Haven't posted here in awhile and had to sign up under another name since I long lost all my other info. But I've been living in the Clovis/Portales area and actually saw this gentleman riding along the Prince St bridge as I was taking a trailer to get unloaded in Portales. Not three hours later, I was driving the semi back to the yard in Clovis and came across police activity on the SB side of the US-70. I saw some telltale signs of an accident, but no other car involved apart from the F-150 that struck Astner. A chill kind of swept over me knowing that a guy I saw alive hours earlier was now deceased.
That said, I took it upon myself to get a ghost-bike installed near the scene of the accident. Details were scant about his identity until information slowly started trickling out. It's being treated as an on-going case, so I assume that's the reason info has been slow getting out. In fact, I've got to head back out and change the name on the sign from "Aster" to "Astner" since a FB contact on a local bicycle group just informed me. Apart from the ghost bike I put up, there's also going to be a memorial ride being held for Astner this Saturday morning. The 27th.
I drive and ride these roads out here all the time and like many places, either reckless drivers and too much testosterone. Or more usual, inattentiveness like texting and the like.