With the BMX Flatland and Trials competitions already decided, the final day at the UCI Urban Cycling World Championships in Chengdu was all about BMX Freestyle Park. Each rider would get two 60-second runs with their best score counting towards the final placings. The Women’s final was first.
BMX Freestyle Park Women: Roberts’ double!
At the end of heat one, Nikita Ducarroz of Switzerland was leading with a score of 81.40 after a good-looking first run. Her lead was not to last long though as Macarena Valentina Perez Grasset of Chile pulled off an incredible run in heat two. The judges awarded her 86.80 for a ride that included a perfectly landed suicide no-hander and a tailwhip backflip.
First up in heat three was the reigning rainbow jersey, Perris Benegas of the USA. She was unable to repeat her 2018 World Championship win though, going out with 62.20 after a nasty looking crash on her second run.
World Cup winner Hannah Roberts, also from the USA, continued her championship winning form and put in a run filled with seriously big combos that included a 360 tailwhip into a flare. The judges awarded Roberts a score of 90.00, putting her into the lead.
Lara Marie Lessmann of Germany put in a highly technical ride to score 84.10 and sit in third place. Next up was Charlotte Worthington, who drew big cheers from the crowd with show that used the whole park and included a huge flare transfer: the Briton’s score of 86.54 beat Lessmann for the final podium place.
With Roberts’ first run score of 90.00 unbeaten, the 2017 World Champion took the title for the second time.
BMX Freestyle Park Women podium
1st Hannah Roberts (USA) – 90 points2nd Macarena Valentina Perez Grasset (CHI) – 86.80 points3rd Charlotte Worthington (GBR) – 86.54 points
BMX Freestyle Park Men: Aussie 1-2
At the end of the Men’s first heat, Konstantin Andreev’s first run of 86.40 was the score to beat. The Russian rider put in a great variety of tricks during his first run with big spins off the box and a 360 tailwhip, but crashed when blowing out both tyres on his second.
In heat two, Australian double World Cup winner Brandon Loupos took the lead with a huge score of 93.20 on his second run full of huge tricks and combos including a 1080 over the box, a 540 flare and finishing with a massive cash roll.
First up in heat three was defending UCI World Champion and the rider currently ranked number one, Justin Dowell. In his second run the American rider completed a good looking ride filled with four-trick combos, but his score of 88.20 was not enough to threaten Loupos’ lead. Nick Bruce was the next American to take to the park. An impressive 720 downside tailwhip and a helicopter over the box earned him a big score of 90.40 to sit in second place.
2019 World Cup series winner, Rimu Nakamura of Japan, pulled out all the stops with a host of four trick combos that gave him 87.80 for his first run. He even managed to a five-trick double bar spin 360 to no-hander on his second, but that run ended prematurely when he suffered a flat tyre.
It was Australian Martin Logan who took second place with a score of 92.90 from his first run. He made a huge 1080 look easy with a highly-composed ride, as well as pulling off a barrel roll barspin, 360 double tailwhip and 540 flare over the hip.
In the end, Loupos’ score of 93.20 could not be beaten. The ecstatic Australian took enormous cheers from the crowd as he was crowned 2019 World Champion.
BMX Freestyle Park Men podium
1st Brandon Loupos (AUS) – 93.202nd Martin Logan (AUS) – 92.903rd Nick Bruce (USA) – 90.40
Thanks to all the competitors from all around the world who made this edition of the UCI Urban Cycling World Championships in Chengdu such an exciting spectacle, and congratulations to all our new World Champions in Trials and BMX Flatland and Freestyle Park.
See complete results of all five days of competition
.