Cyclist attempting world record killed

A Chilean man who was attempting to cycle around the world has been killed in a road accident in Thailand.

Chilean cyclist Francisco Villa has been killed in a traffic accident in Thailand while attempting to ride around the world.

Villa was killed and his wife and son were injured on Saturday on a road in central Thailand, the Phuket Wan news Web site reported.

The cyclist was pulling his wife and two-year-old son, Lucas, in a cycling buggy on the main highway in Najon Ratchasima province.

The 48-year-old Villa and his family stopped for a rest at a police station on Saturday and said they were heading for Australia, police spokesmen told the Bangkok Post.

The cyclist was hit by a 64-year-old Thai man driving a utility.

The driver, who was unhurt, said he did not see Villa, who had two large signs on the buggy explaining his plan to ride 250,000 kilometres across five continents and requesting sponsors for his bid to set a Guinness record.

Villa's body was taken to Bua Yai Hospital for an autopsy and his funeral will be held in Thailand, in accordance with his wife's wishes, police said.

The cyclist began his journey in 2010 and planned to finish the trip in November, completing a ride that would put him in the Guinness World Records.


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Source: AAP


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