Cyclist dead after crash into Ottawa River

A cyclist in Gatineau is dead after he careened off a bike path and into the Ottawa River this morning.

The 32-year-old man was cycling near ​​the Université du Québec en Outaouais this morning. A woman then saw the cyclist motionless in the water at about 7:30 a.m. and called police.

Emergency responders tried to resuscitate him and continued to perform CPR as they transported him to hospital.

The incident occurred where the asphalt path bends sharply at the bottom of a slope, its edge immediately adjacent to the river.

On Wednesday morning the site was cordoned off with orange police tape and a bicycle lay mostly submerged near the rocky shoreline. A Gatineau police cruiser was parked nearby.

Police believe the crash was an accident, and are investigating.

Vincent Stoop rides the path regularly. When asked if he was surprised by the fatal crash, he said "yes and no."

"The curve is dangerous when you come from that way because that's a very steep hill," Stoop said.

When asked if there are enough signs warning cyclists, he said it depends how often they ride it.

"For people who don't take that way very often, maybe not," he said. "But me, I know it's very dangerous."