CHP: Alameda motorcyclist dies in crash with boulder on Highway 35

A motorcyclist died Monday after apparently losing control on a curve and crashing into a boulder on Skyline Boulevard in the Santa Cruz Mountains, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The crash was reported around 1 p.m. after someone reported seeing a downed 2014 Triumph Tiger 800 motorcycle on Highway 35 — which is also known as Skyline — north of the Ward Road trailhead, the CHP said in a news release.

Emergency personnel arrived at the crash site first, and pronounced the rider, identified only as a 30-year-old Alameda man, dead at the scene. His name was not publicly released pending his formal identification and notification of his next of kin by the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office.

CHP investigators were called a short time later, and an initial investigation found that the rider “was unable to negotiate a curve in the road” then veered off the eastern edge of the roadway, where he “impacted two traffic signs and a 25 foot boulder.”

What caused the rider to reportedly lose control is under investigation, but the CHP said investigators have generally ruled out alcohol or drug use as being involved.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.