'˜Awfulness of fate' claimed life of much-loved dad

Mr Atkins, 48, died after colliding with a second cyclist at a narrow bend on a shared cycle and pedestrian path.

Coroner David Horsley said it was the ‘awfulness of fate’ that the collision happened just as a Ford Transit travelling in Eastern Road moved forward at traffic lights, meaning Mr Atkins’ head hit the rear tail bar area.

He said: ‘If traffic hadn’t been moving perhaps Tim would have been still with us.

‘That’s not blame in any way, that’s just the awfulness of fact that these two things collided, the collision with the cyclists and the traffic moving off.’

Mr Atkins was spun 180 degrees before ending up in the carriageway.

A pathologist said he suffered ‘multiple fractures to his skull’.