ST. CLOUD -- A group of central Minnesota athletes is making the journey home after a trip to the world stage.

Last week 14-year-old Alex Hill, 8-year-old Lucas Theisen, and 7-year-old Jacob Theisen competed in the UCI BMX World Championships in Belgium.

In their first trip to the competition, the Theisen boys raced hard but fell short of the goals they set for themselves. They will hit the track again next weekend in Wisconsin.

Last week was the second trip to worlds for Hill, who rode for Team USA in 2017. She finished fifth in her cruiser race, but disaster struck when she crashed in the opening round of her class race.

Also competing at worlds was hometown hero and two-time Olympian, 28-year-old Alise Willoughby (Post) who took first place in the Women’s Elite class and is now the reigning World Champion.

A welcome home celebration for the riders will be held by Pineview Park BMX sometime this week.

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