Bicycle Fatalities Increasing : Traffic: The death of a 66-year-old cyclist Saturday points up the danger that riders face on Orange County’s crowded roadways.

Officer Greg Mattis has seen more than his share of accidents as a traffic investigator for the Anaheim Police Department, but this one truly hit home.

A 66-year-old bicyclist was riding home at the end of a daylong, 200-mile marathon cycling trek late Saturday night when a car swooped out of the darkness on Santa Ana Canyon Road and slammed into the rider, hurling him 175 feet. As the motorist drove off into the night, Kenneth F. Lundie died of massive internal injuries.

For Mattis, it was yet another reminder of what can happen to a bicyclist. Or to him. Until recently, the officer regularly rode his bike 16 miles round-trip to work. But not anymore.

“I quit because I thought it was too dangerous,” Mattis said Monday as he continued to search for clues in the mystery of who killed Lundie. “I had quite a few close calls, and I finally said, ‘Forget it. It’s not worth it.’ All those close calls could have been accidents. People just don’t see you.”

It’s a common refrain on the popular cycling corridors of Orange County and other spots in bicycle-crazy Southern California. With more and more cars on the road, the mean streets are becoming all the meaner for cyclists.

The number of bicycle fatalities in the county has doubled during the past decade, while injuries have also climbed sharply. In Orange County, 13 people were killed and 1,756 injured on bicycles last year, contrasted with six killed and 1,144 injured in 1980.

“I think motorists are getting ruder to everyone, and they’re particularly intolerant of someone who makes them go slower, such as a bicyclist,” said William E. Harris, a Los Angeles-based attorney specializing in bicycle-accident litigation who puts in more than 100 miles a week on his own 14-speed racing bike. “It’s the fast-paced lifestyle of Southern California that makes it more dangerous. People are just in such a damn hurry, and bikes sometimes get in the way.”

Lundie’s death was the second bicycle fatality in Orange County in less than a week. A 26-year-old cyclist was killed May 8 when he veered across two lanes of traffic and was hit by a Jeep on busy Pacific Coast Highway in Sunset Beach. The cyclist, who wore no helmet, died of massive head injuries.

That was not the case with Lundie. An experienced cyclist, he was fully equipped with a helmet, reflective clothing, cycling shoes and shorts, everything one would need for the sort of long-distance trip he set out on early Saturday morning.

Mattis said there are virtually no clues, only a stretch of tire tracks where the vehicle swung off the road and gouges in the earth caused as the bicycle cartwheeled down the road.

“We found no skid marks, not even any headlight glass,” Mattis said. “The driver had to know he hit somebody. . . . The (bike’s) rear tire was squeezed . . . like a pencil.”

The accident occurred while Lundie was participating in a 200-mile bike ride organized by the Orange County Wheelmen, a well-respected group that regularly sponsors endurance rides and other events that put more emphasis on stamina than on speed.

Steve Nelson, president of the 1,000-member club, said he believes it was the first fatality for the organization, which has been in existence more than two decades. “The club is just shocked,” Nelson said. “Nothing like this has ever happened before.”

Friends and family members said Lundie was an avid rider who often participated in organized endurance rides. The event began about 5:30 a.m. on Saturday; the route meandered south to the Ortega Highway, east to Lake Elsinore and Fontana, then back toward Anaheim.

“He wanted to ride in that race,” said John Marinello, Lundie’s stepson. “He knew the risks. Life is a risk. He loved the sport. He was well-equipped and had made several long rides. . . . It was not a question of the club’s negligence or anything like that.”

DEATHS AND INJURIES ON THE ROADS The following shows the numbers of injuries and deaths that resulted from accidents involving bicyclists on roads in Orange County, contrasted with statewide figures.

Orange County California Year Deaths Injuries Deaths Injuries 1989 13 1,756 117 16,605 1988 17 1,735 138 15,870 1987 11 1,681 139 16,461 1986 19 1,792 150 17,482 1985 14 1,667 134 15,734 1984 11 1,540 94 14,379 1983 8 1,288 114 12,034 1982 7 1,191 89 10,324 1981 6 1,212 111 10,408 1980 6 1,144 92 10,184

Source: California Highway Patrol