Dean Woods

Dean Woods OAM inspired many through his exploits on the track and the road, with an outpouring of grief among the Australian cycling community following ...

Woods also one the race outright with the handicap and fastest time win in 1993. "Dean was an all-time Australian sportsperson, a legend who stood tall in any space. "His numerous achievements whilst in his youth, not least an Olympic Games Gold Medal at 18, were inspirational to every budding young cyclist," said fellow track gold medallist Scott McGrory on social media after the news.

Tributes are flowing for Olympic gold medal-winning cyclist Dean Woods OAM, who has died at the age of 55 after a battle with cancer.

“Campaigned right to the end for cycling to lift its game after poor Tokyo Olympics.” “Dean was passionate about the future of cycling in Australia. He developed a successful cycling components import business. Retired Herald Sun sports columnist Ron Reed tweeted: “Vale Dean Woods, Olympic gold medallist track cyclist LA 84 and one of that sport’s most impressive people.

Australia's four-time Olympic medallist Dean Woods is being remembered for his feats in cycling after he died on Thursday, aged 55.

“Dean Woods was a champion both on and off the track. “Dean was passionate about the future of cycling in Australia. He developed a successful cycling components import business. “Dean Woods was a champion both on and off the track. “Together with coach Charlie Walsh, he took the understanding of elite training to a new level. Cycling and the Olympic movement in Australia has lost a champion,” Coates said. But in the Olympic pantheon, his feats on the track were extraordinary.”

Decorated Australian cyclist Dean Woods has passed away at the age of 55 after a battle with cancer. Woods was a three-time world champion and an Olympic ...

He switched to road cycling in the late 1980s, and won the beloved Melbourne to Warrnambool Classic in 1990, with a time that is to this day the fastest ever recorded. Woods – at that point a dual individual world pursuit world champion – was selected for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games at just 18 years old. Woods was a three-time world champion and an Olympic gold medallist, best known for his performances on the track but with a skillset extending beyond the boards.

Dean Woods will be remembered for being much more than just a bike rider. He was a man who was ahead of his time in many ways...

His legacy is huge and his passing marks a moment in time when the Australian cycling community will remember an elegant rider who burst onto the international racing scene when he was still a kid. He learned the art of cycling early as a track specialist and this served him well later in life when he took to the road and competed on the international stage for more than a decade. He was much more than the ‘Olympic gold medallist’ title that remained with him throughout his life and yet scrapbooks around the country will now be pulled out and clippings considered. He was well known for his passionate online posts and wasn’t the kind of bloke who’d back down from an argument. They’ll see his toothy grin, his impressive form, and the elegant pedalling action all on display. He was a retailer who also acted as an agent for several products – including, for example, Gore inner cables for smoother shifting of gears – and that allowed him to keep prices low and gain a foothold in the market. Now that tributes are being written, he would surely take some pleasure in knowing that the current administrators of cycling in Australia will need to recognise his contributions… From the AOC to The Age, there has been recognition of the impact Dean Woods had and much of the commentary relates to what he achieved as a cyclist. He was a man who was ahead of his time in many ways… Still, there is so much more to the story of Dean Woods than the 4:25.99 it took the Australian quartet to ride around a 333m velodrome against Team USA in the Olympic team pursuit final all those years ago. Woods didn’t mince words when it came to expressing his frustrations on a range of topics. It was this final, raced against riders from the host country, that gave cycling prominence in Australia.