12 Dec 2013

Dead cyclist's brother calls for heart tests

2:51 pm on 12 December 2013

The brother of a cyclist who died in a race in Rotorua last December says athletes should be tested for any potential heart problems when applying to compete nationally and internationally.

Patrick Avery, 21, died while doing a 15 minute sprint race.

An inquest into his death took place in Rotorua on Thursday.

The Coroner heard Mr Avery fell off his bike without warning and appeared to have a seizure.

The post mortem established the cause of death was hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

His brother, Clinton Avery, who is a professional cyclist based in Europe, told the inquest at the start of every year he undertakes an ecco test, which shows if there are any abnormalities.

"If the engine isn't capable of doing what you want it to do, then that's when you run into trouble."

He said he believes a specialist would have identified what his brother had in its early stages.