Cycle News

IN THE WIND "He was a great person, a great racer, and a true legend." – Ben Spies I have so many memories of Nicky that it's hard to narrow it down to just one or two. But when I think back, it really all started in 1993 at Oak Hill in Henderson, Texas. The Haydens had come down to race, and I was just getting into racing myself. We ended up becoming friends with the whole family - Earl and all the Hayden boys. At one point we even bought a couple of their old YSRs. I remember Tommy Hayden giving me a pair of his old boots. That's really where the relationship started. As we kept racing, we'd see each other more and more on the amateur circuit. I actually raced closer with Roger Lee since we were the same age, but I was always watching Nicky. He was already on the Memories Of Nicky… bigger bikes and, as a kid, I was pretty much in awe of him. I'd watch the way he rode and think to myself, "How could I ever get to that level?" Fast forward to 2010 in MotoGP. By then I'd won a few Superbike titles, and Nicky had already won the MotoGP World Championship. We were at Silverstone, and it came down to the last lap. Nicky was in front of me and we had been battling most of the race. He made a small mistake, and with about three-quarters of a lap to go I sent it up the inside of him. I managed to hold it all the way to the line. That was my first MotoGP podium. To beat Nicky for that moment meant a lot to me, because he was someone I'd looked up to my whole life. Growing up watching him, I never imagined I'd even reach his level. So, to be able to race him, battle with him, and then beat him for my "I'm happy I didn't take that away from him and the Hayden family." – Colin Edwards When I think of Nicky Hayden, there's one story that stands out for me. We battled at Assen in 2006 for the win, I went down in the last turn, and Nicky won the race. There's a five-point difference between winning and finishing second. As the next few races unfolded, Nicky won the champi- onship over my teammate, Valentino (Rossi), by five points. If I had won at Assen, the two of them would have been tied on points and Valentino would've won the championship in a tiebreaker by having more wins. So, in a way, I let myself down by crashing, but I also let the team down by not doing my part to bring home a championship. End of story. Until Nicky had his accident and my wife and I flew in for his funeral. It changed my entire perspective of all the events from Assen 2006. I am actually happy I crashed in that last turn now. Nicky got to experience the highest of highs for the short time he was on this planet with us, and I'm happy I didn't take that away from him and the Hayden family. "I miss Nicky and think about him a lot." – Ricky Carmichael That picture of us always takes me down memory lane. When I look at it, so many things about Nicky come to mind. The first thing I think about is just how badly he wanted to be a MotoGP World Champion. Everything he did, no matter what, was focused on achieving that dream. Whenever it was time to work toward that goal, he gave 100 percent. And I mean 100 percent across the board. One memory that's still so vivid to me happened during training. We were doing pull-ups, and the workout called for three sets of 15. On that last set, when Nicky was struggling to get the final three or four reps, he refused to quit. As he was pulling himself up, he'd be kicking his legs and doing absolutely everything he could to get over the bar and finish the set. I've been around a lot of great athletes, but I can honestly say I've never seen someone so devoted and determined while going through the process. At that time, he was racing Valentino (Rossi), the best to ever do it, and that work ethic is what allowed him to beat the best in 2006. The picture of us dressed up was taken at the Goodwood Festival in 2016. It was a great chance for us to catch up. I had been first GP podium - that was huge. Obviously, that's the memory that stands out the most. But beyond the racing, Nicky was just a great ambassador for the sport. He was a great person, a great racer, and a true legend. Like everyone knows there are so many memo- ries of him, but those are a couple that have always stuck with me. Nicky and Ricky Carmichael during a workout. "I've never seen someone so devoted and deter- mined…"

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