Jonathan Finder and a group of friends gather weekly to ride their bikes around Pittsburgh.

On Monday morning, two other riders joined Dr. Finder in the trip that started at the top of Butler Street at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium and was slated to head up Allegheny River Boulevard to the Hulton Bridge.

The 35-mile trip was expected to last a little more than two hours.

But just two minutes in, the trip ended abruptly when the bicycle of the lead rider, Robert Noll, was clipped by a passing car as it turned right onto Washington Boulevard around 7:45 a.m.

The driver, who was in a gold sedan, never stopped and is now being sought by the police.

Mr. Noll, the director of the Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, suffered severe injuries, including a broken femur, pelvis, hip socket, scapula, hand and arm, along with several broken ribs and a collapsed lung.

"It's a disaster," said Dr. Finder, of Highland Park.

Mr. Noll, 63, of Squirrel Hill, was in critical but stable condition at UPMC Presbyterian Monday night.

Dr. Finder, who was riding just behind Mr. Noll, catapulted over his friend's bicycle and landed about 10 feet in front.

"I had no choice but to go over Bob's bike," he said.

Dr. Finder lost consciousness for two to five minutes and woke up in an ambulance, confused. He suffered a broken cheekbone and soft tissue damage to his face -- what he called "a lot of road rash."

"I'm bruised up, and I feel like someone punched me in the jaw," he said.

Dr. Finder, who is the clinical director of the Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Allergy and Immunology at Children's Hospital, is expected to be released from the hospital today.

It was unusual for there to be only three people in their riding group, Dr. Finder said.

Normally, there are seven to 12 riders. Their trips, which they take weekly for nine or 10 months out of the year, range from 30 to 60 miles. They average about 17 mph.

Dr. Finder believes it's possible the driver who struck his friend may not have realized how quickly the men were traveling. At that point of their descent, he estimated they were moving about 25 mph.

"This person came out of nowhere," he said.

Dr. Finder called the driver of the car that hit Mr. Noll "dishonorable."

"The honorable thing would be to stop and help," he said. "I'm a physician. I don't understand how a person can hurt someone and then not do everything possible to make them be okay.

"That person must have been both foolish and frightened. Foolish for driving like that, and frightened for what they thought might happen to them."

Dr. Finder enjoys riding in Pittsburgh -- both for the steep hills and the scenery. But, he continued, he knows the risks involved.

"Anytime you get on a bike, it's not safe unless you're on a trail," Dr. Finder said. "We know it's a dangerous sport.

"It just takes one bad, crazy person to ruin your life."

Mr. Noll was a Navy A-4 fighter pilot during the Vietnam War and won the Distinguished Flying Cross twice, Dr. Finder said.The two have been riding together about five years.

"He rides like a guy who's 20 years younger -- maybe 30 years younger," Dr. Finder said. "He's strong and fit."

Dr. Finder was seriously injured in an accident in 2004 in which he broke his femur and his neck.

"I know what it takes to work hard, regain your strength and get out there again," Dr. Finder said. "That's what Bob will do."

Pittsburgh police are asking anyone with information about the crash to call the Zone 5 station at 412-665-3605.

First Published: May 31, 2011, 8:00 a.m.