Apex, N.C. — An avid cycling advocate died after a collision with a vehicle on South Salem Street, near the Apex Peakway, shortly after noon Saturday, Apex police said.

The cyclist was identified as Bruce W. Rosar, 52, of Cary. Friends said when Rosar got on his bike on Saturday moments before the wreck, he was in control.

Police Capt. Ann Stephens said a preliminary investigation shows the vehicle was traveling south on Salem Street and the bicycle was going north on Salem Street. The cyclist turned left toward the Apex Peakway and crossed into the path of the vehicle.

Stephens said the vehicle involved in the wreck stopped at the scene.

"The guy (driving the vehicle) didn't even have a chance to react. It was like instantaneous. He just went 'boom' and hit the car," witness Peter Schenck said.

Stephens said there appears to be several vehicles whose occupants may have witnessed the accident but did not stop. Anyone who saw the wreck should call the Apex Police Department at 919-362-8661.

Rosar, owner of Triangle Roadway Bicycling, had been bicycling in the Triangle for more than two decades, according to his Web site. He served as the director of the North Carolina Active Transportation Alliance and was a founding member of the NC Coalition for Bicycle Driving.

“He was passionate about pretty much anything about bicycles, and he put a lot of his heart and soul into making bicycling safer," said Scott Chilcote, of the NC Bicycle Club.

Friends said Rosar was a defensive driving expert.

“He wanted you to be aware that your bicycle was a vehicle on the road and had the same status as automobiles,” Chilcote said.

In a statement issued Saturday evening, League of American Bicyclists Board Chair Amanda Eichstaedt said Rosar was elected to the league’s national board in March 2008 and as recently as late June traveled to San Jose, Calif., for a board meeting and the group’s Smart Cycling conference.

“It is a tragic irony that Bruce was one of our certified League Cycling Instructors with a passion for safe riding; he was active throughout the Raleigh/Durham area promoting cycling and cyclist safety,” Eichstaedt said. “He will be missed terribly, and our hearts go out to his family, friends and riding colleagues.”

In recent weeks, the police department has recorded an increase number in cyclists in the area. Police have also seen more complaints from motorists that cyclists are not following the rules of the road, Stephens said.

In the past month, Stephens said, police have started a campaign to make cyclists aware of the dangers on the road and remind them that they are required by law to follow the same rules of the road as motorists.