Ron McGerity

A U.S. cyclist who pedaled across 50-plus countries for peace and charity was run over and killed in Russia by a drunken truck driver, ITAR-Tass news agency said Friday.

Ron McGerity, 61, was the victim of a hit-and-run driver on a federal highway from Kostroma to Ivanovo in central Russia, the agency said, citing Ivanovo police.

The driver, whose name was withheld, was soon apprehended by traffic police, who allege he was drunk.

McGerity arrived in Russia planning to tour all of the Golden Ring — a set of ancient towns surrounding Moscow, all popular tourist destinations full of historical and architectural landmarks — on his custom-made Swiss bike.

The Boston native had been staging cycling expeditions to promote peace and raise money for various charities since 1995.

He had toured four continents in that time, visiting countries as diverse as Canada, Egypt, Israel, France, Japan and Norway.

The most recent photo on his Facebook page, BikerOnTheRoad, is dated Tuesday and shows McGerity kicking back on his bike in front of the Lenin Mausoleum on Moscow's Red Square.

The Moscow Times