Gage Hecht (Donnelly Aebolo) could have nearly secured the national title by running in the U23 race at the USA Cycling Cyclocross Championships on Sunday at Steilacoom Park outside of Takoma, Washington, but the 21-year-old, who last year In his second elite race after being promoted to the elite race, he overran Cannondale Cyclocross World teammate Curtis White and three-time defending champion Stephen Hyde to take the Stars & Stripes 'cross jersey.

Hecht finished third behind Hyde and White in the 2018 elite race, but his chances of winning the jersey were ended on Sunday when he tangled with US Pro CX calendar winner Kelly Warner on the course tape on an off-camber descent and the Kona-Maxis-Shimano rider crashed hard After it looked like it was over, he was clearly the best 'cross rider in the country.

Hecht lost his line on the descent and dove through the tape into the crowd. Werner got caught in the tape that Hecht was dragging and the Kona rider went over the handlebars. It was the only moment when Hecht appeared to lose control.

"There were a lot of fallen leaves on the ruts that I had hit on the previous lap, so I think someone had crashed there before me," Hecht said of the downhill that caused his trouble.

"I just missed by an inch or so and my wheel just slid that way and I went flying into the crowd on the other side."

Diving into the crowd at 30 mph was a terrifying moment for Hecht. Running into the audience at 30 mph was a moment of terror for Hecht.

"I'm glad I didn't hit anyone," he told Cycling News.

"I felt bad for Kelly when I saw him flip over on the bars. There was a lap there that was just upsetting, like he was trying to get his head back in the game." When I held off Curtis and Steven for another lap, I was like, 'Okay, I'm back in. You can do it'"

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Unfortunately for Werner, the episode ended with him being passed by White and Hyde, destroying his chances of winning the title. After finishing the race in fourth place, 1:27 behind Hecht, the 28-year-old Werner approached the young rider behind the podium and gave him a hug as Hecht apologized.

"He's a really nice guy," Werner said. 'He always loves to race with me. But he's a nice guy, and it was nice of him to come up to me after the race and shake my hand."

Hecht told Cycling News that he had a good feeling early on and knew he was riding well, but he did not immediately understand the reality of the situation and his chances for the stars and stripes jersey.

"The second run up, down/up, there was a little gap and I was a little surprised. 'I didn't think too much about it there. I was just trying to keep it going and not go too deep. Kelly was with me at the time. [On lap 3, when I held the gap to Curtis and Steven, I realized, "Okay, this could work, but it's going to take some luck and effort."

At that point, Hecht still had about 40 minutes to hold off his rivals (the teammates he was running with).

"So I just kept pushing. I knew from the previous laps that that was the most dangerous place on the course. I was able to get down there without going through the tape again or over the bars."

"I was sweating the whole way there, but after that it was fine. I knew I had 13 seconds left, so all I had to do was run it safe."

Hecht finished solo with plenty of time to spare, paying tribute to White, who won silver 17 seconds later, and Hyde, who won bronze 23 seconds later.

The Donnelly-Aebolo rider will not waste any time basking in the glory of Sunday's victory. Instead, he will board a plane on Monday and return to Europe to compete in the UCI World Cup. He will compete in the Namur World Cup on December 22, and his ultimate goal is the UCI Cyclocross World Championships in February.

"U23s in Europe have been rough so far. But I'm optimistic. Luckily, winning the national title midway through the year has taken a load off my shoulders. We've already had good results this season, and I feel like anything on top of this is just gravy."

Hecht is obviously proud of winning a national title at just 21 years old (he turns 22 next month - editor's note), but hesitates to talk about how many more jerseys he can win in the years to come, and instead has to face off to get it done He pointed out his rivals.

"That's a tough question," he said. 'It's hard to say, because the competition is heating up again in the U.S.' Curtis and Kelly are really strong. They were strong last year, and they are getting stronger again this year. If they continue to grow and I continue to grow, I think we will continue to trade off and see where we are in the next few years. It could always be someone different for the next five or 10 years. [Junior National Champion] Andrew Strohmeyer is great, too. Magnus Sheffield is super strong. He was third in the Junior Road World Championships. He's going to have some good races."

On the road, Hecht, a member of the U23 Development Team Aevolo, is a serious young rider who is all business on the bike, but during the cross season he allows his machine a bit of whimsy because of his love for his father who got him hooked on cycling. A small rubber Bart Simpson action figure adorns all of his bikes. According to Cycling News, it's something of a family heirloom.

"My dad raced quite a bit in his 20s and 30s, and he had a buddy on his team who looked like Bart. My dad ended up buying Bart Simpson's," Hecht said of the figurine that now rides on a brake cable.

"Somehow, at some point before I got it, it had a hole in it. When I was 10, he put it on my bike, and I bought a second one a year ago, so now I have it on both bikes," Hecht said. 'He's ridden almost every bike I've ridden. He was on a 600C Redline. I kept putting him on new ones, and now he's on Donnelly."

Just don't expect such whimsy from Hecht's road machine.

"It is truly a 'cross. Because cross is more of a fun party, an exciting atmosphere. "On the road, you get criticized more about weight and aerodynamics. So it's a fun little thing we do for cross. A lot of people appreciate it, and it's cool."