The hunt is now on for  the P-plate driver who struck Gwynneville dad Luke Zweers in the pre-dawn collision on the Princes Highway on Friday.

Mr Zweers was riding north past The Illawarra Grammar School on a near-deserted road when the car hit his bike from behind. 

On impact, he slammed onto the the car’s bonnet then bounced onto the road, landing in the gutter with cuts and bruises to the right side of his body.

‘‘It was a pretty decent hit – I didn’t even hear [the car] coming,’’ Mr Zweers, 30, told the Mercury.

‘‘It took a while to register what had happened.’’

Mr Zweers said he saw the car briefly stop, before it turned left onto Mount Keira Road.

‘‘The way [the driver] accelerated away ... it was a pretty low act, to leave someone lying in the gutter,’’ he said. 

‘‘[The driver] had no idea if I had head injuries, a broken hip or leg. I still hadn’t stood up or walked around or anything like that.’’

Passing cyclists came to Mr Zweers’ aid. 

He estimates he remained at the site for about 15 minutes, but the driver didn’t return.

He reported the collision to Wollongong police and an investigation is ongoing. 

Meantime, an online community attached to Wollongong bike shop Simple Cycles is spreading word of the crash on social media, in the hope the driver will be identified.

The car is described as a VT Commodore, champagne or silver in colour, with green P-plates. It may be missing a side mirror, and carrying a number plate starting with BY.

Mr Zweers normally cycles five or six days a week, covering about 250 kilometres. 

Now awaiting the birth of his second child, he said the accident had made him consider quitting the sport.

‘‘I thought about how things could have been different. I’ve got another baby on the way, that potentially I never would have seen,’’ he said. 

‘‘I’ve had a lot of [cyclist] friends that have had near misses. It definitely makes you think about whether you want to continue.’’  

Anyone with information about the incident can contact Wollongong police on 4226 7899.