Photo: Meaghan Hackinen

Kelowna cyclist Meaghan Hackinen has won the 24-Hour World Time Trial Championships for a second time.

The competition took place in Borrego Springs, California on Nov. 4 and 5, where Hackinen finished 478.8 miles in 23:51:29 to become the new women's 24-hour champion.

"I also beat the previous course record of 460 miles, that I set in 2019, and most excitingly, I placed second overall in the event—beating all but one of the men and team racers in addition to the women."

Hackinen won the event in 2019 and finished second in 2018. This year she explained on Instagram she almost didn’t attend the race because she didn’t feel prepared.

"I’d only ridden my TT bike once this year and suffered some minor illness/injuries. But the all-star lineup in the women’s field... convinced me to give it a shot."

Her 24-hour total of 478.8 miles was second only Phillipp Kaider of Austria, who rode 531.6 miles in the solo men's division.

"Every time I’ve participated in this event I’ve broken the previous women’s course record, so that was my goal again this year: forget about the competition and stay on track to surpass the 460 mile/740 km mark. Just before sunrise I pulled into position as the lead female, and spent the rest of the day chasing down the men ahead of me, Hackinen said.