A blown front tire sent a motorcycle rider to the hospital New Year’s Day. Shortly after 11:30 Sunday morning, the front tire of an unidentified man’s 2008 Yamaha motorcycle blew near Avalon Avenue and the highway. The rider lost control of his motorcycle and it went down on the highway. The rider slid about 100 feet. Witnesses said the man was bleeding badly, but responding paramedics said his injuries were mostly road rash. The rider was transported to Desert Hospital in Palm Springs.