First Stop of 2009 Brings Out First-Time Tricks, Winner

CHICAGO – June 27, 2009 – Showcasing the disciplines of BMX park, vert and dirt with its first ever BMX single-sport event, the Dew Tour’s Nike 6.0 BMX Open was filled with firsts including two newcomers to the podium.

Kicking off the Nike 6.0 BMX Open, the BMX dirt finals quickly became the night of the open qualifier, as Josh Hult fought through three rounds of competition to claim a piece of the spotlight. After taking seventh in open qualifiers and second in the prelims, Hult hit the eject button in his first run, putting the pressure on him for his final two runs. A truckdriver tailwhip and 360 to downside whip helped secure the victory for Hult, the first of his career. Hult beat out the past two Dew Cup champions – 2007’s Ryan Nyquist and 2008’s Cam White – to make the feat that much more impressive. Brandon Dosch, who also had never made it onto a Dew Tour podium before the Nike 6.0 BMX Open, took second place with a 360 double whip and a 360 downside tailwhip.

Saturday’s park contest marked the return to the podium for two Dew Tour veterans. Dave Mirra used his years of riding experience to his advantage, landing a huge air traffic controller and a 720 over the box to reclaim the top spot on the podium for the first time since the 2005 Toyota Challenge. Garrett Reynolds took second, while Marcus Tooker made it onto the podium for the second time in his career placing third.

The BMX vert finals came down to the last run of the evening, as the typically flawless Jamie Bestwick fell during his first run putting him in last place. However, Bestwick returned to his usual style with alley oop downside tailwhip and opposite no hander that gave him the win. Simon Tabron took second place and Steven McCann rounded out the top three.

The Nike 6.0 BMX Open also included one first time trick – Craig Mast’s front flip drop-in during the park finals added to the list of firsts in Chicago.

Will the Dew Tour continue to compile the firsts as the 2009 season continues? Can open qualifiers and newcomers keep their success alive? It’s anyone’s game in BMX as the Nike 6.0 BMX Open has proven. And with two months to prepare for the Wendy’s Invitational, expect even more firsts from the BMX community.

The two-day BMX single-sport competition is the first of five events on the Dew Tour. Approximately 26,042 fans enjoyed the Dew Tour experience in Chicago’s Grant Park. The Nike 6.0 BMX Open is followed by a single-sport skate event in Boston and will continue on to Portland, Ore., Salt Lake City and Orlando featuring skateboarding, BMX and freestyle motocross.