THE FAMILY of the cyclist killed while riding in Swinley Forest in July said they are ‘humbled and honoured’ that they knew him.
Mark Kingston, 50, of Aysgarth, Bracknell, was killed while cycling the red route number 26 at the popular riding destination on July 25.
An inquest into his death at Reading Town Hall on Tuesday revealed that Mr Kingston, a former company sergeant major for the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME), died from head and brain injuries when he was thrown from his bike on the route, which was described as ‘technical’.
Witness Andrew McGillenie, who found Mr Kingston, described in a statement the moment he came across the cyclist in the middle of the path.
He said: “There was a sweeping left corner, and as my view opened up I saw a fellow rider lying motionless in the middle of the trail. His bike was 10 to 15 yards ahead.
“I stopped and tried to get a response from him without success, he wasn’t conscious or responsive. I became aware of other people around me stopping to assist, phone calls were made to the ambulance and the forest ranger.
“The cyclist’s breathing was irregular and strained, I removed his helmet while supporting his head as it was obvious the strap was restricting his breathing.
“I noticed that the helmet was significantly damaged from an obvious impact.”
The cyclists performed CPR on Mr Kingston until the ranger, Rory Kerr, arrived who began administering oxygen until the paramedics took over at approximately 4.10pm. The crews worked for more than an hour to try to save Mr Kingston, but he was declared dead at the scene at 5.25pm.
Mr Kingston’s GP at Great Hollands Practice confirmed that he had not been on any medication at the time of his death and described the father-of-two as fit and healthy.
A post mortem carried out by Dr Robert Chapman at Wexham Park Hospital revealed a number of abrasions and extensive skull fractures with an underlying bleed to the brain. Dr Chapman noted a severe impact to the front of the head consistent with a heavy fall forward as the cause of death, and concluded that the impact probably occurred below the line of the helmet.
Recording a verdict of accidental death, the coroner Peter Bedford said that while Mr Kingston was an experienced cyclist, something unexpected must have happened to make him come off his bike.
Mr Kingston’s wife Anna, and children Courtney and Matthew said after the inquest: “We would like to thank everyone for the support shown to us over the past few months, especially from our army family.
“Mark was a great man, we had just moved back from living in Dubai for five years where he taught army skills at a school, and we received messages from some of his students saying how great he was.
“It is humbling to hear how many lives he touched, we are honoured that he belonged to us.”
