An Arizona man died on a popular Sonoma County cycling event Saturday, organizers of the event said.
The man and his wife had flown from Phoenix to take part in the Wine Country Century, said Greg Durbin. He was 54.
Durbin would not identify the rider because he had not spoken to the man's wife, who also participated in the ride.
"He was riding with his spouse and basically had a heart attack and fell off his bike and crashed," Durbin said. It happened at about 12:45 p.m., he said.
He said other riders, crew from a support van and a nurse attended to the man before an ambulance arrived, but their efforts were to no avail.
"We're certainly in shock a little bit and saddened," said Durbin, a board member of the Santa Rosa Cycling Club, which sponsors the event.
The Century ride actually include four distances: a 35-mile ride, one of 65 miles, another of 100 miles and one of 125 miles. None are considered races.
It's not known which distance the man was taking part in, Durbin said.
The Geyserville Fire Department responded to the scene but did not have further details on Sunday.
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