British ultra-endurance cyclist Mike Hall killed by vehicle while competing at Indian Pacific Wheel Race
Accomplished self-supported ultra-distance racer twice won the Tour Divide
A well known ultra-endurance cyclist from Britain was killed in the early hours of the morning of March 31 when he was struck by a car while competing in the 5,500-km Indian Pacific Wheel Race in Australia. Mike Hall was on the Monaro Highway in the Australian Capital Territory 5,000-km into the race. Hall was declared dead on the scene of the collision. The accident took place at approximately 6:20 a.m. AEDT on the outskirts of Canberra.
Hall, who specializes in self-supported ultra-distance races, was the winner of the inaugural edition of the 29,000-km World Cycle Race in 2012, he won the Tour Divide, an ultra-endurance mountain bike race across the Rocky Mountains in Canada and the United States, in 2013 and 2016, and the TransAm Bicycle Race in 2014.
Today is a very very sad day. Cycling has lost a legend. Ride in Peace Mike Hall. We'll miss you so much. pic.twitter.com/S8N90KClPI
— Sean Conway (@Conway_Sean) March 31, 2017
The Indian Pacific Wheel Race, which takes riders from Fremanthle outside of Perth to Sydney along the south coast of Australia, began on March 18 with about 70 cyclists taking the start. Hall was riding in second place when he was hit.
“Our deepest sympathies go to Mike’s family and to all those who knew him. Mike will be sorely missed,” read a statement from the race organizers. “This tragedy is a great loss to the global cycling community.”
The organizers said they would cooperate fully with the investigation and cancelled the remainder of the race.
The police investigation into the crash is ongoing. “That driver is in shock and will be spoken to later,” Sergeant Chris Meagher said to Australian Broadcasting Corporation regarding the individual who was assessed at the scene of the collision before being taken to the hospital. “There is no suggestion of speed or alcohol at this stage.”
