The first day of the World Deaf Cycling Championships at Hellyer Velodrome (San Jose, CA) went without a hitch… almost!

It is our first experience to use wireless internet access provided by NextWeb.net which failed WDCC and DeafNation with adequate connection for live internet coverage. Wireless networking is still in its progression and is not a fully refined technology yet.

Fans filled the stands exuberantly cheering the cyclists on as they began the race. As the cyclists sprinted in and out of corners or from behind cutting into position, the cyclists soon became a blur.

During the 1000-meter Sprint the cyclists raced individually to grab the top 16 before match play in a one and one showdown for single elimination; the top 4 riders became a two out of three match-up. It came down to power versus durability, and power won, with Wood shutting Schreiber down 2-0 to capture the Gold.

As Wood triumphed in the 1000-meter Sprint, the fans went into a frenzy, hands waving madly. Luis Carlos Sanchez, who is not as big physically as the other cyclists, outraced the rest of the cyclists to finish in third place.

Paul Wood underwent extensive training for WDCC which paid off for his explosiveness. Said Wood jubilantly, “I learned from my last cycling event in Australia not to make any mental errors. This time around, I made sure everything I did was perfect, and I made it!” Well said!

Ashley Abrahams, a 31 year old rookie cyclist from South Africa, said “I came to love this sport of cycling because I get to meet people from all over the world and I am preparing for the Olympics in 2009; this is my chance.”

Terence Parkin from South Africa, a silver medalist in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, offered his sentiments that “World Deaf Cycling Championships gives me a new sport to compete in besides swimming-world class cycling. I wanted to expand my horizons since I have always been successful in swimming internationally.”

Even the cyclists in the center of the Velodrome were watching intensely like everybody else in the stands.

RESULTS:
1 (46) Wood, Paul – United States 12.408
2 (47) Schreiber, Nick – United States 12.719
3 (36) Parkin, Terrence – South Africa 12.726
4 (61) Sanchez, Luis Carlos – Columbia 12.744
5 (11) Denman, Jarrod – Australia 12.827
6 (52) Staubach, Scott – United States 13.005
7 (35) Carruthers, Daniel – New Zealand 13.105
8 (56) McLean, Johnny – United States 13.199
9 (23) Tomasina, Jimmy – France 13.203
10 (22) Cloux, David – France 13.21
11 (28) Buontempo, Luca – Italy 13.274
12 (37) Reyneke, Johan – South Africa 13.303
13 (45) Matovcik, Jr. Julius – Slovakia 13.326
14 (43) Prokhorov, Evgeny – Russia 13.341
15 (48) Kosa, Trevor – United States 13.372
16 (39) Koekemoer, Enrikus – South Africa 13.393
17 (44) Kalinkin, Dmitry – Russia 13.453
18 (41) Pstov, Ivan – Russia 13.601
19 (42) Moiseenko, Dmitry – Russia 13.647
20 (19) Capek, Libor – Czech Republic 13.802
21 (29) Malacarne, Roberto – Italy 13.9
22 (14) Cheng, Huai – Chinese Taipei 14.078
23 (38) Duvenage, Juan – South Africa 14.088
24 (12) Kennedy, Mike Australia 14.14
25 (18) Cizek, Libor – Czech Republic 14.169
26 (15) Lin, Chung-Chi – Chinese Taipei 14.479
27 (13) Major, Jean-Marc – Canada 14.513
28 (21) Merunka, Josef – Czech Republic 14.644
29 (24) Motschwiller, Yan – France 14.707
30 (40) Abrahams, Ashley – South Africa 15.112
31 (20) Kocourek, Frantisek – Czech Republic 18.401
32 (17) Pastrnek, Pavel – Czech Republic 23.252

1/8 Finals:
- Wood defeated Koekemer
- Schreiber defeated Kosa
- Prokhorov defeated Parkin
- Sanchez defeated Matovick
- Denman defeated Reyneke
- Staubach defeated Buontiempo
- Carruthers defeated Cloux
- Tomasina defeated Mclean

1/4 Finals:
- Wood defeated Tomasina
- Schreiber defeated Carruthers
- Staubach defeated Prokhorov
- Sanchez defeated Denman

1/2 Finals:
- Wood defeated Sanchez
- Schreiber defeated Staubach

5th to 8th Places:
- Carruthers
- Denman
- Tomasina
- Prokhorov

3th and 4th Places:
- Sanchez defeated Staubach

Finals:
- Wood defeated Schreiber

GOLD: Paul Wood, USA
Silver: Nick Schreiber, USA
Bronze: Luis Carlos Sanchez, Colombia