Popular Scottsboro Cyclist Killed

Bizzy Corner Bicycle Shop is a family run business, a friendly place to which Ken Kifer often brought his bike for everything from gear adjustments to brake checks and tire replacement.

"I was about to cry, I was trying to hold back, I couldn't get over it," say the Partin's, who own the shop. They're shocked by his death. He was in the shop this past Friday, one last visit from a friend they knew so well.

"He had a beard, real skinny," Judy Partin says. "But he was a funny sort of guy, he always had something to joke about or tell us about his trips."

"Real likeable," Robin Partin says. "I like to hear him talk because of his accent, but he was a real nice guy."

"We sit down, talk, drunk coke, talk about old times," Dyral Partin adds.

"He's just so nice, he's beyond nice," Renee Partin remembers her friend.

Kifer was on his bike near Pikeville Saturday evening. Police say Jimmy Don Rodgers, driving under the influence, hit the cyclist. He later died at Huntsville Hospital.

"I just wish a lot of other people could've met Ken, gotten to to know him," Dyral says. "And just let him sit you back and tell you some of the stories."

"We miss him a lot, and things aren't going to be the same without him," Renee adds.

Now the Partin's will do without his frequent visits, something for which they're not yet ready.

"He was a person you could grow on real easy," Robin says.

"A lot of people, he might have looked rough to him, but to us, he was just kin," Judy finishes.