The 2020 edition of the Latrobe Carnival, accompanied by running and woodchopping, was cancelled due to COVID and for the past two seasons the Latrobe Bicycle Race Club has been involved in an ongoing dispute with AusCycling around the track not having a fence.
Vice president Noel Pearce, who has 45 standing with the Latrobe Bicycle Race Club and is on the organising committee for TasCarnivals, said AusCycling came to inspect the track in the state's north-west last August without telling his club.
AusCycling then handed down a report in March, which required a fence to be constructed for the safety of riders and spectators at the event.
"A venue safety audit of the Latrobe Velodrome was conducted by Laurie Noonan, an independent UCI Elite National Commissaire, who has extensive experience in the audits of outdoor velodromes, on 3 August 2021," AusCycling Executive General Manager of Sport, Kipp Kaufmann said in a recent statement from Auscycling.
"The report found several issues which had the potential to put the safety of both riders and spectators at risk. Having provided the club with the report, AusCycling and Tas Carnivals then offered substantial assistance to the club to help them run the event without disruption. This included ensuring there would be minimal financial impact on the club.’"
Noel Pearce said the club refused the offer, believing the barrier would be dangerous for riders. The club then wrote to AusCycling, asking it to reconsider its position, but the organisation refused to alter their position.
2021 was the first time the national governing body of AusCycling had overseen the event rather than the state-based Cycling Tasmania. Tasmania was one of the last states to sign on to the national body and Pearce lamented the difference between the safety standards.
"We've never had any problems when accreditation of the track was left up to the state," Pearce said.
"The first year AusCycling takes over, despite their intentions of maintaining existing tracks and road racing events, they've certainly made it very difficult for us to continue.
"In fact, they won't allow riders to ride on the track. It's a shame ... if our forefathers were here they would probably die of shock."
The cycling carnival has been run since 1896, with breaks for World Wars as well as the recent stoppage. AusCycling re-iterated in their statement that they believe that the carnival can still continue in it’s normal run date in December with the necessary safety modifications.
“On May 16, AusCycling Chairman Craig Bingham made the latest of multiple offers to continue working with the club to make the velodrome safe,” read the statement. “The Latrobe committee failed to respond to the offer and instead cancelled the event and wound up the club.”
"It was regrettable that the committee couldn’t see a way forward," Kaufmann said of the decision.
"But we remain open to working with the club to keep this historic event running. We will not, however, accept a position which impacts rider and spectator safety."
