Cyclist on California mountains chased down by angry zebra

A cyclist going through a mountain range in California's Central Coast ran into an unexpected foe: a seemingly pissed-off zebra.

Noozhawk in Santa Barbara reported Monday that Marcos Chavez, a 48-year-old bike rider from the small beachside town of Carpinteria, was biking down a familiar route for a routine 4-hour trek.

Going through West Camino Cielo — a massive path that cuts through the Santa Ynez Mountains — Chavez encountered the black-and-white equine. He seemed mad, Chavez said.

"As soon as I rolled up, the zebra, he saw me," Chavez told Noozhawk. "He heard me and he saw me, and he kept looking at me."

A driver on the road offered to turn his vehicle to protect Chavez, reported Noozhawk, but he was worried that if he biked past, the zebra would chase him.

Chavez tried biking past — and he was right. The zebra started chasing him down.

"The zebra started running at me," Chavez told the news outlet. "It looked like air came out of its nostrils."

But fortunately, the zebra tripped over itself — and Chavez was able to escape.

“He took three steps, but then the zebra slipped and fell,” Chavez explained.

The identity of this pesky zebra remains unclear — as is whatever happened to it after Chavez escaped its proverbial clutches. But within the Santa Barbara community, speculation is mounting as to the zebra’s identity and its owners.

On Reddit, a user posted a grainy video of a zebra grazing on West Camino Cielo in May. Posters immediately identified that zebra as Maynard, and at least one poster described him as a "friendly" creature.

And up until early this month, you could book an Airbnb “experience” to meet Maynard and two llamas in an “eco-conscious” ranch. A now-cached description of the experience describes as a “free-roaming, domesticated zebra.”

It's not clear why the listing was removed from Airbnb.