A Dutch freestyle BMX contest has taken the BMX Park contest to a whole new level, because of the unique set-up that has never been seen before. 24-year-old Drew Bezanson from Canada is the winner of Red Bull Framed Reactions where the BMX Freestyle elite was flying on a unique park with moving elements.
Bezanson also won the Best Trick award with his wallride to tailwhip, while Harry Main won the prize for the best line.Bezanson impressed the judges and the 10.000 visitors with some spectacular tricks in the Westergasfabriek in Amsterdam. “Framed Reactions was unbelievable. Amsterdam and this contest were amazing. I feel honoured that I was part of the competition and I had a good night. I rode my bike, the way I wanted it,” said Drew.
The set-up at Framed Reactions involved moving parts, something that has never been done before in a BMX contest. X-Games course designer Nate Wessel designed the 1,800 square metre course, which sits in the courtyard of the Westergasfabriek, Amsterdam’s Culture Park. “Nate is the best ramp designer of the world”, said Bezanson. “He just wakes up in the middle of the night with the sickest ideas for a new ramp.”
Paul de Jong, one of the judges, said: “It was an extraordinary contest today. The level of the competition was extremely high, the audience was enthusiastic and besides some small bruises, everything went well. It was kind of hard to judge, because the top 3 was very evenly matched. We are pleased that Framed Reactions made Freestyle BMX top of mind in the Netherlands.”
For the first time in history a BMX competition took place at a park with movement and interaction. In the bowl, riders tried to touch the two lanterns. By touching them the two moving elements, a train and a typical Amsterdam bridge, came in motion. In this way, the participants had an influence on the park. In the final the riders showcased their best tricks, while the sun slowly went down in Amsterdam.
Red Bull Framed Reactions is also part of the anniversary ‘Amsterdam 2013’. This year is very special, because of a lot of memorable anniversaries in Amsterdam. The purpose is to show that Amsterdam, with its rich history, is a vibrant, modern and sporty city. Enlisting local BMX rider Daniel Wedemeijer already pulled off an epic backflip over the Passeerdersgracht canal a few weeks ago. That was the first BMX treat in the Netherlands, followed by many backflips, tailwhips and other BMX tricks during Framed Reactions. And the Dutch loved it.
