Update 02:00 BST March 31: While the identity of the dead rider has still not been confirmed, the event’s live tracking system has shown Mike Hall’s tracker travelling at around 100km/h toward Canberra, leading to calls on Twitter for it to be turned off.
Reports are coming in that a competitor in the trans-Australia Indian Pacific Wheel Race has died after being hit by a car on the Monaro Highway south of Australian capital Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).
Very few details are available, but the location of the incident in which a male cyclist was killed corresponds to the last known position of second-placed rider Mike Hall.
It has not been officially confirmed that the rider was a participant in the Indian Pacific Wheel Race, but ABC News has identified him as such.
Finbar O’Mallon of the Canberra Times reports that ACT Policing Station Sergeant Chris Meagher said at 9.30am that police had been unable to contact the next-of-kin.
Sergeant Meagher ruled out alcohol or speeding and said the driver was in shock and being treated at hospital.
ACT police said in a statement: “About 6.25am, police responded to a report of a collision on the Monaro Highway towards Williamsdale between a car and a cyclist.
“ACT Ambulance Service attended and the male cyclist was pronounced deceased at the scene.
“ACT Policing’s Collision Investigation and Reconstruction Team (CIRT) are examining the circumstances surrounding the collision.”
Indian Pacific Wheel Race organisers said in a statement:
“A collision between a motor vehicle and a cyclist occurred on the Monaro Highway at Royalla in New South Wales at approx. 6.20am on Friday morning.
“Race organisers are working with local authorities.
“We will cooperate fully with official investigations and we intend to undertake a detailed investigation of our own.
“Race organisers will provide more information when it becomes available.”
More details to follow.
25 thoughts on “Indian Pacific Wheel Race rider feared dead in car crash”
Race now cancelled, which
Race now cancelled, which sort of confirms the situation. Very sad day for cycling.
Such sad news. RIP Mike Hall
Such sad news. RIP Mike Hall
Christ. Rip.
Christ. Rip.
Fuck this, just no. Still a
Fuck this, just no. Still a chance there’s some mistake.
unconstituted wrote:
the only possible mistake is the identity, not the severity of the outcome. Someone out there has lost a loved one and in all likelihood we already know who. RIP
Oh shit no… Just awful in
Oh shit no… Just awful in every way.
No mistake, unfortunately –
No mistake, unfortunately – it’s been pretty widely reported over here.
What horrible news. Very sad
What horrible news. Very sad day for his family and for cycling.
RIP and condolences to Mike’s
RIP and condolences to Mike’s friends, family and fellow competitors on the IPWR.
Confirmed now. Absolutely
Confirmed now. Absolutely terrible. RIP to an absolute legend.
Oh.
Oh.
Bugger.
RIP and condolences to family
Bugger …
Bugger … 🙁
RIP Mike, condolences to all …..
RIP Mike, the cycling
RIP Mike, the cycling community’s thought are with his family and friends. Terrible news for them to deal with, but at least he was doing something he loved when he passed away.
This is how the main stream
This is how the main stream media reprot
http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cycling/champion-cyclist-mike-hall-killed-in-accident-during-indian-pacific-wheel-race-20170330-gvaj79.html
Tragic.
Tragic.
RIP.
RIP.
Other press sites show photos of the scene. Looks like a junction on a fairly wide and clear highway. Collision sounds nasty
I met Mike Hall doing
I met Mike Hall doing rollapaluza at the Mud Dock in Bristol.
Sad to hear this has happened.
Ride in Peace, Mike.
Ride in Peace, Mike.
Absolutely shocking, Mike was
Absolutely shocking, Mike was a legend and incredibly inspiring, condolences to his family.
Just shows though – we are not safe out there, his tweets clearly indicating poor driving by some – well actually poor respect and care for others by some drivers – and is it not about time the law started to do something about these behaviours?
The Monaro Highway has always
RIP Mike, you were an inspiration.
There’s a JustGiving page for his family: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/Mikehall?utm_id=60&utm_term=Rkx4nxve5
The Monaro Highway has always been a dreadful road. Mostly straight, two narrow lanes, little dips and hollows all the way along. It’s on the way to the ski resorts, in open country, so there’s always lots of speeding. Drivers try mad overtaking manoeuvres.
There have been improvements over time, passing lanes, turning lanes at junctions, but when I lived in Oz I always feared driving along it.
The SMH is reporting this from Mike in the days before the crash:
“Cars will go past you at 110, 120 kilometres an hour, leaving you about a foot gap, and there’s a whole other lane free,” he said. “It’s crazy … It’s been some of the worst driving with regards to safety that I’ve seen.”
http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cycling/champion-cyclist-mike-hall-killed-in-accident-during-indian-pacific-wheel-race-20170330-gvaj79.html
Terrible news. Thoughts go
Terrible news. Thoughts go out to his family and friends. And to all who have come to know him through his expressions of love for cycling. He was a total inspiration.
I’m gutted, my sincerest
I’m gutted, my sincerest condolences to Mike’s family and friends.
I’m also furious, but now is not the time for a wild rant. I can only hope the Australian media pick this up in the right way and something can be done to change Australian mindsets when it comes to the car.
RIP Mike. Condolences to all
RIP Mike. Condolences to all family and friends. Terrible terrible news.
Tragic news.
Tragic news.
Tragic news.
Tragic news.