UPDATE 18 January 2024: The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office has identified the cyclist who died as Zoe Cheng, a 42-year-old woman from San Jose.

On Monday afternoon 15 January California Highway Patrol (CHP) reported an experienced female cyclist crash and died while descending Hauser Bridge Road in Sonoma County just north of San Francisco.

CHP believes the rider was descending at an unsafe and failed to slow down as she approached a sharp blind turn. The rider was unable to negotiate the turn and avoid a downed tree on the edge of the road. The bicycle impacted the tree, throwing the cyclist off the roadway and down into a ravine.

Her riding partner stopped and called emergency services. Upon arrival CHP and Timber Cove Fire Department located the rider, but were unable to revive her even though she had been wearing a helmet. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Sonoma County Coroner has yet to release the rider’s name, only identifying her as an adult.

Hauser Bridge Road, rated as a “white-knuckle descent” with grades as steep as -18%, has previously been used in Levi’s GranFondo, with Edward Lund suffering the same tragic fate in 2015 when he also lost control on a curve, flew off the road, landed in a dry creek bed and died, according to CHP.

Below is an on-board video of the descent from Levi’s GranFondo 2016 – note the narrow road, rough surface, steep grades, numerous caution signs, emergency workers, course marshals and riders walking down segments.

Due to dangerous and unsafe riding conditions Levi’s GranFondo no longer includes the Hauser Bridge Road descent on any of their routes.

Photo Credit: Strava

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