The 2009 China Invitational got started with Jamie Bestwick beating out a pack of 7 other world-class riders to win the BMX Vert competition.

The competition took place at a 2008 Olympic venue, the Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium. The Olympic rings were a fitting background to an awesome competition that was filled with huge airs and jam-packed runs, and that came down to the very last run.

Everyone came out with strong first runs, but no one more so than Steven McCann. He started with a huge double tailwhip, and then raised the bar with a sick triple tailwhip into a no-handed flair. With crashes from Chad Kagy and Jamie Bestwick, McCann held the top spot going into second runs.

After his first-run fall, Kagy looked great with a packed run, highlighted by the same one-handed x-up flair he had attempted in his first run. For more from Kagy about the competition, check the blog here.

But, it was Bestwick's run that really stole the show for the day. Bestwick took advantage of the size and speed of the new ramp, throwing down a killer run of trick after trick, all with insane height. When he finished with a combo of a 540 barspin into a fastplant flair to flair to opposite flair, the Beijing crowd went crazy.

"The highlight was Jamie Bestwick's second run," said Zack Warden. "He went from one end of the ramp to the next and he touched the sky."

Due to some Visa paperwork issues, Bestwick didn't even know if he was going to be able to make it to Beijing until just a couple days ago, so the victory was even sweeter. "It's a pretty cool, good experience. It's been a long week for me, but its great to come here with all the guys, and ride in one of the Olympic buildings. It's a great atmosphere and one of the best ramps I've ridden in years," he said.

The riders were stoked on the size and speed of the ramp, which was built for the new Woodward facilities that will open in Beijing. The crowd was equally happy to see the huge airs coming off it.

"However much you put into it, you gain in speed and height," said Bestwick, adding "I'm upset that it's not coming home with me and I can't ride it on a daily basis. But it's great that it will be in China, and hopefully it'll be the spawn of a new breed of Asian riders who can enjoy the benefits of one of the world's greatest ramps."

The ramp may have to stay here, but hopefully we'll get to see more of the same huge runs back in the States on the Dew Tour this summer.

The China Invitational will be broadcast on June 14th on NBC. Check back here for the top three runs from the BMX Vert competition.