On Saturday, Gage Hecht (Alpha Bicycle – Groove Subaru) used his power to accelerate away from Michael van den Ham in the penultimate lap. In the U23 Men Pan-American Championship race, Hecht again turned up the watts to power to a win.
With slow starts hindering contenders such as Lance Haidet (Donnelly Cycling) and Gunnar Holmgren (Hardwood Next Wave Cycling Team), Hecht and some of the other big names were more than happy to push the pace early on.
By the early minutes of Lap 2, Hecht, Cooper Willsey (Cannondale p/b CyclocrossWorld), Eric Brunner (FCX Elite) and Brannan Fix (Alpha Bicycle – Groove Subaru) were off the front. A lap later, Fix popped off the pace and the lead group was down to three.
After finishing second at Pan-Ams last year, Brunner was more than willing to push the pace against Hecht. He had a few bike lengths on Hecht at the end of four of six laps, while Willsey dropped back in the face of his blistering attack.
Hecht let Brunner break the group up, but then after the first trip through the sand, it was go time for the defending Pan-Am champ. Hecht put in a big attack up and over the flyover and got some space on Brunner. It would prove to be all he needed to win.
Hecht held his gap over the last lap to take home his second-straight Pan-Ams title. Brunner finished second and Willsey third.
Winner interview and full U23 Men’s results below. Stay tuned for more coverage from the 2018 Pan American Cyclocross Championships here.
2018 Pan Am Masters Cyclocross Championships Results: U23 Men
| Place | Bib | Name | Team | Nation | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | HECHT, Gage | ALPHA BICYCLE CO./GROOVE SUBARU SILVERTHORNE | USA | 46:26:00 | |
| 2 | 3 | BRUNNER, Eric | FCX ELITE | USA | 46:36:00 | 0:10 |
| 3 | 4 | WILLSEY, Cooper | CANNONDALE P/B CYCLOCROSSWORLD.COM | USA | 46:45:00 | 0:19 |
| 4 | 5 | HOLMGREN, Gunnar | HARDWOOD NEXT WAVE CYCLING TEAM | CAN | 47:04:00 | 0:38 |
| 5 | 7 | PETROV, Spencer | CANNONDALE P/B CYCLOCROSSWORLD.COM | USA | 47:10:00 | 0:44 |
| 6 | 20 | ORSCHEL, Tyler | DURHAM SHREDDERS | CAN | 47:21:00 | 0:55 |
| 7 | 6 | FIX, Brannan | ALPHA BICYCLE CO.-GROOVE SUBARU | USA | 47:40:00 | 1:14 |
| 8 | 11 | SWARTZ, Caleb | LINEAR SPORT RT/TREK | USA | 48:09:00 | 1:43 |
| 9 | 16 | CLARK, Tyler | HOMESTEAD RACING | CAN | 48:18:00 | 1:52 |
| 10 | 13 | GOMEZ VILLAFANE, Benjamin | GARNEAU-EASTON P/B TRANSITIONS LIFECARE | USA | 48:23:00 | 1:57 |
| 11 | 10 | NOEL, Sam | CANNONDALE P/B CYCLOCROSSWORLD DEVO TEAM | USA | 48:37:00 | 2:11 |
| 12 | 2 | HAIDET, Lance | DONNELLY SPORTS | USA | 48:43:00 | 2:17 |
| 13 | 14 | DISERA, Quinton | NORCO FACTORY TEAM XC | CAN | 48:53:00 | 2:27 |
| 14 | 12 | STEPHENSON, Denzel | FCX ELITE | USA | 49:23:00 | 2:57 |
| 15 | 9 | SANDERSON, Brody | AWI RACING P/B THE CRANK AND SPROCKET | CAN | 49:51:00 | 3:25 |
| 16 | 15 | WENCZEL, Kale | JAM FUND / NCC | USA | 50:24:00 | 3:58 |
| 17 | 23 | HAMM, Emile | BLACKSHEEP MOUNTAIN BIKE CLUB | CAN | 50:45:00 | 4:19 |
| 18 | 17 | BARTON, Malcolm | DURHAM SHREDDERS | CAN | 52:29:00 | 6:03 |
| 19 | 22 | HAYES, Noah | VOLER/EASTON/HRS/ROCK LOBERSTER | USA | 52:47:00 | 6:21 |
| 20 | 25 | COFFEY, Timothy | TEAM ATHLETIC MENTORS / GREENWAREUSA | USA | 52:57:00 | 6:31 |
| 21 | 19 | LONEY, Calvin | THENORTHHUB P/B BOLTON TIRE | CAN | 45:01:00 | -1 Lap |
| 22 | 18 | MYLES, Mark | BE REAL SPORTS | USA | 45:03:00 | -1 Lap |
| 23 | 21 | DE RUITER, Darren | NCCH ELITE PB MGCC | CAN | 45:04:00 | -1 Lap |
| 24 | 24 | JOHNSON, Ryan | UPMC/PRO BIKES | USA | 45:18:00 | -1 Lap |
| DNF | 8 | DINIZ, Nicholas | NCCH ELITE PB MGCC | CAN | DNF | -3 Laps |
