Motorcyclist on group ride dies after hitting pole in north Santa Rosa

A man in his 50s died on Sunday after he crashed his motorcycle into a light pole in north Santa Rosa, police said.

The man was taking part in a group ride that involved dozens of motorcyclists when the crash happened shortly after noon, according to the Santa Rosa Police Department.

Police said they were withholding the man’s name until relatives were notified of his death.

The man was riding east on Bicentennial Way when he lost control of his Harley Davidson and crashed into the pole, which was on the south side of the road, about 200 yards east of Mendocino Avenue, according to a police report.

The man was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. Authorities do not believe he was intoxicated when he crashed.

Investigators believe another motorcyclist may have been involved in the crash, but did not stay in the area after it happened, police said.

The eastbound lane of Bicentennial was closed for more than three hours at the crash site while authorities investigated.

Sebastopol resident Maria Castro was on Mendocino when she saw a group of motorcyclists head east on Bicentennial and then come to a sudden stop.

“And I’m going 'Oh no, what happened? This doesn't look good’” Castro said. “I saw people running and noticed someone was down. Someone screamed ‘Who knows CPR?’”

Santa Rosa Police said they hoped to speak with the other motorcyclist who may have been involved in the crash.

They described him as a white man with a medium-to-husky build, wearing a brown camouflage shirt, light tan vest, backward hat and black helmet with a silver design on it. He was riding a 1990s enduro motorcycle with a yellow gas tank and a white front fender. The bike may have had a faded blue rear fender, police said.

Police are asking anyone with information about the crash to contact them at srcity.org/crimetips or call Officer Kenneth Ferrigno at 707-543-3636.

Staff Writers Colin Atagi and Matt Pera contributed to this report.

You can reach Staff Writer Ethan Varian at ethan.varian@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5412. On Twitter @ethanvarian.