A MOTORCYCLIST who died after a crash has been named.

Simon Bever, of Milnthorpe Road, Eastbourne, was riding on his bike on the A259 Barnhorn Road in Hooe last Thursday when he collided with a Volkswagen Polo.

The 55-year-old sustained critical injuries and was flown to King's College Hospital in London by air ambulance. He died in hospital.

The driver of the car, a 41-year-old man from Battle, was taken to the Conquest Hospital in St Leonards with minor injuries.

On his Facebook page, Mr Bever describes himself as "intolerant and outspoken" and a "cyclist, motorcyclist, arts-loving writer".

His friend Harry Powell shared images of the two on the social media site the following day with the caption: "In memory of Simon Bever. Relentless. Opinionated. A good friend."

Mr Bever was also a member of the London Rowing Club.

They said on Friday: "It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Simon Bever following a motorcycle accident yesterday.

"Simon was known by many at the club as a great character both on the road and on the water."

Others said they were "shocked" and passed their condolences to Mr Bever's family.

Mr Bever was close to completing a novel at the end of March, according to his professional Facebook profile.

In a post, he said: "It is a novel I have been working on for some time about three women from the same family who kill their husbands.

"It takes place over 100 years so there are wars, love affairs and espionage to deal with. I think I'm getting there."

He spent much of his life working in the sales and marketing industry, and was a music graduate at the prestigious Goldsmiths University in London. Mr Bever wrote in his spare time and was an avid cyclist.

Police are still looking for witnesses to the crash.

Sergeant Neil Cox, of the Sussex roads policing unit, said: "We'd like to speak to anyone who may have seen what happened, who noticed either vehicle shortly before the collision or who may have dashcam footage of the incident.

"We'd also like to thank motorists whose journeys were disrupted because of the necessity to close roads while this sadly tragic incident was being dealt with."

Anyone with information about the crash should call police on 101 quoting Operation Cairngorm.