Deafness no problem for Golden Mile winner Van Beek (from D Barton Smith)

By Karen Forman In Bendigo

Not being able to hear the starter's gun might be a major disadvantage for some competitive cyclists, but such a minor hiccup didn't seem to affect young Melbourne rider Reece-Emerson Van Beek's chances of winning one of the feature events at this weekend's Bendigo International Madison Carnival, the Golden Mile handicap.

Riding off 375 metres, chef in training Van Beek, 20, who lives in Melbourne but rides with the Geelong Cycling Club, beat esteemed scratch markers, Mark French, Shane Kelly and Darren Young to pick up the $3000 first prize money. Now he has his sights set on the Austral Wheelrace at Melbourne's Vodafone Arena next Saturday and the Deaf Olympics in Melbourne in 2005.

Van Beek has been deaf since birth and relies on vibration to 'hear' the gun - and the movement of his fellow competitors.

He's a handy rider, but not quite yet in the ranks of some of the esteemed scratch markers he was up against.

Until three years ago, he might never had had the opportunity to ride in the prestigious Goldn Mile event, which has been around since 1956.

A new system was introduced three years ago to give lower graded riders the opportunity to earn a berth in the final.

It works by having riders race preliminary scratch races in grades, with the first three going into a handicap final.

The event was won last year by Brett Aitken. Stephen Pate won five times.

Van Beeke managed to hold off the scratch markers to win the 3000 metre final in 3.09.90 ahead of under 19 rider Brenton Crawley (160) and scratch markers Rod McGee and Shane Kelly.

"I am very happy," he said after the event, which he won by riding away from his handicap group and staying at the front alone for much of the race.

"This is my best result."

He has been riding for five years and said he had been starting to go quite well until he was hit by a car while training and suffered damage to his ear, which caused vertigo for two years.

"My balance was going up and down," he said.

Then he managed to get his fitness up to the point where he could go to Rome to contest the deaf Olympics, but in the end had to decline, due to lack of funds.

Now his new goal is the 2005 Deaf Olympics in Melbourne but he doesn't intend to limit his competition to events for people with disabilities.

"All my schooling was hearing, regular, hearing, regular schools in Ballarat and Melbourne," he said.

He said he isn't sure what he will do with his prize money for tonight, but that it would come in handy for his cycling career.

"I wasn't sure if I could win and the group I was in was slow so I had no choice but to leave them and go alone," he said.