AusCycling has apologised for the disastrous equipment failure that led to Australian cyclist Alex Porter crashing at high speed at the Tokyo Olympics, after an independent report found substandard governance was behind the accident.
Porter’s handlebars snapped during a qualifying heat of the men’s teams pursuit, leaving him with severe facial injuries after he collided head first into the velodrome.
The report concludes that the faulty part of the handlebars was not properly tested and that officials “made it up as they went along”.
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The report, commissioned by investigator John Baker AM, presents 14 recommendations to AusCycling and five to Bastion Cycles, the manufacturer of the base bar.
“We apologise to Alex Porter and his fellow riders, to the broader Australian Olympic team and to the Australian public, all of whom are entitled to expect better,” said AusCycling chief executive Marne Fechner.
“We acknowledge the anger and frustration that many in and around our system have experienced as a result of the incident. And we’ll use this opportunity to ensure that failures are never repeated.”
Porter has given a brief reply to the AusCycling apology.
“I also appreciate AusCycling’s transparency and acknowledge their apology to all of us who rode in the team pursuit,” Porter said in a statement.
“While I’m glad that we now have greater clarity around what happened, I’m still absorbing the details of the report and will not be making any further comment.”
Baker found a custom base bar was used and the design and production process was slashed from 10 months to just four, to allow the cyclists to begin using the new part in time for the Olympics.
Baker also found that titanium used in the bar was lighter and stronger than steel but more prone to fatigue.
“Fatigue testing specified was reduced by the Australian cycling team from 200,000 to 50,000 cycles,” the report reads.
And another finding of the review states there was a discrepancy between the bar and where it connected on the bike, spelling trouble for high rider forces.
“When we step back and look at a reduction in time from 10 months to four months, it does seem strange in terms of it is a big reduction,” Fechner said.
“We were working through significant time pressures with the Games meant to be staged in 2020.
“There was a decision made to really optimise the opportunity for the boys to train with the base bar on the bike. In hindsight, that put everyone and the process under significant pressure.”
Baker dumped blame on AusCycling rather than the decisions of individuals.
“Whilst an organisational structure was in place for the Australian cycling team, there were scant policies or processes in a technical sense and individuals made it up as they went along,” Baker wrote.
“An equipment steering group was formed with a vision of ‘zero failure rate’; disappointingly there was scant documented structure behind the vision to implement it, nor was this vision conveyed to Bastion Cycles. A comprehensive Bicycle Build Book was drafted but, when issued, only partially covered the technical aspects.”
Baker’s damning findings don’t end there.
“In service, on removal, on installation and during handling before and after transit, there were multiple opportunities to detect any base bar deterioration, but these opportunities were lost due to the lack of application of extant process and missing checks and balances until the number four base bar failed,” Baker wrote.
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