VENTURA : Bicyclist Killed in Barlow Canyon

A man from Canada was killed while bicycling in the rugged hills of Barlow Canyon above Foothill Road just outside the Ventura city limits, authorities said Sunday.

The name of the 33-year-old victim, an engineer from the province of Ontario, was being withheld until next of kin could be notified, said Dale Zentzis, a Ventura County deputy coroner.

The victim’s body was spotted on Sunday by a sheriff’s helicopter at 1:25 p.m., about 200 yards north of Foothill Road, Zentzis said.

“It looked like he came down a fairly steep grade on a dirt road,” Zentzis said of the accident scene.

The victim, who apparently was not wearing a helmet, suffered a massive skull fracture, he said.

The accident probably took place sometime Saturday, when the man borrowed a mountain bike from Rob Dalfarra of Ventura, a longtime friend he had been visiting.

“He wanted to ride up some hills,” Dalfarra said.

“He was a very athletic guy.”

The man left Dalfarra’s residence about 9 a.m. Saturday.

When he had not returned by 7 p.m., Dalfarra and another friend called the Ventura Police Department.

A missing person broadcast was then put out, said Sgt. Larry Lotton.

On Sunday morning, the victim’s friends also notified the Sheriff’s Department, who contacted Ventura police, Lotton said.

A sheriff’s helicopter then began a search.

The man came to Ventura a few days ago from San Francisco, where he had attended a professional seminar, Dalfarra said.