Ken Kifer -- "Identity of biker killed remains unclear"

http://www.thedailysentinel.com/story.lasso?wcd=165

Identity of biker killed remains unclear

By Mazie Aldrich
The Daily Sentinel

Published September 16, 2003

A Scottsboro 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.
--
Steven O'Neill
www.bridgetolls.org

Steven wrote:

http://www.thedailysentinel.com/story.lasso?wcd=165

Identity of biker killed remains unclear

By Mazie Aldrich
The Daily Sentinel

Published September 16, 2003

A Scottsboro 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.


His son's wife (his daughter-in-law) stumbled across the
"bicyclingadvocacy" Yahoo group, and pretty well verified it. (I
copied her message to the thread that puts him in Missouri.)
Not sure how the reporter got "world class cyclist" out of the
musings of a long-distance tourer and perennial advice-giver. (Maybe
the next story will elevate him to a USCF category.) I bet he'd be
tickled by that.

--Karen M.
a new member of that Yahoo group, and going riding as soon as I get
home

(Karen M.) wrote in message . com...

Not sure how the reporter got "world class cyclist" out of the
musings of a long-distance tourer and perennial advice-giver.

IMHO, Ken deserves the title. Much more than, say, the typical
very-fast-guy-on-a-bike.

In fact, I'd kind of like seeing that title reserved for guys like
Ken.

- Frank Krygowski

"Frank Krygowski" wrote in message
om...
(Karen M.) wrote in message
. com...

Not sure how the reporter got "world class cyclist" out of the
musings of a long-distance tourer and perennial advice-giver.

IMHO, Ken deserves the title. Much more than, say, the typical
very-fast-guy-on-a-bike.

In fact, I'd kind of like seeing that title reserved for guys like
Ken.


Agreed.

Pete

Karen M. wrote:
His son's wife (his daughter-in-law) stumbled across the
"bicyclingadvocacy" Yahoo group, and pretty well verified it. (I
copied her message to the thread that puts him in Missouri.)

Yes, the latest article from the Daily Sentinel classifies the
error as clerical. I guess I was posting out of some odd hope.
Strange to be wishing that it was actually someone I had never
heard of that had been killed instead of Ken.

.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

http://www.thedailysentinel.com/story.lasso?wcd=167

Rodgers charged with murder in cyclist death

By Mazie Aldrich
The Daily Sentinel

Published September 17, 2003

Jimmy D. Rodgers, 29, of Scottsboro has been charged with murder
in the traffic-related death of cyclist Kenneth P. Kifer, 57, of
Scottsboro.

According to a report filed in the Circuit Clerk's office by
Alabama Trooper Terry Thomas, Kifer was riding a bicycle in the
north bound lane of County Road 21, three miles north of
Scottsboro in the Pikeville area.

He was struck by the 1986 Chevrolet S-10 pick up driven by
Rodgers who was traveling south on the same road. The report
states that Rodgers was driving at a high rate of speed, under
the influence of drugs and alcohol.

Kifer was taken to Huntsville Hospital where he died a short
time later.

Rodgers was arrested at the scene and charged with first-degree
assault and driving under the influence. Those charges were
upgraded to murder Tuesday morning.

According to the Scottsboro Police Department Rodgers was
released from the city jail just four hours before the Saturday
night accident. He had been arrested Friday for DUI and
violation of the open container law.

Kifer was known in the area and throughout the country as a
world class athlete, cyclist and writer who chose to live the
life of a naturalist. A clerical error in the original report
resulted in Kifer being identified as Ken Kiefer.



© 2003 The Daily Sentinel. All rights reserved.
.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
--
Steven O'Neill
www.bridgetolls.org

"Karen M." wrote:

His son's wife (his daughter-in-law) stumbled across the
"bicyclingadvocacy" Yahoo group, and pretty well verified it. (I
copied her message to the thread that puts him in Missouri.)
Not sure how the reporter got "world class cyclist" out of the
musings of a long-distance tourer and perennial advice-giver. (Maybe
the next story will elevate him to a USCF category.) I bet he'd be
tickled by that.


Ken was definitely a world class cyclist, but obviously not in the
traditional sense in which the term is reserved for athletes. But few
people on the planet had his combination of practical experience and
intellectual property concerning bicycling.

Hopefully, the prosecuting attorney will have the sense to mine Ken's
website for useful information when making the murder charge stick.

Wayne