AusCycling has apologised for the snapped handlebar debacle that cost the men’s team pursuit squad its chance of a Tokyo Olympics gold medal. A damning report released on Thursday has made 14 recommendations after the handlebar on Alex Porter’s bike snapped early in the team pursuit qualifying ride, sending him face-planting onto the velodrome boards at about 60kph.
Porter suffered numerous wounds, including friction burns to his face, but he avoided more serious injuries. The team was also lucky that Porter was at the rear of the four-man paceline when his accident happened, otherwise he would have brought down one or more teammates.
While the team pursuit squad rallied to win the bronze medal, the incident ruined their hopes of gold. Porter’s crash came to symbolise another poor performance from the Australian track cycling team at the Olympics. The team pursuit bronze was their only medal – Australia’s lowest medal at an Olympic velodrome since the 1980 Games.
“We apologise to Alex and his fellow riders, to the broader Australian Olympic team and to the Australian public, all of whom were entitled to expect better,” AusCycling chief executive Marne Fechner said. “The recommendations are very clear, in that there’s a complete overhaul required in how we go about our business.”
Porter said in an AusCycling statement that he accepted the findings. “I acknowledge the work that has gone into the report and the many people who have contributed to a better understanding of what happened in Tokyo,” he said. “I also appreciate AusCycling’s transparency and acknowledge their apology to all of us who rode in the team pursuit.”
The report by mechanical and aeronautical engineer John Baker found two critical factors in particular contributed to Porter’s crash.
“The first was an inadequate specification for custom-built handlebars, the second was the failure to conduct adequate fatigue testing,” AusCycling said. “The report found that a lack of adequate processes and policies meant that the issues weren’t detected and rectified before the team raced at the Games.”