Widely known cycling advocate Ken Kifer killed by Drunk Driver

Fri September 19 2003
Posted Sep 19, 2003
3,127

Ken Kifer was one of the country's most helpful and outspoken bicycling advocates. His webpages are a wealth of information, and his frequent biking tours educated and inspired many others. This past weekend, Ken was hit and killed while biking by a drunk driver -- a driver who had been released from jail only four hours previously for . . . drunk driving. It's a terrible, senseless, preventable loss.

A Scottsboro, Alabama man was killed Saturday night as the result of a car-bicycle accident. According to the Alabama State Troopers, Kenneth Kiefer, 57, was killed when he was struck by a 1986 Chevrolet driven by Jimmy Don Rodgers, 29, of Scottsboro. Juanita Turner, 38, a passenger of the Rodgers' vehicle was also injured in the 7:48 p.m. accident. Kiefer was a cyclist often seen riding in the area. The incident happened on Jackson County Road 21 in the Pikeville area, three miles north of Scottsboro. Kiefer was taken to Huntsville Hospital where he died a short time later. Rodgers was arrested by Alabama State Trooper Terry Thomas and charged with first-degree assault and driving under the influence. He was taken to the Jackson County Jail. Rodgers was just recently released from jail, after a Sept. 1 arrest for second-degree possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and illegal possession of an alcoholic beverage. He has prior arrests for a host of misdemeanor charges including leaving the scene of an accident. News of the cyclist killed spread quickly throughout the cycle world Monday. Numerous calls and emails to the Daily Sentinel identified the victim as Ken Kifer, a world class cyclist and author who lives near Scottsboro in a small cabin. While cyclists believe it was Kifer who died in the accident, the Alabama State Troopers report the name was actually Kiefer and could not confirm or deny that it was the same person. Attempts to locate Kifer were unsuccessful. Kifer maintains a website (www.kenkifer.com) that prominently mentions his Scottsboro home. (end of Sentinel article) According to AlaBike President Jamie Miernik, it has since been confirmed that it was Ken Kifer, the same we all know through his website. http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/index.htm Take a minute and view his site if you have not seen it. It is a wealth of informtaion from someone who was always passonate about cycling and the lifestyle that goes along with it.