Local Writer-Producer Hit By Van and Killed While Biking on Mulholland Highway

Carol Schreder, a local writer and producer, was killed while biking on Mulholland Highway earlier this month.

The 65-year-old was hit by van while on one of her regular 50-mile bike rides through the hills of Malibu on December 3 — a Saturday morning, according to BikinginLA. Schreder was hit from behind, while she was riding on the shoulder of the road just to the right of the fog line. Early reports, the blog suggested, indicated that the van was tailgating another car and speeding. She was transported to a hospital, where died later that evening.

Five years earlier Schreder penned a piece for the Topanga Messenger called "Topanga — Paradise on Two Wheels" extolling the virtues and hazards of biking through the hills of Topanga:

Whether they end up making Topanga their home or continue to pedal miles to enjoy what the rest of us take for granted, whether they cruise the open highways or bounce along the rocky trails of Topanga State Park, Topanga, with its own high performance bike shop and service center now adding to the allure of “fine dining” at Country Natural Foods, will continue to lure two-wheeling city dwellers to the panoramic vistas, challenging climbs and wild terrain of the Canyon, just like Lucy and Mose Cheney lured flatlanders to their ranch years ago. So, next time you’re screaming up those S-curves and you come upon a cyclist, cut them a little extra slack. The Santa Monica Mountains are their backyard, too.

Variety has an obituary for Schreder, whose credits include writing for the 1980 Steve McQueen western "Tom Horn" and producing the NBC telepic "The Burning Bed" in 1985. In January, the family is holding a public memorial service in Santa Monica at the Aero Theatre.