Jamie Bestwick is staring down the BMX record books as he prepares to compete in his 21st X Games.
There was a time not too long ago it seemed no one except Jamie Bestwick would win gold in X Games BMX vert.
Bestwick, the British vert rider who stormed onto the scene in 1996, broke the record for consecutive gold medals in an X Games event when he won nine straight vert titles between 2007 and 2014, including two in 2013.
However, when he was going for his tenth in Austin in 2015, up-and-comer Vince Byron, now 28, swooped in with an eye-popping second run to knock Bestwick out of first place and earn his own first-ever vert gold medal.
Ever since then, the two have been jockeying back and forth atop the sport, with Bestwick reclaiming the title at the 2016 Austin Games ā thanks in large part to a never-before-been-done alley-oop 540 tailwhip ā and taking his tenth gold medal in BMX vert.
But last year, the gamesā first in Minneapolis, Bestwick was going for another milestone ā a gold medal in vert would have allowed him to tie Shaun White for the most-ever X Games gold medals, with 15.
Once again, Byron threw down an unbelievable second run to boost Bestwick out of first place, edging him 93.00 to 92.66. A heartbreaker.
āNo X Games is a given,ā Bestwick tells FanSided in the days leading up to X Games Minneapolis. āYou have to work hard for it. All the guys share the same sentiment of they want to ride the best they can and win the X Games.ā
Bestwick knows that almost better than anyone, and thereās no question that the thought of going up against the 47-year-old legend in competition strikes fear into the hearts of the young riders hoping to beat him.
But they should know that he estimates them just as much ā maybe more, since heās tasted the feeling of being on top of the sport and knows what it means to lose it.
In fact, Bestwick admits that heading into this yearās competition as an underdog
āThis year Iām turning 47, and peopleās expectations of me sometimes supersede whatās physically possible for any 47-year-old,ā Bestwick laughs. āThey look at me like Iām 27. For me, the road to competition gets harder and harder. The desire is always there. All I can do is bring the best of myself on the day and hope thatās enough.ā
What does the best of Bestwick look like these days? For one of the most innovative riders in the sport, heās continuing to surprise judges and delight viewers with the tricks he pulls out of his bag. Back in 2005, in Los Angeles, Bestwick landed the first-ever double tailwhip flair in the BMX vert best trick event.
āAll I can do is bring the best of myself on the day and hope thatās enough.ā
Since then, heās been pushing his game as the sport itself has progressed at an unbelievable clip. Asked whether weāll be treated to yet another totally new trick this year, Bestwick says that he āalways has a couple tricks on the back burner,ā but stresses that vert isnāt a best trick competition ā itās a competition run. You canāt go for the big trick if itās going to sacrifice the technique on the rest of your run.
Riders now are throwing down sets that blow the double tailwhip flair out of the water. But each rider knows which area in which he can gain big points, and for Bestwick, itās originality and amplitude.
Bestwick has never been afraid to go big, and his inventiveness in the sport is legendary, up there with Mat Hoffman and the late Dave Mirra.
Speaking of Mirra, a gold for Bestwick this year would introduce a bittersweet record ā edging him past Mirra for the most BMX gold medals in X Games history. I asked Bestwick if that was complicated for him.
āAs it stands right now Iām tied with a legend,ā Bestwick says. āHeās so synonymnous with the story of X Games and the history of BMX Freestyle. He taught me how to compete and ride against not only him but the best guys in the world.
āItās a shame that heās not with us today, but you canāt take away his accolades,ā Bestwick continued. āTo be sharing that spot with Dave is a tremendous honor.ā
Thereās no doubt that all three of those riders will forever be considered builders of the sport, advocates for its growth and for the development and opportunities for its young riders.
During our conversation, thereās no question Bestwick is dialed-in. Heās calm but energetic, realistic but hopeful. His sole focus right now is earning that hardware.
But at 47 years old, thereās no question heās thinking about what comes after BMX, and that part of his journey has actually already started.
Heās focused on growing his ethically, globally sourced coffee brand, Rothrock Coffee, beyond its State College, Pennsylvania, store. Traveling around the world riding bikes has allowed him to sample some of the best coffee it has to offer, and now heās āalways learning new tricksā in the world of roasting, ājust like in BMX.ā
Heās also taken a position of support coach for the English BMX team when it makes its Olympic debut in Tokyo in 2020.
āMy dream was always to become a pro rider. I couldnāt think of anything more special in anybodyās career,ā Bestwick says of the young riders today who will hope to earn a spot on the Olympic teams in two years.Ā
Some of those young riders will be the same ones trying to outsmart and outperform him on the halfpipe this week in Minneapolis, but Bestwickās passion for growing the sport and supporting young riders outweighs the fear that theyāll outplace him on the podium.
In particular, he mentions his budding vert rival, Byron, as a name to watch, as well as young Kevin Peraza, who specializes in park and dirt.Ā Dennis Enarson, who rides park and street, is another name to watch ā maybe with your hands over your eyes, as heās removed his breaks from his setup and, as a result, is gonna go big.
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Even though heās still near the pinnacle of his own career, Bestwick is thinking about the next generation ā how it can progress, how it can earn its place in the record books. The first step is making sure those kids are able to have a shot at competing in the X Games at all.
āItās a hard road to get to the X Games,ā Bestwick says. āThe qualifying process at times is a detriment of new up-and-coming riders coming to the forefront.ā (Most BMX disciplines will compete in a qualifying contest in Boise, Idaho, to earn an invite to the X Games. Then, once there, they must compete in another qualification ahead of their disciplineās final. There are lots of ways to get knocked out.)
āBut the more the UCI-ranked events can highlight this new talent coming through, maybe thereās a way the X Games can bring in some of that new blood,ā Bestwick muses.Ā
The future of the sport will be exciting to watch, indeed. But, at least for right now, all eyes are on Bestwick.
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