The World Cup in Zolder today marks the final race of this trip. It’s hard to believe that it has been almost two weeks since we landed on Belgian soil. It was a great day to end the trip on.

Zolder is a very diverse course. It takes place on an historic race track and has hosted many World Cups along with a World Championship a few years ago. The start/finish area is located on the final straight of the track making it one of the longest finishing straights on the UCI Circuit. The soil there does not tend to hold on to moisture, so the conditions seem to almost always remain fairly fast with a few large puddles and sections with damp sandy soil. Because of the high-speed characteristic, I love racing here.

Since there can be some separations the first lap, it is important to stay clean and near the front. I knew this going into the race, and made it a goal of mine to stay as far forward as possible in order to stay on the good of any split that may open. I was very happy with how that lap turned out. I was third in the whole shot and stayed within the top ten for most of the lap. Coming through the finish after the first lap, I was just a few seconds behind the leading group.

During this race, I was able to find a group that was just at the limit of my ability. I knew this when I began to make many mistakes in sections I knew I could handle due to my proximity to the "red-line".

Meeting the final lap, I made a few mistakes that cost me a few places. I was still able to cross the finish line very happy with 14^th place. I knew that I had accomplished the goal I had travelled over here to achieve and that I had learned a lot from the experiences I had.

Thanks once again to all of you for helping me make this trip. It has been a huge step in my growth as a cyclist and will help me continue to grow in the coming years!

 Cheers,
Gage