I will never forget May 22, 2017, for multiple reasons. None of them good.
It was my father’s birthday and I left home in the morning and made the 100-mile ride on my old Speed Triple to see my parents. As I pulled up, I found my mother lying on the ground. She had just fallen while getting some groceries out of the car and, since she suffers from severe osteoporosis, it was no surprise that her hip was broken. Through the ordeal of ambulance and hospital, I kept thinking, if only I had gotten there five minutes earlier.
I was waiting at the hospital when I learned that Nicky Hayden was gone. I wrote at the time about why this is a loss far different from the death of most athletes or other famous people. In a world known for cutthroat competition, you never heard a bad word about Nicky, and that says more about his character than race wins or championships.
Today, 6/9, is Nicky Hayden Day in his hometown of Owensboro, Kentucky, and yesterday they unveiled a beautiful statue in his memory.
Enjoy your day champ 6/9 #nickyhayden #RideOnKentuckyKid #statue pic.twitter.com/22lh6w2Gyx
— roger hayden (@rogerhayden95) June 9, 2018
Maybe the most appropriate reading for Nicky Hayden Day is an eloquent piece written by Chris Jonnum, who knew Nicky as a magazine editor, a biographer, and as the Ducati PR representative while Nicky raced for the team. It’s worth a read, today more than ever. Because few of the people we pay attention to or even look up to because of their fame or talents are truly people we should strive to emulate. Nicky Hayden was one of the exceptions.
#RideOnKentuckyKid
