That Nicky Hayden, bless his soul, he’s gone now. He was a good boy, that one. A real good motorcycle racer, the best one there was. He was so young, only 35, when he left us. How did Nicky Hayden die, you ask? Well, I’ll tell you, it’s a sad, sad story.
He was riding his bicycle, you know, the kind you pedal with your feet. Just like when he was a little boy, pedaling around. Not one of them fancy motorcycles he used to race. Just a regular bicycle, like any of us might ride. Over there in Italy, that’s where he was. A place called Rimini, near the sea, I reckon. Not like here.
It was May 17th, 2017. A day I won’t ever forget. A car hit him. Just like that, a car hit my Nicky while he was on his bicycle. They took him to the hospital, a big fancy one in a city called Cesena. Doctors tried their best, I’m sure they did. But it was too much, you know. The man hit Nicky with that car must have been going fast.
Five days. Five long days he was in that hospital bed. We all hoped and prayed he’d pull through. But the good Lord had other plans, I guess. He took Nicky on May 22nd, 2017. Just like that, he was gone. Only 35 years old. It ain’t right, I tell ya, it just ain’t right.
He used to race them motorcycles, you know. Fast ones. Real fast. He was a champion, they called him. Won all sorts of races. He rode for Honda, then Ducati, then back to Honda. Big names, I hear. He was good, that Nicky. The best.
- He was riding his bicycle in Italy.
- A car hit him.
- He died in the hospital five days later.
- He was only 35.
He had a girl, too. A pretty one. They were gonna get married, you know. He was a good catch. She loved him, that girl. Traveled all over the world with him, she did. Always by his side. Must be heartbroken, poor thing. They were engaged in May of 2016. Just a year before he died.
They don’t use his number anymore, number 69. Retired it, they call it. Out of respect, you see. He was special, that Nicky. They even put him in some kind of Hall of Fame thingy. And named some award after him. The Nicky Hayden Horizon Award. Sounds fancy, don’t it?
He was from a place called Owensboro, in Kentucky. That’s where he was born, back in 1981. July 30th. I remember it like it was yesterday, his family must have been so happy. They named him Nicholas, but everyone called him Nicky.
Why did it have to be him? That’s what I keep asking myself. Why Nicky? He was a good boy, a good man. He didn’t deserve to die like that. Hit by a car while riding his bicycle. It’s just not fair.
It’s hard to understand why these things happen. Why good people are taken from us too soon. All we can do is remember them, keep their memory alive in our hearts. That’s what I’ll do for Nicky. I’ll remember him always.
So when you ask how did Nicky Hayden die, that’s the story. A sad story. A story of a young man, a champion, taken too soon. A story of a bicycle, a car, and a hospital bed. A story I won’t ever forget. May he rest in peace, that Nicky Hayden. He surely will be missed.
He was a good boy, he really was. Rode them motorcycles like the wind. And then, gone just like that. Hit by a car. I still can’t believe it, you know. It just don’t seem real. He was too young. Way too young.
I remember seeing him on the TV, racing them motorcycles. He always had a smile on his face. A real nice smile. He seemed like a good kid. And he was fast. Faster than anyone. Won all them races. Now he’s gone. It just breaks my heart.
They say time heals all wounds. I don’t know about that. Some wounds, they just stay with you. Like this one. The wound of losing Nicky. It’s gonna be a long time before that one heals. If it ever does.
Nicky Hayden, a name I won’t ever forget. A face I’ll always remember. A champion, gone too soon. May he rest in peace, up there with the angels. He deserves to be up there, with the best of them. That’s for sure. He will be remembered. Forever.