Professional motocross rider dies in NH-65 crash near Chityal
HYDERABAD: A 40 year old professional motocross rider died in a road accident on National Highway-65 near Chityal in Nalgonda district on Sunday while returning to the city from a bikers’ meet in Bapatla, Andhra Pradesh.
The deceased was identified as Ritesh Reddy, a businessman from Jubilee Hills with international motocross experience. Police said he was wearing full motorcycle riding gear, including a helmet, at the time of the accident.
According to Chityal police station officials, the crash occurred around 12.30 IST, about two km from Chityal. Ritesh died on the spot. His BMW 1300 CC Adventure motorcycle was found damaged nearby.
“It is still not known how it happened as there were no witnesses to the accident. It is being probed whether his bike was hit by another vehicle or he lost control,” sub inspector Ravi Kumar told reporters.
Group had travelled to Bapatla on Friday
Ritesh and nearly 50 professional bikers from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh had travelled to Bapatla on Friday for a get-together. They stayed there on Friday and Saturday before beginning their return journey.
Police said Ritesh was travelling alone on the stretch near the accident site, while some members of the group were a few kilometres behind him.
One of the bikers who was part of the group said, “Actually, Ritesh was with us for some time till the food court. Since some others had to refuel, we took a U-turn, whereas Ritesh headed straight towards Hyderabad. Later, we got information from police that he had died in a road accident. He was a motocross rider who had participated in international rides.”
Passersby noticed Ritesh lying by the roadside and alerted the police.
Police said there were no signs to suggest that he was riding at high speed at the time of the accident. The exact cause is under investigation.
