POLICE are not treating the death of a cyclist near Princetown on Saturday night as suspicious.

The man, aged in his 50s, was found by the Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team Tavistock near Nun’s Cross on the Princetown to Eylesbarrow track at 9.48pm and pronounced dead at the scene by one of the team’s doctors.

He was found during an unrelated rescue mission.

In a statement police said: Police were called at 8.50pm on Saturday, August 21 by Dartmoor Search and Rescue to reports of concern for the welfare of a man located near Princetown.

‘The man, in his 50s, was confirmed deceased at the scene. His next of kin have been informed.

‘The death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner.’

The Tavistock team said their thoughts were with the man’s family and friends at this time.

At the time the man was found 21 members of the rescue team were involved with assisting the South West Ambulance Service in locating a 17-year-old girl in a group of Duke of Edinburgh Award Gold Expedition walkers on a remote part of Dartmoor near Erme Pits.

The girl had been experiencing fitting intermittently and could not continue and was given glucose and insulated to prevent further heat loss as she was already mildly hypothermic, said a spokesperson.

A helicopter from the Maritime Coastguard Agency was also called out to assist but because of thick, low cloud cover the helicopter had to abort its mission. Members therefore stretchered the teenager to waiting ambulance vehicles on the Red Lake track which led down towards Ivybridge. The mission ended at 2.15am the next morning after the hill parties walked back in heavy rain and mist to Plym Ford, where they were picked up by the team’s Land Rovers and driven back to their RV at Peat Cot.