US motorcycle racer Nicky Hayden, a former MotoGP world champion, died Monday at the age of 35, five days after he suffered a freak cycling crash in Italy, reports BBC.

Hayden was riding his bike last Wednesday on a road between Tavoleto and Riccione, near Rimini, when he was hit by a car. He suffered serious head and chest injuries and was induced coma over the past days.

But Monday, Maurizio Bufalini Hospital announced the tragic news that Nicky Hayden had died. A hospital statement issued on Thursday said Hayden had suffered “a serious polytrauma”, which is a medical term to describe the condition of a person who has multiple traumatic injuries.

Nic