The death of a "conservative" bike rider who died on the St Helens Mountain Bike Trails was not caused by excessive speed nor dangerous track conditions, a Coroner has found.
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Devonport man Collin Creely, 67, was on a mountain biking trip with friends on the East Coast of Tasmania when he died in an E biking accident on the black-rated Icarus Trail in October 29, 2021.
The exact cause of the crash is unknown but the Coroner determined that he died as a result of the spine injuries he sustained after coming off his bike over the handlebars with force.
After watching GoPro footage taken on the day, a police witness said Mr Creely and his friends were riding carefully, within their skill sets, and appear to be looking after each other.
Another witness said he saw Mr Creely riding during the day and described him as "very cautious and he was not going fast at this stage, I believed he was playing safe."
The accident location where Mr Creely came off his bike was described as "containing mellow small rises" that did not involve jumping or skilled riding.
Mr Creely was coming down the hill over the "whoops" which is a series of undulating like speed humps on the mountain bike trail "that are designed to make the ride more difficult and slow riders down".
Coroner Robert Webster said he could not determine what caused Mr Creely to crash.
"Because of the manner of his riding on this day I am satisfied excessive speed played no part in the cause of the crash," Coroner Webster said.
"He died as a result of the injuries sustained in the crash. His bike was in proper working order and there was nothing about the track itself which caused or contributed to the crash."
Mr Creely's death followed other bike crash fatalities on Tasmania's mountain bike trials, including the deaths of Cabury Marathon runner Colin Oliver, 49, in 2018 and an experienced rider, 29, from Victoria, in 2022, at Maydena Mountain Bike Trails.
Hospital emergency departments have reported a significant rise in injuries resulting from mountain bike trauma.
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