FARGO - A bicyclist died when he apparently struck a gate that blocks vehicles from driving on a downtown bike path near the Red River here, police Sgt. Jeff Skuza said.
Police identified the man as 48-year-old Gordon Clyde Fineday. He had recently listed an Osage, Minn., address, and his family in Becker County has been notified, Skuza said.
Skuza said it appears Fineday was riding northbound toward downtown when he hit the gate at Dike East.
A passer-by found Fineday and called police at 1:11 a.m. Thursday from the nearby Fryn' Pan restaurant, Skuza said.
"He wasn't there that long," Skuza said of the victim. "The officers attempted CPR but weren't able to revive him."
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Fineday was declared dead at the scene.
He was not wearing a helmet. His blue 10-speed bicycle wasn't equipped with a headlight or taillight, and the area around the gate is not lighted, Skuza said.
Alcohol and mechanical failure of the bike's brakes may have been factors in the accident, Skuza said.
An autopsy will be performed within the next couple of days; toxicology results could be a week to several weeks away, he said.
Skuza said Fineday's reasons for being in Fargo were unclear, but downtown officers were familiar with him.
