200-Mile Ride Ends in Death for Bicyclist : Fatality: The 66-year-old Newport Beach man is struck on Santa Ana Canyon Road. Police ask for help in finding the driver of the vehicle.

A 66-year-old bicyclist was killed by a hit-and-run driver along Santa Ana Canyon Road, just a few miles from where he was to have completed a 200-mile endurance ride, authorities said Sunday.

The body of Kenneth F. Lundie of Newport Beach was found Sunday morning about three-quarters of a mile east of Weir Canyon Road on the side of Santa Ana Canyon Road, which runs parallel to the Riverside Freeway, Anaheim Police Lt. John Cross said.

Lundie had been riding west on a bike lane on Santa Ana Canyon Road between 10 p.m. and midnight when a vehicle struck him from behind, Cross said.

The canyon road is heavily traveled but is also popular among bicyclists.

The ride--sponsored by the Orange County Wheelmen--a local cyclists group, started at Yorba Regional Park in Anaheim and went south to Escondido, where bikers turned around and headed back, said Lundie’s wife, Ingrid Lundie. She said her husband had worn a helmet for the ride.

Lundie was to have completed the ride about 10 p.m. Cross said, but was last heard from when he stopped at a checkpoint in Lake Elsinore about 7:45 p.m.

Anaheim Police Lt. John Haradon said Lundie’s bike was equipped with a headlight, but he did not know if it had reflectors or if Lundie was wearing reflective clothing.

Before the ride, Lundie told family members that he might return to his home in Newport Beach late.

“I woke up at 1 a.m. and thought maybe he was too tired and decided to just sleep in the car,” Ingrid Lundie said.

But when he had not returned by morning, she alerted authorities.

Steve Nelson, president of Orange County Wheelmen, said he could not comment on the ride on the advice of attorneys.

Lundie retired almost two years ago as pump salesman for McCalla Brothers Pump & Drilling Co. in Santa Ana. Since then, he had spent time baby-sitting his grandchildren and becoming more active in Orange County Wheelmen, his wife said. He had participated in several long-distance rides in Southern California this year.

She said her husband kept fit and had spent a lot of time preparing for the most recent ride.

“He loved it,” she said. “He’d been doing this for quite a while.

“Sometimes he took on a little more than he could handle, but he was loving what he was doing.”

Lundie had lived in Southern California all of his life. He and his wife lived in Newport Beach for 31 years, she said. Before that, he had lived for many years in Pomona, she said.

Lundie is survived by three daughters, a stepson and five grandchildren. Funeral services are pending.

Anaheim police ask that anyone with information on the hit-and-run call the traffic bureau weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at (714) 999-1835 or (714) 999-1861. After hours, call the main number at (714) 999-1900.