THE cyclist who died in a tragic road crash in Crossways was just five weeks from retirement.

Ralph Ernest Manicom, 64, who lived in Airfield Close, Crossways, was on his way back from the Frampton Arms pub when the fatal collision occurred in Warmwell Road last Thursday night.

His brother Roger, 66, of Broadwey, described breaking down in tears after police officers informed him about his brother’s tragic death early on Friday morning.

He said: “I was in disbelief and I couldn’t really take it in.

“It wasn’t until the police left that I broke down in tears.

“He was just five weeks from retirement and we had all these plans to do things together, like going on holiday.

“Then this had to go and happen.

“People say you never expect it to happen to you but you really don’t.”

“I had spoken to Ralph on Thursday night because I had got stuck doing the Echo crossword and he knew the answer straight away – he was very intelligent.

“The police have said they still need to do a postmortem to make sure he hadn’t had a heart attack or anything like that before he died.”

Mr Manicom described his brother as an intelligent and patriotic but shy man who ‘kept himself to himself’.

Ralph Manicom was one of three brothers, born and raised in Plymouth, who studied judo as a teenager.

As a boy, he joined the Army as a fitting apprentice, training at Hadrian’s camp in Carlisle before serving overseas in Germany, Belize, the Falkland Islands and Hong Kong.

Ralph Manicom also served as a section commander in Londonderry at the height of the Troubles.

He left the Army in 1987 and went to the Defence Support Group at Bovington to continue working as a fitter.

Ralph’s brother Roger said: “The thing with Ralph is that he was a friendly but shy sort of person and kept himself to himself.

“You would have to speak to him first before he would speak to you and he was a bit of a loner as a result of that.

“He was also a very intelligent person and a very good chess player.

“At least three years in a row he won the annual quiz competition in Owermoigne.

“He enjoyed classical music and the opera and went to see performances at the BIC.”

Roger Manicom added: “He was exceptional at his trade in the Army – he never sought any real promotion but he had a terrific sense of duty and was very patriotic.

“He had a commendation when he was in the Army for his work with the Rarden 30mm cannon.

“He was never married and had no children, but he loved children, especially my two boys.

Roger Manicom said his brother was a keen cyclist, travelling to and from work on his bicycle, and on local rural cycle routes for pleasure.

n dan.goater@dorsetecho.co.uk