The Australian cycling community is mourning the loss of Melissa Dennis, a highly skilled and well-liked competitor.

On Monday morning, Anna Meares, a gold medal winner in the Olympics, expressed her admiration for Dennis, and AusCycling also issued a statement.

A 32-year-old woman with two children passed away in a hospital after being hit by a car on Saturday evening in the inner north area of Adelaide.

Several news sources have stated that the 33-year-old man who was apprehended by authorities and accused of killing Dennis is her spouse, Rohan. He is an Olympic cyclist who has won medals and was once a world champion, but retired from competing in 2023.

He is accused of causing a fatal accident through reckless driving, driving without proper caution, and putting lives at risk. He was released on bail and is scheduled to appear in court in March.

Dennis participated under the name Melissa Hoskins, however, on Facebook, she used her married name.

In both the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, she participated in the team pursuit on the track. She was also part of the team that achieved first place in the event at the 2015 world championship.

Australia’s victory in the world championship positioned them as a potential gold medalist at the 2016 Rio Olympics. However, their chances were damaged by a training accident just days before qualifying.

Hoskins was one of the cyclists who was hurt in the crash. Despite participating in the qualifying round, she had to withdraw from the remainder of the competition as Australia placed fifth.

She and Meares both competed on the track cycling team during the London and Rio Olympics.

The CEO of AusCycling, Marne Fechner, expressed the sport’s surprise and sadness.

Fechner stated that Melissa’s team pursuit gold medal at the 2015 world championships was the pinnacle of her career, but for the rest of us, the true highlight was simply having her presence.

Even though she retired in 2017, her impact as a former member of the cycling and riding community has been recognized and valued by numerous individuals.

Hoskins participated in road competitions for a number of years alongside the Australian team GreenEDGE.

Rohan Dennis achieved two world championship titles in the road time trial event, in addition to winning a silver medal in the team pursuit at the 2012 London Olympics and a bronze medal in the road time trial at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

In 2015, he won the opening time trial at the Tour de France and became the seventh Australian to don the yellow jersey as the race leader. He also set a new record for his average speed during the race.

In both 2015 and 2018, Rohan Dennis was awarded the title of Australian cyclist of the year. He also achieved victory in the 2015 Tour Down Under, which took place in his hometown of Adelaide.

Following his retirement from the sport of cycling, the Dennis family moved from Europe to Adelaide.

Source: theguardian.com