The driver’s distraught family defended her in an exclusive interview with The News Sunday, saying they were shocked by the wreck.

The man killed in a driver’s alleged high-speed crash coming off a New York City bridge was an avid cyclist and died “doing something he loved,” his family said Sunday.

A Chevy Impala sedan exiting the bridge at Canal Street and Bowery hit a male cyclist and a female pedestrian on the sidewalk at around 7:30 a.m., according to the NYPD. Police said both victims were pronounced dead at the scene.