In January 2019 Bicycle Network member Daryl Adams was killed in a hit-run crash on the Princes Highway in South Australia while he was riding with a friend to the Tour Down Under.
This month, South Australian truck driver Daniel Barry was sentenced to four years jail with a non-parole period of two years and five months after being found guilty of dangerous driving causing death.
Barry told the court that he did not know he had hit Mr Adams because he was listening to loud music in his truck. He handed himself in to police later on the day of the crash.
Judge McEwen said that the crash did not involve excessive speed, drugs or alcohol, but that Barry had failed to keep a proper look-out on the road and that his testimony was "vague, inconsistent and lacking in credibility."
"I find the defendant's claim that he sat in the driver's seat of the truck and remained totally oblivious to the fact that the front left portion of his truck had collided with a bicycle and its rider totally implausible," Judge McEwen said.
Mr Adams was loved by many including by his partner Janny, his children and his sisters who attended court hearings and provided heartfelt witness statements.
"I have not just lost my husband but my children's father and my dancing partner of 35 years," said Janny Adams.
"Daryl was much-loved and I miss him terribly. I still see his kind face in my mind and I hope that image will never leave me."
We feel incredible pain whenever a rider is killed on the roads. As Daryl was one of our valued members and Around the Bay riders, his loss hits very close to home.
Nothing can ever make up for losing Daryl. But we can continue to provide our love and support to everyone impacted and work relentlessly to improve our road environment; a vital element of which is improving the behaviour of people driving vehicles.