Jamie Bestwick’s Top-Five From Portland

By Jamie Bestwick,

The Dew Tour’s Portland Invitational marked the halfway point for the season, and here are the top-five guys that are impossible to ignore after last weekend’s performances:

5. Brandon Dosch
The 2010 BMX Dirt Dew Cup Champion was not playing around during the dirt finals. While stating he may have turned up to Portland to have a good time he laid down some solid runs and a ridiculous double tailwhip transfer on the first set to put him in contention yet again for the coveted Cup. While Dennis Enarson may have taken the win, Dosch unleashed a new one for him, the 1080! Coming up just a hair short it was the difference between 1st and 3rd but moving forward to Salt Lake City it will be another opportunity for Brandon to fire out the 1080 and move one step closer to a successful Defense of the Dew Cup.

4. Daniel Dhers
Sometime you just have to concede that tonight is not your night. Unfortunately for the BMX park competitors Daniel Dhers doesn’t care too much for that old saying because even when it’s an off night he comes out and fires off the most ridiculous tricks and makes that podium. His win at X Games may have zapped him of all his reserve energy for this contest but he still lit it up in Portland with runs that were quite simply Daniels Dhers’ greatest hits and with the Salt Lake Dew stop a rest break for the park riders, come Vegas I think well see a very new and refreshed Daniel Dhers. Watch out!

3. Luke Bowerman
It really does seem like the Aussie kids are taking over and the Gatorade Free Flow Tour Luke Bowerman is no exception, with a spectacular performance in Dirt and Park Luke put together what many at the Dirt contest said was the run of the day! Regardless of that claim Luke is a very well rounded rider and with all the massive tricks that are needed to compete with the best. And it will only be a matter of time before he does compete with the best. Is there any end to the thunder from down under?

2. Brandon Loupos
I guess the answer is no! As winning the Gatorade Free Flow Tour in BMX Park is none other than Brandon Loupos. It’s quite an alarming site for the pro class to be watching these young riders blasting quarters and triple whipping their way around a course. Creative lines and massive tricks are what set Brandon apart from the rest of the field last weekend, with a place at the Las Vegas Dew Tour Championship finals secured he’ll be looking for guidance from the rest of his fellow countrymen as he sets foot in the big league. A league where your contest-winning trick at Gatorade Free Flow Tour may be your first trick in the pro class!

1 Kyle Baldock
While it wasn’t a winning weekend for Mr Baldock, he did get ridiculously close to winning both Park and Dirt! Only blazing last runs from Cranmer and Enarson put Kyle in well-deserved second. That’s right – second in park and second in dirt. Dirt! He’s not even supposed to be a dirt jumper. He’s the Aussie park ripper! Well not anymore. He absolutely killed it in Portland, showing no regard for the technicality of the course after he lofted huge double back flips over the first set! (a Dew Tour first) front flip tailwhips and triple whips. All the tricks that took him to the win in Ocean City and to second-place in BMX park, came out against a very strong field of seasoned BMX Dirt riders. And now he becomes a contender for the Dew Cup in Park and Dirt? What’s next, vert? I sure do hope so!

For more info look out for cheeky updates on Twitter from @jamiebestwick, @allisports, and @thedewtour. If you’ll be in the Pennsylvania area on Aug. 28, check out the inaugural Bestwick Foundation Bike for Life.

Check out the Dew Tour BMX Park highlights from the Portland Invitational

Check out the Dew Tour BMX Dirt highlights from the Portland Invitational