MORE than a dozen bikers led the funeral procession of their friend through Darlington yesterday.
The funeral of Alan Bowman, 67, who was killed in a motorbike accident on the North York Moors on May 5, took place at the town's West Cemetery.
Bikers young and old, including several members of his family, donned their leathers and led the hearse in a moving tribute to Mr Bowman.
The father-of-three, from Darlington, who had just recovered from a three-year battle with cancer, was killed after a head-on-collision with a 34-year-old female biker from Hull, who also died, on the A169 from Pickering to Whitby.
He was described as "meticulous" about road safety by his wife, Lily, who said he had been riding motorbikes since the age of 17 and never went above 60mph.
His death came amid warnings by North Yorkshire Police for high-speed bikers to take more care.
Despite a Bike Safe campaign by police, which has run since 1997, two more motorcyclists were killed in crashes last weekend, prompting police to take a harder line with dangerous bikers.
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