Aussies change handlebars at Commonwealths and keep winning

By COURTNEY WALSH
Associated Press

BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Australian cycling officials finally got around to making a significant adjustment to the team’s racing bikes at the Commonwealth Games following a review of a crash at the Tokyo Olympics. That meant on the last day of Commonwealth racing the Australian cyclists in the men’s 1,000-meter time trial had to use drop bars instead of pursuit bars. Drop bars don’t maximize the riders’ aerodynamic profile. But Aussies Matthew Glaetzer and Tom Cornish finished 1-2. Australia and New Zealand finished the track cycling with a leading eight golds and 13 medals each. But the biggest cheer was reserved naturally for the great Laura Kenny. She won England’s only gold medal in the women’s scratch race almost a decade after her breakthrough at the London Olympics in the same arena.