The body of an Angus man has been flown home to his heartbroken family after he was killed in a cycling accident overseas.
Gary Vint (39) died following a crash on Akamantos Avenue in Peyia, a suburb of Paphos in Cyprus.
He was found lying in the road near his mountain bike around 9.40pm on February 24. He had suffered serious internal injuries and was rushed to hospital, but tragically he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Police in Paphos said there was nothing at the scene to suggest there had been a collision with another vehicle as the bicycle was not damaged.
Permanent resident Mr Vint had only owned the bike for a few days when the accident happened. It is understood the brake cable had come away from the chassis and he was thrown against the handlebars, suffering an impact to his torso.
His family visited the Mediterranean island following the tragedy and Mr Vint’s body has now been brought back to Scotland following a post mortem.
Mr Vint grew up in Arbroath and went to school in the town before travelling widely. He split his time between his villa in Cyprus and working in Algeria for Trican, an international pressure pumping company.
Mr Vint’s mother, Margaret McCormack, from Cove, said her son was her world. She said he was active, positive and had the world at his feet.
She said: ”I don’t think there are any words to say how I feel. My heart is just broken. He was such a spirited person. He could turn his hand to anything. The boy had everything going for him.
”No-one will ever understand how it feels to lose a son or daughter unless it has happened to them. It’s just such a shock.”
Mrs McCormack said her son had been excited about his new bike.
She said: ”He had phoned to tell me that he had bought this new mountain bike. He was really quite happy about it and had been taking it for a spin.”
Police spokesman Nicos Tsapis said: ”Post mortem results revealed he had suffered multiple injuries, which had been caused by an accident on his bicycle. This is not being dealt with as a suspicious death.”
As well as his mother, Mr Vint is survived by father Alan, who works in Kuwait, stepfather Euan, sister Sharon (41), and nieces and nephews.
Mr Vint’s funeral will take place on Monday at George Stewart Funeral Directors on Millgate Loan in Arbroath.