Cyclist killed in Darwin NYE hit-run

A cyclist has died after being hit by a car which then drove off in Darwin.

The 46-year-old man was hit by a blue Toyota Aurion on Winnellie Road in Winnellie about 10pm on Saturday.

"It is understood that two men were in a vehicle at the time, and that they briefly stopped a short way past the scene before driving away," Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Brendan Lindner said, appealing for witnesses.

The man's death is the first road fatality in the Northern Territory over the holiday period.

* The AAP national road toll period runs from 0001 December 23, 2016 until 2359 January 3, 2017, local times.