Jamie Bestwick never thought he would become a BMX legend. Although he started riding BMX with his friends at 10 years old, Bestwick only kept up with the sport as a hobby. As the undisputed champ on the vert ramp since he won his first X Games gold in 2000, Bestwick is probably thankful he quit his job working for a company that repaired engines for major airlines in England.
In 1996, Bestwick competed in his first X Games, coming in third, and, after making the switch to full-time rider, he ended Dave Mirra’s BMX three-year vert reign, taking home the gold. Seemingly unbeatable since then, Bestwick won every single competition he entered in 2005. Despite missing the first stop of the Dew Tour for the birth of his son, Samuel, Bestwick came home with the Dew Cup, winning the overall standings.
A seven-time champion at the X Games, Bestwick won his second Dew Cup in 2006 after taking first place in four of the five Tour stops and he garnered the Dew Tour Athlete of the Year award as well. Despite pressure from a tough field of competitors during the 2008 season, Bestwick claimed his fourth consecutive Dew Cup, then nabbed his third straight X Games gold. In 2009 he continued his reign as the sole owner of the BMX vert Dew Cup.
A pretty big list of accomplishments for someone who lists his greatest fear as “heights.” You’d never know it watching Bestwick soar above the competition, both literally and figuratively.
