Commonwealth Games 2022: Australia wins gold after unsafe handlebar saga
The company behind the handlebars canned by Australia’s Commonwealth Games team say there was ‘no safety issue’ with the equipment. Get exclusive details here.
The equipment supplier for Australia’s track cycling team has said “there is no safety issue” with the pursuit handlebars that could not “be used safely” by the men’s sprint team in the 1000m time trial.
But Argon 18 has said it “fully supports” the decision by Australia to bin the handlebars for the kilo in the Commonwealth Games.
On the morning of the final day of the track cycling program at the Lee Valley velodrome in London AusCycling announced that the men’s sprint team of Matt Glaetzer, Matt Richardson and Tom Cornish would not be able to use the pursuit handlebars in the kilo event.
Despite losing about a second in time on their rivals having to use the drop bars, Glaetzer won gold and Cornish won silver.
But after the disaster at the Tokyo Olympics, where Alex Porter’s handlebars snapped during the team pursuit qualifying, it was another equipment controversy for Australia.
The riders only found out days before flying to England for the Commonwealth Games that the bars were actually made for endurance riders.
But Argon 18 has said they could have been used safely in London, and that the handlebars could take more than three times the load recommended by regularters.
“Our Electron Pro Sprint handlebars were developed and qualified for track’s more powerful riders,” a spokesman told News Corp.
“These tests take into account the very high loads applied by sprinters on the pedals: up to 350kg for a standing start.
“Even though, the Electron Pro Pursuit handlebars were not qualified as per Cycling Australia specific “Sprint” tests requirements, the Pursuit handlebars can withstand more than 150 per cent the loading in static as well as in fatigue compared to the industry standard.
“From Argon 18’s perspective, there is no safety issue with the use of these bars in the 1000m TT event.”
But despite the spirited defence the company said it understood the actions of AusCycling, who has said it will work with Argon 18 to create “bespoke” handlebars for their men’s sprint riders at the World Championships later this year.
“Given AusCycling’s renewed commitment to their athlete’s welfare following a 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games track accident caused by a third-party handlebar failure, Argon 18 understands and fully supports their decision not to use the Pursuit handlebars for the 1000m TT event,” the spokesman said.
An AusCycling spokesman said; “We are comfortable with the decision that we made, and that we look forward to working with Argon 18 ahead of the UCI Track World Championships later this year.”
AUSSIE CYCLIST’S INSANE PAIN THRESHOLD FOR GOLD
It wasn’t his quickest ride but what was likely to be Matthew Glaetzer’s last one at a Commonwealth Games was one of his best.
After having to literally pick himself off the track and dust himself off following a heavy crash in the keirin and the deflation of a bronze medal in the sprint taken away by officials Glaetzer produced an exceptional ride at the Lee Valley velodrome to take out the dreaded 1000m time trial.
This was even without pursuit bars, after it was found just days before the sprint team headed to London that they could not “be used safely”.
Yet despite the huge disadvantage Glaetzer was able to defend his Commonwealth Games in the kilo, taking the gold from teammate Tom Cornish with the very last ride of the event.
Despite being unable to get in the aero position, meaning he had to fight the considerable wind drag for almost the entirety of the gruelling four-lap slog around the velodrome Glaetzer was able to post a time of 59.505 having to ride in the sprint bars for the entirety of the distance.
He said after everything that happened to him over the past three days it was “special”.
“To be honest I was surprised that I won because it felt that bad out there,” he said.
“It was surreal, I was speaking to my girlfriend last night and we were saying we would be over the moon if I snatched a medal today given everything.
“So to come home with a win and do it in such a special time too, so happy, very proud and it’s a testament to our nation, how strong we are and what it means to pull on the green and gold.”
After his heavy crash in the keirin Glaetzer had to have his elbow cut open to remove a splinter, while he had visible bandages on his torso while he competed.
“I mean it is becoming a habit for me at the Commonwealth Games overcoming adversity, especially with the kilo to finish,” he said.
“Two games in a row I’ve managed to finish with a win which is good, I’d rather not have the lows to bounce back from but I guess it’s a testament to the challenges that we all face. There’s always a new day and we can go again.
“Gee that crash was tough, it knocked me around. I needed some privacy for a couple of hours that’s for sure to get my composure and to be ready to think about racing.”
Glaetzer just hasn’t had to overcome adversity on the velodrome.
He was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2019, while in 2017 his coach Gary West died of MND.
But he now sits with the legendary Anna Meares as a five-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist.
“I have not come across a human being who has faced more challenge and has been tested more than Matthew Glaetzer and stood up every time,” Meares said.
