Party time on the Spine Ramp
For those who miss the legendary evenings on the dirt at FISE, there's no better remedy than a good dose of late-night Spine Ramp. And for lovers of Freestyle BMX, what a great opportunity to celebrate the memory of the legend Pat Casey, gone too soon and honored by his peers tonight during some absolutely crazy finals.
Our MC Thomas Debatisse on the mic to warm up the crowd, and 16 riders qualified for this final round with a simple format: two runs of 45 seconds each, with the best counting. A true rockstar of the bike, Jack Clark (5th) puts on a show for us, spinning in both directions and often with his head upside down, a show that continues even after the final buzzer. In fourth place, it's the new German star Dean Florian who delivers the goods with an ultra-tech tailwhip to footjam whip, very committed in the middle of the run!
On the third step of the podium, we find a FISE regular, both in Montpellier and on the other world stops: Irek Rizaev rides hard, very hard and thus secures a nice podium after missing the finals on the Park. Making a strong return to FISE after several years' absence, Jack Watts delivers a clean, powerful run right to the end, after starting the hostilities directly with a 360 double whip bar on the spine, followed by a huge flair on the transition. He takes second place!
The big winner of these finals was Australian Brandon Loupos, who returned from injury with a great deal of desire and determination. After taking the silver medal in Park earlier in the afternoon, he turned on the heat this evening, taking first place with a score of 91.90 points. A super-high flair whip, then the same in oppo, but also a decade on the spine, and an incredible sequence between a flair 540 and a backflip to fakie to finish: the perfect recipe to win the hearts of the public and the judges alike!
And as the party never ends on this incredible Spine Ramp, our riders then offered a huge Best Trick to the crowd of Montpellier, but that's another story. A story we'll save for later, because now it's time to get ready for the last Sunday of FISE: a finish that promises to be just as festive!
