Sometimes in life you hear or read about stories that just make you shake your head in utter disbelief. In June of 2012, I heard about one of these such stories and it made me stop and realize just how lucky the rest of us are. On June 3rd, 2012 while pursuing his first love of riding at Wild Rose Cycle Park in Calgary, Ken Allen had a bad crash that left him in a coma that would last for months.
But, like all of us motocross riders, Ken was as strong as an ox. In what doctors called a modern day miracle, Ken eventually woke up from his coma and was moved to a rehab facility where he had to relearn the functions that the rest of us take for granted. For almost two years Ken tried hard to recover from his injuries, but unfortunately despite this massive effort, his injuries were just too much and he passed away this past Sunday due to complications from pneumonia. He was just 49 years old.
Ken was a former Pro rider from Manitoba who grew up racing against the likes of Ross Pederson and Al Dyck. When racing full time didn’t work out, Ken pursed his second passion of flying. This decision turned out to be a blessing as he would go on to have a very successful career at Air Canada, eventually becoming a Captain on an Airbus A-320. Just days before his 2012 crash, Ken and his first officer, Gray Kittle (another former motocross racer), did a flight together to Los Angeles where they spent their time talking about motocross and visiting race shops in the area. This would be Ken’s last flight as he crashed on his bike a few days later. In a sport where the risks are the same for everyone who throws their leg over a dirt bike, we’ll remember Ken Allen and we’ll be thankful for everything that we have. Ken is survived by his wife and his two young children. Ride on Ken and God speed!
Captain Ken Allen and First Officer Gray Kittle on what would turn out to be their final flight together.