Some tragic news were revealed over the weekend. Nicky Hayden passed away after an accident while cycling in Italy. The former MotoGP world champion was 35 years old. At the time of the accident, Nicky was training along the Rimini coastline.

Nicky did not die immediately during the impact, but passed away about five days after the road crash. The incident occurred last Wednesday, when Nicky was cycling in Italy and a car collided with his bicycle. The accident caused him severe head and chest injuries. He was immediately hospitalized and stayed under invasive care at the Maurizio Bufalini Hospital in Cesena.

“The medical team has verified the death of the patient Nicholas Patrick Hayden, who has been undergoing care since last Wednesday 17 May in the intensive care unit of the Bufalini Hospital in Cesena following a very serious polytrauma which occurred the same day,” an official statement said.

The star was widely known as a World Superbike Championship rider and a 2006 MotoGP world champion. At the time of the accident he was actually training after his participation in the World Superbike Championship race at Imola.

The star was praised by Valentino Rossi, whom Hayden competed against in MotoGP. After the news of the accident were revealed, Rossi described Nicky as “one of the best friends I’ve ever had in the paddock.” Hayden beat Rossi in 2006 and took the championship in MotoGP, but that was his only championship. He remained in MotoGP races until 2015. In 2016, he started attending the World Superbike Championship.