RAMONA, Calif. -- Two men are in custody Friday after they allegedly used a sharpened stick to rob a man of his mountain bike in a rugged rural area near Ramona, authorities said.

The armed robbery near Cedar Creek Falls happened late Thursday afternoon, said San Diego County sheriff's Deputy Darren Dollard.

The suspects were riding a small off-road vehicle when they accosted the victim, who was mountain-biking in the area with another man, Dollard said.

The bikers immediately returned to Ramona and reported the robbery to deputies, who dispatched the department's helicopter to search for the suspects, Dollard said.

The helicopter crew located the suspects a short time later in the San Diego River Valley toward the El Capitan Reservoir, an extremely rugged area inaccessible to patrol vehicles, he said.

The helicopter landed, and the suspects were flown out of the area, Dollard said. Their names were not immediately released.