New details have emerged about the circumstances surrounding the death of beloved Australian cyclist Melissa Hoskins.
Hoskins, 32, died last Saturday after being hit by a 4WD ute, allegedly driven by her husband Rohan Dennis, 33.
Dennis, who has two children with Hoskins, has been charged with dangerous driving causing the death of his wife as well as driving without due care and attention and endangering life.
The couple were due to attend a Christmas street party on the night of Hoskins’ death but were no shows, The Australian reported.
According to the publication, it was around 8pm under clear skies when Hoskins jumped onto the bonnet of the ute and tried to grab the door handle in an attempt to stop the vehicle.
Dennis allegedly continued to drive until his wife fell off the ute. She was allegedly dragged some way down the road, the publication reports.
Tragically the street where Hoskins lived is also home to a number of doctors and medical professionals but none of them knew what had happened until they heard sirens outside.
One neighbour, who is a trauma surgeon, said he hadn’t noticed anything until he went outside to photograph Jupiter at around 10pm.
“There was a police car parked in front of our driveway with the lights going,” he said.
“Then a little bit later we saw a dark 4×4 being towed away by a tow truck.”
Another resident said: “It’s traumatic and very unusual. And the truth has to come out because something happened.”
Olympian’s ‘bright future’ before tragic death
When Dennis shared a Christmas wish “from our family to yours”, alongside Ms Hoskins on December 25 to social media, nobody could have predicted the tragedy that would follow just five days later.
Dennis and Ms Hoskins were a golden couple of Australian cycling. She was a dual Olympian who competed at the 2012 London (where the two met) and 2016 Rio Games, as well as a 2015 world champion before her retirement from professional cycling in 2017. He was a podium finisher at both the London and 2020 Tokyo Olympics, a two-time world champion and a stage-winner in the 2015 Tour de France.
Dennis retired from professional racing in 2023 – and, after years of living between Europe and Australia, the pair were looking forward to a new beginning in the Adelaide Hills with their young family. That all changed last Saturday night.
Friends of Ms Hoskins, meanwhile, told The Advertiser the couple had been planning to make some major changes in their post-retirement lives, including opening their own vineyard in the Adelaide Hills.
Dennis had insinuated as much on his Instagram – where he frequently shared photos of himself, Ms Hoskins, and their children.
“Slowly but surely the new project is coming to life,” Dennis wrote alongside a photo of a vineyard on September 17 last year.
Asked in the comments if the intention was for his “own label” of wine, he responded: “That’s the goal.”
Another post, from January 9 2023, showed Dennis and Ms Hoskins at South Australia’s Ashton Hills Vineyard, captioned: “The future is looking pretty bright.”
He again alluded to the family’s new “future” on August 24, marking his place as a finalist in the Sports Dad of the Year competition.
“Looking forward to more pictures of me with the kids without bike kit next year,” Dennis wrote.
Dennis and Ms Hoskins married in February 2018 on what he called “the happiest day of my life”, before welcoming their first child later that year. Their second was born in 2021.
Ms Hoskins’ death has left family, friends and the Australian cycling community reeling.
In a statement on Tuesday, released through AusCycling, her father Peter said: “Amanda, Jess and families, are utterly devastated and still struggling to process what has happened.”
“Not only have we lost a daughter and sister, her children have lost their mum, a freewheeling spirit, a giver with a big heart, patience and zest for life,” the statement read.
“She was the rock of their life and ours and we need to honour her memory so they can grow up knowing who she was, what she stood for and what she gave to everyone whose life she touched.
“The outpouring of sadness and support has overwhelmed us. In her short life Melissa has had so many positive touch points in and around the world.”
Ms Hoskins’ funeral will be held in her hometown of Perth, with a memorial service in Adelaide to follow.
Dennis has been bailed to appear in court in March.
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