Oaxacan para-cyclist Gilda Andrea Hernández Ramírez finished 5th in the Women C2 road race at the 2026 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships in Huntsville, Alabama, on September 7, 2026. Hernández finished in 1:41:54, the same recorded time as silver medalist Heather Jameson (Ireland) and bronze medalist Amelia Cass (Great Britain). Their group crossed the line 3 seconds behind world champion Flurina Rigling (Switzerland).
Oax Sport A.C. supported Hernández through its Level the Field program. The payment covered travel costs associated with the World Championships, including round-trip transportation of her bicycle.
Quick facts
- Athlete: Gilda Andrea Hernández Ramírez
- Sport class: Women C2
- Event: 2026 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships
- Location: Huntsville, Alabama, USA
- Dates: September 4-7, 2026
- Road race: 5th, 55.2 km, 1:41:54
- Time trial: 7th, 14.6 km, 24:25
- Oax Sport support: MX$4,120 for travel costs, including round-trip bicycle transportation
The UCI’s C1-C5 classes are for riders who compete on standard bicycles, and C1 covers the most severe impairments.
5th in the group contesting silver and bronze
The Women C2 road race covered 55.2 km over 4 laps. The course used a 13.8 km rolling circuit with 76 m of elevation gain per lap, according to the official UCI course preview.
Rigling won in 1:41:51. Jameson led a 6-rider group across the line 3 seconds later, in 1:41:54, according to the road race report. Cass took bronze, and Hernández finished 5th in that same group.
“In the final kilometers, the group kept attacking to drop some of the other riders. However, the group stayed compact and in the end everything was decided in a final sprint. Unfortunately, my line was closed, which made me slow down a little in the final sprint. Even so, I kept going and fought for 3rd place, which was very close, and in the end left me in 5th place by almost nothing.”
The race took place in hot, humid conditions, with temperatures approaching 30°C and humidity around 70 percent. Hernández said the conditions caused considerable dehydration and that she needed to hydrate more than usual.
Her 5th place improved on her 6th-place road result at the 2025 World Championships in Ronse, Belgium, recorded in her 2025 results profile.
“For me, it means that I am close to the world podium and that I am just as strong as my competitors, that only certain details need refining.”
7th in the time trial
Hernández opened the championships with the 14.6 km individual time trial and finished 7th in a reported time of 24:25.
The placing was below her personal expectation, and new riders had entered the C2 category, whom she described as very strong. She said her average speed was higher than in previous years despite a mechanical problem.
Preparation included speed and time tests over set distances. Mental work included visualization, with a focus on concentration during competition and responding when a race did not go as expected.
What Oax Sport funded
Oax Sport A.C. provided MX$4,120 through Level the Field toward Hernández’s World Championship travel costs, including round-trip transportation of her bicycle. Level the Field is Oax Sport’s program for girls and women in sport.
Eddi Pérez Silva, Oax Sport Board Member, Corporate Director and Treasurer, said the organization looks for practical ways to cover specific competition expenses. He cited bicycle baggage and transportation as examples of costs that can reduce the time athletes spend looking for money before a trip, allowing them to concentrate on preparing and competing.
Earlier in 2026, Oax Sport also supported Hernández for Mexico’s national track championships in Xalapa (Campeonato Nacional de Pista Xalapa 2026). The Xalapa post-event report documents that competition and her results.
What’s next
Hernández’s next competition is the UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, from October 29 to November 1, 2026.
“The objective is to place among the top 5 in the UCI ranking for the discipline and secure a place at the Lima 2027 Parapan American Games.”
Her long-term goal is a place at the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games.
Gallery
Readers can donate to Oax Sport through the organization’s official donation page.
Quotes translated from Spanish.
Last updated: October 6, 2026
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