Some guys go big and some like to keep it techy. For
Bruce Crisman, combining the two proved to be the answer as he rode away with the gold medal in Bicycle Stunt Park. The man he dethroned, five-time Park champion
Dave Mirra was going big but after casing two double backflips attempts, he finished sixth.
Crisman appeared unfazed by any of the pressure. Coming into the finals in second place, he made good use of the entire course. Bruce rode smoothly through both rounds, going tech with some extended Manuals, a Smith Grind and a One-handed Fufanu. He proved that he could also go large with a Truckdriver in the first round and a nice Wall Ride and Tailwhip off the 5 foot box in the final round. He finished up with a 91.40, just edging out
Alistair Whitton.
"I went out there with no expectations to win this thing at all. I really didn't think about what place I was in, or what the other guys were going to do. I was just out there to enjoy it all, there wasn't too much pressure," he said. His final run pushed him just ahead of Whitton, and guaranteed him a medal.
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| Bruce Crisman, X-Up. |
The last rider was Mirra, who went for it early with a No-handed 360 and then came up short on his second Double Backflip attempt of the Games. After a few mistakes on his initial run, Dave knew he had to throw it all out there on his final attmpt. As time expired on Mirra's run, the other riders mobbed Crisman and carried him around the park on their shoulders.
"I would give my finals runs a D" Mirra later said of his effort. "I was very dialed in today and then I just didn't have it in my mind when the final runs hit. It is all about being headstrong going into it, you know you can never be too prepared for a contest. You never know what is going to happen. I am just going to move on and get ready for Vert."
Taking the silver with two solid runs was Alistair Whitton, whose final run left him .40 behind Crisman. He used good lines and lots of combinations to bring him within striking distance. He nailed down a big Backflip Turndown, a Wall Ride and was doing some nice work in the Liberty Bowl, but it was not enough to hold back Crisman.
Veteran rider
Jay Miron exploded in the finals, showing some nice amplitude by going 8 feet above the 10 ft. quarter leading into a big 540. A few minor falls hindered what could have been a winning run though and he had to settle for third.
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| It is all about balance as Crisman negotiates the sub-rail. |
The park course this year took on a new look with the addition of the "Liberty Bowl", a 6ft. deep bowl in the middle of the course complete with coping and a 4ft. sub-rail on the deck. This added to the street component of the course, while the surrounding vert elements gave the package more of a complete feel for all the riders.
Mat Hoffman, watching from above had this to say: "I thought the bowl, you know, the layout of the course was amazing. The way I ride park, I would have loved this course more than any other from the X Games. It had me excited. That is what is so cool about this park, is that it is like a vert rider's street course. A lot of good transfers, it would be nice to have a private session down there."
Both Mirra and Crisman were happy with the new layout as well. "It is all solid. I don't think anyone had a problem out there. The vert guys could go on there and do their thing and the street guys can do their thing," said Crisman.
Now the riders move indoors for Dirt Stunt and the Vert competition. Dave Mirra will be looking to make up for his Park performance on the ramp and The Condor will make his return to the event where he is the master. And Bruce Crisman? He will be riding the wave of this all the way back to Burnside, his hometown park.
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