By Megan Ma

Peckham

The driver accused of killing John Peckham, a 31-year-old competitive bicyclist from Mountain View, was charged with five counts Sept. 12 and faces a maximum of 26 years in prison, said Deputy District Attorney Jay Boyarsky.

Peckham was out for a noontime ride with fellow cyclists on Old Page Mill Road near Los Altos Hills on Sept. 8 when Chevelle Bailey, 41, of Fremont, hit him head-on. Peckham was pronounced dead at Stanford Hospital later that afternoon.

Bailey was charged with four felonies, including driving under the influence, traveling at excessive speed, leaving the scene of an accident and being in possession of a methamphetamine pipe.

At the preliminary arraignment, held at the Santa Clara County Superior Court in Palo Alto, Bailey came into the courtroom accompanied by a bailiff and appeared dazed and restless. As defense attorney Barry Goodman explained the charges, Bailey said, “Whatever it is, I didn’t do it.”

The arraignment was continued to Tuesday, when Bailey’s attorney planned to enter a plea or request a postponement. The hearing occurred after the Town Crier’s deadline.

Bailey, who has a 1998 conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol, was driving more than 80 mph on the narrow road when he hit Peckham, according to California Highway Patrol Sgt. Alex Radich, who based his estimate on eyewitness accounts. With a blood alcohol level just above the legal limit, Bailey continued to drive after the collision and eventually crashed his vehicle 50 feet down an embankment. Results of blood tests are still pending.

According to one eyewitness account, Bailey opened and drank from a can of beer moments after he crashed his vehicle, Boyarsky said.

Peckham’s mother, Mary Ann Parker, was visiting Mountain View from St. Louis, when she received word of his death. She had planned to spend a quiet weekend with her son, a biomedical engineer. Peckham had just bought his first home and wanted to introduce his mother to his girlfriend, Cindy.

Parker said that one week earlier, Sept. 2, she and her son had taken a bike ride together on Old Page Mill Road.

“He had sized down his girlfriend’s bike for me. We were on that little road, and I remember I didn’t like not being able to see all the way,” she said of the winding stretch.

It was in her son’s nature to share his enthusiasm for cycling, a sport in which he excelled, Parker said. “He made me watch the Tour de France and was really excited I was getting into cycling,” she said.

Choking back sobs, Parker said she had the funeral home dress her son’s broken body in his athletic gear, including his trademark arm-warmers. A memorial service was held Sept. 13 at Spangler Mortuary in Mountain View, and Parker said she is planning another service for her son in St. Louis, where he grew up.

Peckham’s cycling teammates from the Mountain View-based cycling club Alto Velo are planning a memorial ride Sunday, said club president Brian Peterson. The public is invited to join.

“It feels like such a tragedy. He was her only son in the prime of his life, contributing to society in such a positive way,” Boyarsky said.

For more information on Peckham’s memorial ride, visit www. altovelo.org.