Killed cyclist owned a Newport Beach travel agency

The Orange County Sheriff-Coroner has identified the bicyclist who was killed Monday night in a car crash on San Joaquin Hills Road in Newport Coast.

Amine Britel, 41, was killed when he was hit by a car as he rode eastbound on San Joaquin Hills Road between Spyglass Hill Road and Newport Ridge Drive West about 6 p.m.

Britel, a Moroccan immigrant, led an accomplished life both academically and athletically, according to a report on wafin.com, a website dedicated to connecting Moroccan Americans.

He practiced equestrian jumping, and as a teen, was a member of the Moroccan national junior team as a sprinter. He studied at the National Institute of Sports and Physical Education in Paris and later earned an economics degree from UC Berkeley, the website reported.

After attending Harvard University’s business school and working in international finance, Britel started his own business in Newport Beach, https://www.gateway2morocco.com, a travel agency sending tourists to his native country.

Calls to the business were not returned Wednesday.

Britel’s death was the fourth cyclist death from a car accident in the last two years. In light of the spate of fatal accidents, Newport Beach last year launched an education campaign to educate both cyclists and drivers about the rules of the road.

The city even began a trial “sharrow” program in Corona del Mar, with street markings notifying drivers to share the road with bicyclists.

There is a clearly marked bicycle lane on the stretch of road where Britel was killed.

The driver in Monday’s crash, Danae Miller, 22, of Newport Coast, was arrested on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. She posted $100,000 bail Tuesday morning and is free awaiting criminal charges.