Young U.S. riders who make the trip to Europe for the December block of EuroCrossCamp certainly do not get cheated out of the full Belgian cyclocross experience. On Sunday, eight U.S. riders, five Junior and three U23 Men got the chance to brave the climbs, drops, ruts and off-cambers at World Cup Namur.
We posted full Junior and U23 results on Monday. Gage Hecht's (Alpha Bicycle - Groove Subaru) 15th in the U23 race and Lane Maher's (HotTubes Devo) 21st in the Junior race were the top results for the U.S. riders.
The full list of young U.S. riders in Europe includes:
U23 Men
- Gage Hecht (Alpha Bicycle - Groove Subaru) - 15th
- Cooper Willsey (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com) - 32nd
- Spencer Petrov (Aspire Racing) - 33rd
Junior Men
- Lane Maher (Hot Tubes Devo) - 21st
- Sam Noel (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com) - 3oth
- Dillon McNeill (Trek Cyclocross Collective) - 31st
- Greg Gunsalus (AP Junior Devo p/b Corner Cycle) - 43rd
- Torin Bickmore (Boulder Junior Cycling) - 54th
Lane Maher focuses through the mud spraying everywhere. 2017 World Cup Namur. © B. Hazen / Cyclocross Magazine
At the front of the race, young Britsh wunderkind Tom Pidcock (Telenet Fidea Lions) won his third straight World Cup race of the season. Pidcock missed the Zeven World Cup, so Eli Iserbyt (Marlux - Napoleon Games) retained his U23 overall leader's jersey after his second-place finish.
Telenet Fidea's Tom Pidcock took the win in the U23 Men's race. Her fellow U23 countrywoman Evie Richards then won the Elite Women's race. 2017 World Cup Namur. © B. Hazen / Cyclocross Magazine
The Junior Men's race was won by Loris Rouiller (Beobank - Corendon) of Switzerland. Young British star Ben Tulett finished third for the first of four British podiums on the day.
Loris Rouiller navigates one of the several sections where riders had to dismount. 2017 World Cup Namur. © B. Hazen / Cyclocross Magazine
Photographer Bart Hazen is back with a gallery from the Junior and U23 Men's races. Stay tuned Hazen's gallery from the Elite races.
Bart Hazen Photo Gallery: 2017 World Cup Namur
Cooper Willsey does his best to find his line in the mud. 2017 World Cup Namur. © B. Hazen / Cyclocross Magazine
