The thrill of a crowd, high-level competition and prize money were supposed to come back to San Jose bicycle-track racing this year.

Instead, disappointed supporters and cyclists have curtailed races and ditched a plan to promote Friday night events at Hellyer County Park's cycling facility.

Thieves ended the dream for this summer when they cut hundreds of feet of copper electrical wire from the banked, circular velodrome two weeks ago, knocking out the power.

"It really chopped a hole in our strategy for this summer," said Mike Hardaway, president of the NorCal Velodrome Association, which manages races at the track.

Copper in wire, like that used for lights and the public address system at the track, is a hot item for thieves, who sell the metal for scrap. In the last six months thieves have broken into buildings, scaled fences and climbed power poles at least 12 .