By Gregor Brown in Loenhout, Belgium
Danny Summerhill's fight for the podium spot in the Under 23 Azencross race in Loenhout, Belgium, suffered with a crash in the last lap. he 19-year-old said he came down due to another rider in the 50-minute race on Tuesday.
"I got crashed out on the last lap, they just took me out," Summerhill told Cyclingnews following the race near Antwerp. "It was just bad luck. I had no troubles the entire race"
He recovered to finish 17th in the race won by Belgium's Vincent Baestaens. Though he crashed, Summerhill felt better than two days prior at the Superprestige in Diegem. There he complained of bad legs and lack of acceleration.
Summerhill is on a two-week racing trip to Europe. It is the second time in the cyclo-cross rich country of Belgium this year; having already been there a month and a half earlier for five weeks. After two more races he will go home before returning to race the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships on January 31 in Hoogerheide, Netherlands.
"I don't think it is the smartest mentally or physically to stay over here in foreign surroundings," he said. "I will have to work hard to work on my recovery and jet-lag off the flight, but I am getting prepared for what it will take to accomplish it."
Summerhill finished seventh twice this season - in Portland and Uitbergen. He took the silver medal two years ago at the Junior World Championships in Hooglede-Gits, Belgium.
