Austrian cyclist Andreas Matzbacher was killed in a car crash on Monday, the Austrian Cycling Federation (ORV) announced on Wednesday.

The 25-year-old Team Volksbank rider died after suffering fatal head injuries in a road accident on Monday in the Province of Styria, the AFP said.

"The Austrian Cycling Federation mourns the loss of one of its greatest talents and an important pillar of the domestic cycling community," federation chief Otto Flum said in a statement on the ORV website.

(Xinhua News Agency December 27, 2007)