“How he handles himself, he should be so proud and commended for that and as a friend and a former teammate I get a bit emotional but I’m so proud of him.”
Cornish had his head in his hands after coming so close to a win.
But he said he was proud of how he went.
I’m very happy with second, but it is so hard coming so close to the win and just falling short,” he said.
AUSTRALIA SUFFER SECOND HANDLEBAR CRISIS
Australia’s sprint team have revealed that they only found out the pursuit bars they were due to use at the Commonwealth Games were “designed and engineered for endurance racing” just days out from heading to England.
The chances of Matthew Glaetzer, Matthew Richardson and Tom Cornish claiming a medal in the 1000m time trial looked to be slim when AusCycling announced just before the final day of racing began at the Lee Valley velodrome that they could not use their pursuit bars after “extensive testing” found that they “cannot be used safely” in the kilo.
Australia’s Tokyo Olympics campaign last year was thrown into chaos when Alex Porter’s handlebars snapped in the team pursuit event, sending him face first into the boards.
He received an apology from AusCycling, while a seven-month investigation found serious failures in the testing of the handlebars in the lead-up to Tokyo.
But despite the prospect of another handlebars controversy, and the disadvantage of having to compete entirely in the sprint bars, Glaetzer, Cornish and Richardson all put in sensational rides in the kilo.
Glaetzer defended his title, just pipping Cornish to the gold.
He revealed that they found out about the issue just days before they left Australia to come to England.
“We weren’t actually aware as the sprint team that it was designed and engineered for endurance racing,” he said.
“So for them to actually put them through extra rigorous testing and to find that they came up short for the loads that we require with margin then it was like oh OK that’s unfortunate and we have to do with the best we have.”
Glaetzer said he lost probably a second in time having to be in the sprint position for the entirety of the race.
But he said he felt for Cornish, who he felt was more disadvantaged by not having the pursuit bars.
“It was definitely a blow and fortunately for myself I have one of the most aerodynamic sprint positions in the world naturally so it didn’t affect me that much but I really felt for my teammate Tom Cornish who is such an exceptional kilometre rider and is so skilled in the aero position,” he said.
“I’m glad he came away with a really solid result because he was on for a special one if we had the desired equipment.”
Cornish said he believed it changed the dynamic.
“It is obviously very hard but I understand where they are coming from,” he said.
“Safety has to be the priority, it is hard to hear but you have to put people’s safety first.”
In AusCycling’s statement executive general manager performance Jesse Korf said the organisation would work with Argon 18, its track equipment partner, to investigate what he described as a bespoke handlebar set-up ahead of the World Championships in France in October.
GLAETZER ANGRY OVER STRIPPED MEDAL
MATTHEW Glaetzer has blown up over the controversial decision to strip him of a bronze medal in the sprint, saying the officials were “searching for something that may not be there”.
The Australian star looked to have defeated Scotland’s Jack Carlin in the bronze medal race at the Lee Valley velodrome in London when he crossed the line first in the third and final heat.
Post race Glaetzer spoke of how happy he was at the bronze in the sprint, the only Commonwealth Games event that he didn’t yet have a medal in.
As a lengthy review into the race took place Glaetzer also said he thought he had no case to answer.
But despite the protests from Australia, commissaries at the velodrome decided that Glaetzer had moved down towards the inside of the track when Carlin was already there and relegated him - giving Carlin the bronze.
A day later Glaetzer said he was still angry.
“I’m not content with it,” he said.
“The commissaries are under a lot of pressure, I just don’t like commissaries searching for something that may not be there.
“It is not his fault, I’ve got nothing against him, and if I gave him more room it wouldn’t have happened.
“There’s a lot on the line, we race hard, we try and race fair and I was clearly the fastest guy in the last race but the commissaries made that decision themselves and I have to live with it.”
Glaetzer said he had been told by many people that he shouldn’t have been relegated.
“I was pretty angry to say the least, I rode aggressive. I didn’t ride to make contact and it is one of those things,” he said.
“It didn’t affect the outcome of the race. I knew I won it, a lot of people have said the same so I can hold my head high knowing that I raced well and the commissaries just didn’t want to give it to me.
“I only watched it today and broke it down and tried to look at it objectively.
“I tipped it into the corner, Jack went from the red line to outside of the red, we made contact.
“It looked pretty even in terms of me tipping and him coming to me, we bumped but it’s racing.
“It is one of those things, I’m just happy the way I raced.”
Glaetzer’s teammate Matthew Richardson took out the gold medal ahead of Trinidad and Tobago’s Nicholas Paul.
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