A group of mountain bikers who didn’t return from a ride Sunday have been found and reunited with their families in the Altadena area.
Four men between the ages of 28 and 38 began their ride around 10 a.m. from Mount Wilson in the Angeles National Forest to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory area in Pasadena, according to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department.
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Search and rescue teams found the men around 9 a.m. Monday. The men were reunited with their families just before noon.
The bikers told NBC4 that they stuck together and tried to keep warm as temperatures neared freezing.
"We gathered as much wood as possible before the sun went down and then we just lit a gigantic fire," biker Chris McCarthy told NBC4. "We took good care of it and just huddled around it."
Alex Montero said rescue teams were led to them by the trail they left behind on the ride.
"They saw the tire marks...from the bikes," Montero said. "And Eventually we ran into each other."
Family members of the bikers became worried when they hadn't returned around 3 p.m. and called authorities. Responding deputies said vehicles of the bikers were found on Windsor Road.
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A helicopter and search and rescue team began combing the area for the bicyclists around 7:30 p.m. but the search was called off around 4 a.m., officials said.
"It sounds like this is the first time these guys have been on this trail," said deputy Dan Paige. “And also the temperatures have been in the mid 40s, and they just had camo packs and t-shirts."
The search team held a briefing around 7 a.m. and launched a helicopter to look for the bicyclists at about 8 a.m.
Authorities said the men are from Glendale, North Hollywood, Rialto and Sunland.
