BERKELEY, Calif. -- CHP are investigating a Berkeley hit-and-run accident that left a cyclist in the hospital and has authorities on the lookout for the motorcyclist who hit the bike rider.

The accident happened at the intersection of Acton and Ashby not far from San Pablo Avenue at approximately 11:30 p.m. on Sunday night.

The victim, a sewing instructor and avid bike rider, is now in stable condition at Highland Hospital. Friends say they hope she'll soon be well enough to tell CHP investigators what she remembers.

The incident started with CHP officers pursuing of a motorcycle traveling at excessive speed on I-80. When the motorcycle exited off the freeway at Ashby Avenue in Berkeley, officers called off the chase once it reached city streets to avoid a possible accident, according to CHP spokesman Sam Morgan.

Now CHP are searching for a damaged 2006 blue Suzuki GSXR 650 and its driver. The senseless collision evokes painful memories for Piedmont resident Rick Schiller, whose brother Ed Weiss was killed two years ago after being hit by a speeding motorcyclist on Skyline Boulevard.

"I still ride, but I ride as if no one can see me but they want to kill me anyway. Bad joke," says Schiller with a rueful smile.

Schiller says since his brother's death, he has been active in raising awareness about cycling safety. Berkeley cyclist K.C. Schink says it's unfortunate, but sometimes it takes a terrible accident to make the public take notice of what should be an obvious problem.

This Wednesday is the National Ride of Silence, an event to remember cyclists who have been killed or injured. This year the event starts at 6:30 pm at El Cerrito Plaza.