Interior to Reopen to Cyclists

Bicycle riding in the rugged Santa Catalina Island interior will be permitted again starting June 30 when an insurance company takes over liability coverage of a program that allows cyclists to ride with permits, island officials announced last week.

Officials from the Catalina Conservancy, the nonprofit foundation that owns 86% of the island, said the American International Group will provide liability coverage for the program, which allows cyclists with special mountain bikes and protective helmets to ride in the 76-square-mile interior.

Another insurance company had discontinued coverage of the program April 30. A moratorium on bicycling in the interior has been in effect since then.

The permits will cost $50 a year for individuals and $75 for a family, with $25 of the fee going toward insurance, said Penny Grenoble, a conservancy spokeswoman.

Rose Ellen Gardner, conservancy vice president, said letters with permit applications will be mailed within two weeks to the 330 bicyclists who previously held permits. Other cyclists interested in obtaining a permit should call the conservancy at 510-1421.