Bestwick Continues Dew Cup Domination

There’s not much more that can be said about Jamie Bestwick which hasn’t already been proven by his six-year Dew Tour domination. And his reign extends to BMX vert ramps everywhere.

Bestwick can win whether it be coming from behind or dealing with an injury or setback. At this year’s Dew Tour Championships, Bestwick took home the Dew Cup even after riding finals with a herniated disk. His airs may have been a bit smaller, but he was still blasting them and linking tricks like only Bestwick can.

Bestwick celebrates a win earlier in the season

“I went out there, put down some good riding, and it turned out and I’m so stoked that every year I keep rewriting history, and keeping my name the only name on the BMX vert Cup,” Bestwick said.

The only thing that Bestwick did not achieve this year was a perfect season after Chad Kagy took home the event win in Vegas. But with Bestwick’s track record, it wasn’t a letdown to place second.

“It doesn’t matter,” Bestwick said. “I’m so stoked somebody else won because I was getting bored of myself winning. It’s hard to keep that fire burning.”

Bestwick and Kagy

Vegas was the only Dew Tour event out of the four-stops that Bestwick didn’t win. And he had a perfect season last year.

“It’s great to win, don’t get me wrong, and I love being a champion,” Bestwick continued. “But, you know, sometimes I want to chase somebody. I want to go after them.”

                             
Bestwick won Chicago’s Nike 6.0 Open (l) and Portland’s Wendy’ Invitational (r)

And Kagy’s happy for the battle.

 “Three of us have taken a couple of those first place trophies home, but no one’s got a Cup,” Kagy said. “So I’ll see what I can do about not giving him seven.”

Bestwick has made it into 20 consecutive finals during his Dew Tour career and the only thing that’s kept him away from an event was the birth of his son Samuel in 2006. His son was there to watch him compete in Vegas, and he stood hip-high and directly beside his dad on the podium in Vegas and waved to the fans.

                             
Another win in Salt Lake at the Toyota Challenge (l) and a second in Vegas at the Championships (r) earned him the Dew Cup

It’s hard to figure out if Jamie is joking or serious when he says he gives his trophies away as gifts, and uses Dew Cups to prop open doors. But the message is loud and clear that Bestwick has built a legacy that hasn’t been seen since the days of Mat Hoffman.

“Before Jamie, Mat Hoffman had a 10-year reign when nobody could touch him, and we never thought we would see somebody like that again,” Simon Tabron said. “That’s because everybody else, like the rest of the field, caught up.”

Bestwick supporting the new blood and giving props to Mykel Larrin

“It’s a good thing that Jamie’s setting the bar high continually,” Tabron continued. “It forces everybody else to step their game up in an attempt to catch him. So the sport wins.”

Check out highlights of Bestwick from the entire season