More great photos and moves from the X Games from June 28-July 1, 2012 in downtown LA took place in BMX Freestyle Street–—a genre of BMX competition which also includes Big Air, Park, and Vert. Street however deals within a manmade course that’s meant to replicate the urban landscape and obstacles that an average BMX rider may experience and perform tricks on while cruising the city.
The excitement at the X Games was palpable to see if the New Jersey native, Garrett Reynolds could five-peat for a gold medal, one of the few athletes to ever win that many in X Games history.
In a rare performance, Reynolds squeezed out closest competitor Chad Kerley for the top honors. “I did the same thing I’ve been doing every year, I just went out and did what I love to do,” said a breathless Reynolds after he collapsed in exhaustion following the end of his third and final run.
After a spill off a wall in the second round, Reynolds was determined to pull off a flawless final run in an attempt to surpass Kerley’s high score of 83.00. It was all over after he landed a 540 Barspin Wallride he had missed previously, then nailed a Double-peg 270 onto the chain link fence, rotating his front wheel up and around to land hardway. Just as his run time was about to expire, Reynolds’ took a tumble as he was coming off a picnic bench obstacle. Despite the fall, the judges deemed his run worthy enough for a score of 43.00 which was enough to surpass Silver-medalist Chad Kerley by two points.
Even after being edged out of first place by a few points, Kerley, a recent high-school graduate was all smiles. “I’m so beyond happy — I was happy just dropping in on my first run, and it’s such a dream to be able to ride at the X Games. I couldn’t be any happier at how it turned out. I feel like I won. Garrett’s the best on the planet so I feel like I still won,” said a beaming Kerley.
The BMX Freestyle Street course featured enough obstacles to satisfy any street rider’s dream—especially that of third place winner Dakota Roche.
“I wish I could just pull up to this park and ride it every day,” said Roche. Rounding out the podium with a score of 69.00, Roche picked up his second X Games Bronze with a smile.
This year’s course included obstacles like a concrete dinosaur, a “Sir Isaac Newton” quarter-pipe, various rails, picnic tables, chain link fences, and a water fountain.
