A FATHER died from the sudden shock of plunging into a canal on his bike, an inquest heard.
Paul Tyas, 44, of Moorside Walk in Drighlington, died when he lost control of his cycle near Millbank Lock, in Thornhill, Dewsbury.
The Huddersfield hearing was told that Mr Tyas, an electrical engineer and father-of-two, had left his house on June 3 for a bike ride along the towpath.
He was supposed to meet his wife, Moira, a university lecturer, at the local pub at 10pm, but he never arrived.
Mrs Tyas waited until 2am, when she began ringing local hospitals.
At 8.45am she contacted the police to report her husband missing.
Five days later his body was found in the Calder Hebble Navigation Canal, near Dewsbury.
Consultant pathologist Dr Patricia Gudgeon said Mr Tyas's body did not show the signs typical of drowning.
She said: "The post- mortem results suggest he was dead for some time before he was found, days I would suggest.
"His lungs were not full of water - like you would expect with a victim of drowning - and there was no evidence of any major trauma like a heart attack.
"I believe he died after the sudden immersion into the water sent his heart into a spasm," she added.
Coroner Roger Whittaker recorded a verdict of accidental death.
