the eighteenth time on Saturday and had three different runs, the main run being 140 km long.
The cyclists were expected to start on Narrowdale Rd, near Milburn, and ride through woods, farmland, and beaches to reach Toko Mouth, before returning to Milburn.
A police spokesman said emergency services responded to three crashes related to the trip.
Two crashes occurred 150 meters from each other.
The Serious Accident Unit attended and examined the scenes, the spokesman said.
Police investigations were ongoing.
