Gage Hecht, winning the National Championships, 15-16 title in his first attempt, now has a European win to his name. © Meg McMahon
Americans have a hard time with Koksijde, they said. The deep sand and brutal conditions are unlike anything in the United States, they said.
Looks like the sixteen-year-old American Gage Hecht was able to defy these detractors by taking the win this morning in the Koksijde Junior Race over Belgian favorites Gilles Borra, Alessio Dhoore and Stefano Museeuw.
Fresh off his victory at the Pan American championships, the young American racked up great results earlier this season. His impressive year includes taking a first and second in the two days of the Junior Races at the KMC Cyclo-Cross Festival, and taking another win at Cincy3 After Dark. Last year, he was the runner up in the Junior 15-16 race at the United States Nationals in Boulder, CO, and won the same race the year prior in Madison, WI.
He's been killing it in the US and he brought his good form to Europe. Gage Hecht wins the Jr's race at Koksijde!! pic.twitter.com/dNNKlze1YF
— Meredith Miller (@mmcyclist) November 22, 2014
Other good finishes by Americans in the Junior race include Gavin Haley finishing 111th, Cameron Beard finishing 13th, Spencer Petrov finishing 14th, and Michael Owens finishing 17th.
Koksijde UCI Junior Race, 2014
| Rank | Name | UCICode | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HECHT Gage | USA19980218 | 0h41?36.0" | |
| 2 | DHOORE Alessio | BEL19980423 | 0h41?43.0" | +7.0" |
| 3 | MUSEEUW Stefano | BEL19970601 | 0h41?51.0" | +15.0" |
| 4 | CORDS Ludwig | GER19971104 | 0h42?19.0" | +43.0" |
| 5 | BORRA Gilles | BEL19980726 | 0h42?31.0" | +55.0" |
| 6 | COLMAN Alex | BEL19980722 | 0h42?38.0" | +1?02.0" |
| 7 | DEVOS Han | BEL19970901 | 0h42?43.0" | +1?07.0" |
| 8 | ANDREASSEN Simon | DEN19970309 | 0h42?56.0" | +1?20.0" |
| 9 | BOER Eri | NED19970210 | 0h43?17.0" | +1?41.0" |
| 10 | OVERMEIRE Louis | BEL19980307 | 0h43?33.0" | +1?57.0" |
| 11 | HALEY Gavin | USA19970328 | 0h43?46.0" | +2?10.0" |
| 12 | SCHROEDER Raphael | GER19971014 | 0h43?47.0" | +2?11.0" |
| 13 | BEARD Cameron | USA19980801 | 0h43?56.0" | +2?20.0" |
| 14 | PETROV Spencer | USA19980909 | 0h44?13.0" | +2?37.0" |
| 15 | SIRUCEK Vaclav | CZE19981009 | 0h44?28.0" | +2?52.0" |
| 16 | GASCOYNE William | GBR19980321 | 0h45?01.0" | +3?25.0" |
| 17 | OWENS Michael | USA19981209 | 0h45?08.0" | +3?32.0" |
| 18 | REES Tom | LUX19971010 | 0h45?08.0" | +3?32.0" |
| 19 | BIDDLE Cameron | GBR19980105 | 0h46?56.0" | +5?20.0" |
| 20 | GRIVELL-MELLOR Ewan | GBR19980921 | 0h46?56.0" | +5?20.0" |
| 21 | NEAVE Anthony | GBR19970516 | 0h48?38.0" | +7?02.0" |
| 22 | MICHIELS Yente | BEL19980819 | 1 r | |
| 23 | WINDELS Angelo | BEL19981212 | 3 r | |
| VAN DEN EEDE Lauri | BEL19980815 | DNF |
