A Rancho Peñasquitos family is dealing with holiday heartache after their grandfather was recently killed when he was hit by a car while riding his bike. The crash happened last Wednesday. Yi Zhang, 60, was bicycling to the gym, while visiting family, when police say a car hit him from behind, k illing him on Salmon River Road. From riding in China to our nation’s capital to San Diego, cycling was life for Yi Zhang. “He’s an outdoor fanatic, and he likes to travel,” said his younger brother Fan Zhang. Yi Zhang traveled from China to San Diego earlier this year to help care for their 85-year-old mother, as well as his 4-year-old and 8-month-old grandchildren living in Rancho Peñasquitos. The family shared birthday pictures of Yi Zhang with his mother and grandkids, but sadly, future celebrations won’t include him anymore. He died Wednesday night at around 5:30 p.m. As grief sometimes does, it’s turned to guilt at times for the family. “I think both my wife and I blame ourselves for a lot of reasons. Like, why would we let him, you know, try to ride to the gym?” said son-in-law Gary Yang. San Diego police say a 51-year-old woman headed northbound on Salmon River Road and Pipilo Street didn’t see the bicyclist and ran into his back tire. “This is a great loss for me,” his brother said. As the family reflects on the man he was, they also think about the time they shared. “He treated people with warmness and sincerity,” his son-in-law said. “We’re totally very close,” Fan Zhang said. “We traveled together. We dreamed together. But when we were young, we fought a lot. And since he’s only one year older than me, he’s always taking care of me.” After recently retiring as a government officer in China, family says Yi Zhang was looking forward to spending more time with his mother and grandchildren. Instead, they’ll have to embrace the memories they shared. “It’s really a pity that our kids. He couldn’t see or be there with our kids,” Yang said. Police say the woman involved in the crash stayed on scene. There is no word yet from police on whether she’ll face charges. ...read more read less