Former MotoGP champion Nicky Hayden dies after cycling accident

Former MotoGP champion Nicky Hayden has died in hospital, five days after he was struck by a car while cycling in Italy. The American motorcycle racer was 35 years old.

The Maurizio Bufalini Hospital in Cesena released a bulletin announcing Hayden's death on Monday, saying he suffered severe cerebral damage.

Last week, the hospital noted Hayden was dealing with a "serious polytrauma" - a term used to describe the condition of someone who had suffered multiple traumatic injuries - when he was hit by a car while training on the Rimini coastline Wednesday.

Hayden, who was 13th in this season's World Superbike Championship standings while riding for the Red Bull Honda team, won the MotoGP championship in 2006.

That victory, clinched in the final race of the season in Valencia, ended Valentino Rossi's five-year run as the unrivaled king of motorcycle road racing.