Cyclist struck by car near Hopland in fair condition

A cyclist who suffered major injuries Friday when she was struck near Hopland by a suspected DUI driver and then dragged under the man’s car was in fair condition Sunday at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.

Hospital staff reported Laura Stern’s improved condition Sunday afternoon, two days after she and four other cyclists were hit, one after the other, by a Ukiah teen later arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Gabriel Ray, 18, was being held in lieu of $30,000 bail at the Mendocino County Jail late Sunday on suspicion of DUI causing injury and driving without a license, according to jail records.

Stern, 52, of Menlo Park was cycling with a group on Old River Road, a popular and scenic cycling route that runs along the Russian River and through vineyards. She and her companion, Mark Clifford, 60, of Los Altos were training for a long-distance bike race in France, according to a friend.

Clifford and the other cyclists suffered lesser injuries, according to the CHP. The other cyclists were identified as Michael Sokolsky, 53, of San Mateo; Lawrence Sokolsky, 54, of Portola Valley; and Deborah Banks, 57, of Sacramento. They were treated for minor and moderate injuries at Ukiah Valley Medical Center and released.