CHP seeking SUV in hit-and-run during GranFondo ride

<p>The CHP is looking for a maroon-colored SUV in connection with a hit-and-run collision that seriously injured a cyclist in Saturday's GranFondo ride, the CHP said Wednesday.</p><p>Witnesses told officers it could have been a Ford Explorer or something similar, said Officer Jon Sloat, CHP spokesman.</p><p>So far, officers don't have a description of the driver or a license plate.</p><p>Rider Anoush Zebarjadian, 57, of San Francisco was on Graton Road at about 4 p.m. when he was hit. The man was knocked unconscious with serious head injuries.</p><p>He remained hospitalized Wednesday in serious condition in ICU at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.</p><p>A CHP investigator Wednesday was continuing to try to learn the driver's identity and find the vehicle, Sloat said.</p><p>A witness to the collision told The Press Democrat the driver drove aggressively as he passed riders on a downhill slope just prior to hitting the rider.</p><p>The witness said as the driver passed Zebarjadian he pulled the large vehicle to the right and hit the cyclist and his bike.</p><p>The rider dropped to the ground. The driver didn't stop.</p><p>"A lot of people are being interviewed. Lots of information has been provided to CHP and they're . . . trying to ID this vehicle," said Carlos Perez, GranFondo organizer.</p><p>The GranFondo is a two-year-old Sonoma County fundraiser that this year attracted the maximum 6,000 riders.</p><p>Riders paid to participate. Zebarjadian wasn't officially registered, said Perez. Perez said the rider had the required race identity tags but his name wasn't on race lists of riders.</p><p>A woman who identified herself as a family member said Zebarjadian couldn't register because the ride was sold out, but he'd bought a ticket for the 103-mile ride from another cyclist who could no longer participate.</p><p>"It creates a problem for identifying folks," Perez said. "We could have contacted the wrong family."</p><p>Zebarjadian is owner and principal structural engineer for CSE Structural Engineers in San Francisco, according to a company website.</p><p>His company worked on the 1906 Chauvet Hotel, a Glen Ellen landmark, according to the website.</p><p>He's also a veteran bike rider. Race results of recent Bay Area rides show he came in 23rd in his age group in a Mt. Diablo ride in June and 33rd in a Mt. Tam race in September.</p><p>An employee at his business Wednesday said no one would be available to talk about him. The man's wife also declined to be interviewed Wednesday.</p><p>You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com.</p>