Rohan Dennis appears for the first time after fatal collision with wife, her family: “Words cannot describe our sadness” | Sport

32-year-old Melissa Dennis (maiden name Hoskins), herself a former cyclist, was hit a few meters from her home just after 8 p.m. Australian time on Saturday. She was then taken to Royal Adelaide Hospital in a critical condition, where she died several hours later.

Dennis himself was said to have been behind the wheel of the pick-up truck – according to local media a Volkswagen Amarok V6 – and was charged with “dangerous driving, careless driving and endangering human life, resulting in death”.

He has now also been charged with this. Dennis was released on bail and returned to his home in Medindie (Adelaide), where many journalists have taken up post. This morning they also saw Dennis leaving his house, but the ex-rider refused to answer the questions. Two friends of his did that briefly before. According to ‘Daily Mail Australia’, they asked on behalf of Dennis to respect the privacy of his two children and to give them time to mourn the loss of their mother.

Melissa Dennis’ family also responded for the first time. “There are no words to express our sadness,” said a statement from her parents Peter and Amanda and sister Jess Hoskins. “We and our families are absolutely devastated. It is very difficult to process what happened. Not only have we lost our daughter and sister, her children have also lost their mother. A free spirit, a giver with a big heart, lots of patience and zest for life. She was the rock in their lives and ours and we must honor her memory so that her children can grow up knowing who she was. We will make no further comment.”

‘The Advertiser’, a local newspaper from Adelaide, provided more details about the facts on Monday. The newspaper wrote that the police determined that the woman was on the hood of the car and had subsequently grabbed the door handle. Fingerprints were already found on the hood. Melissa was said to have been dragged along for some distance until she fell to the ground further down the street. Two teenagers who live nearby are said to have immediately taken care of the woman. The emergency services arrived around 8:30 PM.

It is believed that the incident was (partly) captured by local residents’ security cameras. The neighborhood where the incident took place is considered very affluent.

It is still unclear what caused the incident. Dennis must appear in the Adelaide court on March 13.

In recent years, Dennis was a professional cyclist for major teams such as BMC, Bahrain-Merida, Team INEOS and Jumbo-Visma, where his contract expired on December 31, 2023. Dennis previously announced that he would retire as a professional after this season. At Jumbo-Visma they also heard the news from the media. “But of course the team sympathizes with the family and loved ones,” it sounds.

During his career, the Australian was mainly known for his qualities as a speed rider. He became world time trial champion twice (2018 and 2019), improved the world hour record in 2015 and took time trial bronze at the Olympic Games in 2021. He also won stages in the three Grand Tours.

A week ago, Rohan Dennis posted this photo of his family: