Day Two of the Toyota Challenge: BMX Vert
Sep 22 2007 / Salt Lake City, UT
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Sick, sick, sick.The only words that can describe the AST Dew Tour de force on day two with the vert and dirt BMX finals. The laws of physics were broken by riders who used the air for playtime and made gravity hang its head.
Jamie Bestwick won vert, but by the time he dropped in, the crowd had been worked to a frenzy by a plethora of riders that amped bigger as each run went on.
Chad Kagy couldn't ride this one, but he got pipetime anyway, volunteering to bring his considerable knowhow to the boards as the announcer. Kagy missed the finals on his return after shattering his collarbone in the X Games during practice for BMX Big Air. He was tied for second in the Dew until it happened, now he brings it to the crowd with a mic, ignoring the plate and seven screws in his shoulder.
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Mike Mancuso busted a perfect tailwhip 540, a favorite trick of many of the athletes, including Kevin Robinson, who combined it with some amazing air time. He probably would have been on the podium if he hadn't crash landed hard. He seemed to be looking at another rider on the deck rather than his landing; he came down a trifle sideways, and his feet slipped off the pedals. Simon Tabron hit a 900 to amazed screams, but the crowd fell surprisingly silent while waiting for his score. When 92.50 flashed on the screen, the screams were deafening.
When it was Bestwick's turn the crowd knew they had a treat in store. He delivered, first with a superman seat grab, then a downside whip to x-up, and an amazing 20-foot out tailwhip to late turndown. He tossed in a few double tail whips and a backflip 180, plus his signature reverse front flip and a flair with a goon down.
Salt Lake's local comp rider Nick Fletcher was in awe. "Jamie Bestwick is so smooth and so hot, he's like the Michael Jordan of vert riding. He's got the reverse front flip in the bag, and that's something no one else is doing," he said.
Bestwick's first run score was so high, none of the riders in the second run could catch up. Even Tabron bagged it after landing low on a trick and losing speed. He just called it and rode off the tranny. Bestwick didn't even need to take a second run for the win but came out for a victory lap to a frenzied crowd. And he didn't take it easy. Invert, flair whip, a top no-hander, flair turndown---then his finale, a flair turndown, tailwhip to turndown---to crash. Yes, Bestwick gave them everything he had, and lay in the tranny laughing.
On the podium during the awards ceremony, Bestwick took the top step with his two-year-old son, Samuel, who grinned and held up a mini trophy just like his dad's.
The British rider said he owes his success to hard work. "I put about five or six hours of riding in every day to make sure that when it comes time to compete, I'm the best I can be. Putting me hours into riding, I know how to get out of a bad situation and turn it into a positive, even if it's the end of my run and I'm dying for energy," he said.
He also gave away a secret: "I put helium in my tires, a lot of the guys don't know that. Also, I run a fast bike. I'm a tall guy, I'm six foot one inch, and I can pump this ramp with pretty good force."
The tail whip to late turndown is his newest trick, the one that floored him in the victory lap.
"I couldn't pull it off. It's a hard trick, because you have to shift your weight a couple of different time. But I'll work on it so I have it for Orlando."
Bestwick wasn't happy with his runs, even though he won. "Winning is a great feeling, but sometimes you can only take winning when you feel like you've put in 100%."
When told that ski racer Bode Miller has said the same thing, Bestwick said, "Everybody knows who that guy is, hats off to Bode!" And he lifted his cap in the air.
Saturday will see the finals in Skateboard Park, FMX and a special BMX SX race.
