WELLESLEY — Alexander Motsenigos approached biking as he did most things — intensely.
After he recently became interested in the sport, the 41-year-old father started making plans to enter a triathlon and bought a Specialized bicycle geared for triathletes.
“There was no starting off on the easy bike,” said Rebecca Blouin, a friend and neighbor.
Shortly before 2 p.m. Friday, Motsenigos was on his bicycle when he was struck by a vehicle and killed. The driver did not stop, police said, and was seen traveling north on Weston Road.
Motsenigos was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, police said.
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On Saturday, Wellesley police said they were working with the Norfolk County district attorney’s office and Massachusetts State Police on the investigation. Police asked that anyone in the area of Weston Road, Linden Street, or Wellesley Square at the time of the crash and with information about the crash contact them.
Both Motsenigos and the driver of the other vehicle were traveling side by side on Weston Road, said Lieutenant Maria Cleary of Wellesley police. She said police were not releasing a description of the vehicle because they had received conflicting information about it. Asked if there was a chance the driver did not realize Motsenigos had been struck by the vehicle, Cleary said, “Yes.”
In a statement, Motsenigos’s family reiterated the request for information from witnesses: “We are so deeply saddened by the loss of our dearest Alex. He was gentle, kind, and loving father and devoted husband. The world has lost a special man. Our heart is broken but has room for forgiveness. Please, if you have information that will help us grieve with our loss, do come forward.”
Born in Greece, Motsenigos came to the United States in 1986, according to his family. Last month he served as best man in his younger brother’s wedding, they said. He had two other brothers.
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As program vice president for International Data Corp. ’s global services markets and trends team, he analyzed outsourcing by technology firms such as IBM and Hewlett-Packard. He had worked for the company for nearly 12 years.
“We are shocked and saddened by Alex’s sudden death. His warmth and intelligence were bright spots for our company. He will be sorely missed,” said Crawford Del Prete, IDC’s chief of research.
Prior to joining IDC, Motsenigos consulted for US Wireless Corp. , Cambridge Technology Partners, Ross Research, and Northeastern University. He earned a master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in finance and accounting from Northeastern University and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Trinity College in Hartford, according to the company website.
He had a 6-year-old son with his wife of nearly 10 years, Nilanthi Motsenigos. The couple, who would have celebrated their wedding anniversary next month, split child care duties, and Motsenigos was often seen with his son out and about in the neighborhood, Blouin said.
“They were a team over there,” she said.
On the tree-lined street where the family lives in a gabled home they bought new several years ago, neighbors stopped by Saturday to offer condolences and recalled his presence, particularly on Halloween.
“He was always happy and joyful and celebrating with the kids,” recalled Ben Snyder, a 13-year-old neighbor. He said Motsenigos got so into the spirit of the holiday, he often dressed up. Once, if memory served correctly, as a gorilla.
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Motsenigos was a longtime athlete — a high school and college wrestler, a rugby player, a marathoner, and most recently an incipient triathlete. He had completed three triathlons in the past year and was training for another one in the fall, his family said.
Motsenigos was a serious runner when he moved into the neighborhood, having completed at least one marathon, Blouin said.
Recently, his interest in biking spiked, and she and her husband gave him triathlon training books and showed him popular biking loops. She speculated that he may have been returning Friday from one of those biking loops, one that ran through Sherborn and Dover.
“You could see through the biking how driven he was,” Blouin said. It was an intensity leavened with self-awareness, she said.
When he bought the Specialized bike designed for triathletes, “he kind of laughed, as if to say, ‘This is me.’ He knew he went into things with both feet,” Blouin said.
A wake will be held Thursday at the Faggas Funeral Home in Watertown, and a funeral will be held Friday at the Taxiarchae/Archangels Greek Orthodox Church in Watertown.
Anyone with information on the crash can contact Wellesley police at 781-235-1212 . Globe correspondent Katherine Landergan contributed to this report. Sarah Schweitzer can be reached at sschweitzer@globe.com.