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Cyclist dies trying to beat moving drawbridge

A cyclist had fallen to his death after he tried to beat a moving drawbridge.

Fred Medina, 58, was on his morning bike ride from Aventura to Key Biscayne when he tried to make it past the drawbridge over the Miami River on Wednesday about 6am, according to Miami Police spokeswoman Kenia Fallat.

“He tried to overtake the opening,” she told The Miami Herald.

Mr Medina’s friend Stephen Tannenbaum told WSVN the cyclist “slid down the bridge and fell in between the section of the bridge that moves and the fixed part of the roadway”.

Fred Medina, 58, is pictured.
Fred Medina, 58, died while riding with a friend on Wednesday. Source: WVSN

He had been cycling with another friend who was riding ahead of him.

Mr Medina often woke up at 4.45am to ride his bike, the Herald reported, and would post his rides on social media.

Last year, he logged 35,418 kilometres, according to his Strava fitness tracker app.

Cyclist was an entertainment executive

Mr Medina was an entertainment and technology executive who mostly worked in Latin American media.

He was a principal of Redline Advisors, a media marketing consulting firm, and before that he was managing director for Latin America for BBC.

He also previously held executive roles at Ole Communications, A+E Networks Latin America, and HBO Latin America, according to his LinkedIn profile.

A drawbridge over Miami River is pictured.
The cyclist died after trying to beat this drawbridge. Source: WVSN

TC Schultz, an executive vice president at Sony Pictures Entertainment, who also rides said he and Mr Medina would “give each other kudos”.

The Downtown Development Authority has been working with the Florida Department of Transportation to install gates that would block people from going under the arms, Miami Commissioner Ken Russell said.

“To me, this is about cycling safety and making sure the city, county and state have the right infrastructure to make cycling safe for everyone in the city,” he said.

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