A cyclist who was struck and pinned under a vehicle on a rural Saanich road Tuesday afternoon has been taken to hospital with significant injuries, police say.

It happened in the 4000-block of Prospect Lake Road at Munn Road just after 2 p.m., according to police.

The man was trapped underneath a van and paramedics were first on scene, with police and a crash analyst unit also attending.

“We had to extricate the cyclist from underneath the vehicle and he has since been transported to hospital,” said Sgt. Alan Kurzinski of Saanich police’s traffic safety unit.

He said the cyclist was with approximately six other cyclists from out of province. All were travelling southbound on Prospect Lake Road near the intersection when the crash occurred.

Photos from the scene show a destroyed bike, with parts strewn about the road.

Police tweeted that a “serious MVI” would close down traffic in the area for several hours and asked motorists to avoid the area.

Traffic units would be stationed at Burnside and Prospect Lake roads to divert traffic, police said.

Neighbours in the area tell CTV News the intersection is a "problem corner" because there is no stop sign on Prospect Lake Road as it passes Munn Road.

“It’s very dangerous. There’s a lot of blind corners, a lot of speeding goes on. We’ve had issues ourselves crossing the road trying to get to the trails with our horses,” said resident Laura Fanning. “We’d just really like people to slow down and consider the consequences of what can happen.”

Police say with the weather warming up, both cyclists and drivers need to remain vigilant on the road.

“It is good weather now, there’s going to be a lot more cyclists on the road so be aware, especially in tight-winding areas like Prospect Lake,” said Gurzinski.

cyclist struck saanich