SAN FRANCISCO—A renowned Bay Area cyclist died after being hit by an SUV on Tuesday, April 13. The cyclist was riding on Lafayette at the intersection of Olympic Boulevard and Pleasant Hill Road when he was struck by a vehicle. He was taken to the hospital where he later died from injuries sustained. The cyclist Joe Shami, 86, is known as a “legend” to those in the cycling community.
Shami rode up the summit of Mt. Diablo over 600 weeks consecutively over the last 10 years earning him the moniker “The Legend of Mount Diablo” via Facebook. To get to the entrance of Mt. Diablo, he had to either ride 8 miles to the state park’s North Gate entrance or 12 miles to the South Gate entrance. From there it is 11 miles from the bottom to the top of the summit and another 11 miles back down which meant Joe would ride 30-34 miles every time he made the trek to Mt. Diablo.
Close friend Linda Kwong told East Bay Times, “He didn’t have any idea how much he inspired people.” She also stated that Shami started his streak in July 2008 after an earlier streak was stopped when he was hit by a car in a separate incident.
Authorities indicated that the driver of the vehicle that struck Shami has been cooperating with their investigation.
