There was a time when landing a backflip was a pretty big deal. You hit it and you were in an elite class. Those days are long gone. Now it is all about being a member of the double backflip club. No, not on the vert ramp or the park. Now we are talking about dirt jumping.
"Welcome, Stephen Murray, to the competition dirt double club. It's only you and Cory Nastazio, here is your platinum card." Membership does indeed have its privliges.
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| Murray with a stylin' X-Up. |
You would think that if you are the first person in dirt jumping history to land a double back cleanly in competition that you are a lock to win, right? When Ryan Nyquist is also in the competition, nothing is a lock.
As Murray looked on with his friends, Nyquist made his way down the ramp for the final run of the day. He came up with a Truckdriver and then a 720 on the third jump, the landing was on but then his left hand slipped and he was in the dirt.
The group around Murray erupted and he was tackled to the ground as Ryan made his way up the return ramp. It had to be over, right? No way. Nyquist rocketed down the ramp, airing the first jump and then he blew EVERYONE'S mind with a perfect 360 backflip. The crowd was over the edge as TJ Lavin greeted Ryan at the finish. All eyes were locked on the big screen as the results came up. Ryan Nyquist..Final Run Score: 90.80...Final Result...2nd.
Murray was on the ground again, buried under a stack of bodies. And with that, the Bicycle Stunt Dirt competition was over and Steven Murray was the new champion.
"This is unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable," Stephen said of his win.
During the practice runs Murray dialed in the double back so all of the other riders knew there was a chance he was going to land it in the finals. When he came down for his second run, he lined up for the final set of jumps and the crowd was on their feet, sensing what was to come. He made his way down, aired the first jump and launched off of the second, pulled hard and ripped the double, landing with little room to spare.
Murray rode halfway up the ramp and let his bike go, enjoying the moment with his arms in the air as the crowd gave him much love.
"Look at this, it is like being at a football (soccer) game, this is crazy," he later said of the atmosphere. The competition took place inside the First Union Center, giving the event a bit of a rockstar feel.
Ryan Nyquist was feeling the same kind of vibe all day. "The crowd was out of hand, this whole thing, the way it is set up, it's like superstar mode. It was an awesome contest, definitely one of the better ones we have had so far, everyone just on the edge of your seat the whole time."
Ryan was pleased with his performance, saying "It was pretty much do or die. I knew I had second place automatically, so I was happy with that. That was by far the best 360 flip I have ever done."
TJ Lavin was also in the mix with some serious backflip turndowns, a 360 Tailwhip that he came up just short on and his brand new trick, the nothing Superman. It was only good enough for bronze though.
The dirt competition this year was filled with insane new tricks and plenty of style, and for first time X Games competitor, Stephen Murray it was monumental.
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