Jamie Bestwick

Jamie Bestwick was an English BMX rider who was best known for winning the X Games for nine years in a row, from 2005 to 2014. Born in the English city of Nottingham, Bestwick never envisioned a life as a professional BMX rider. In fact, it was until he was 10 years old that he first learned to ride a bike. However, Bestwick quickly learned how to do tricks and various other stunts, thus wowing his friends and family members. All throughout his teens, bike riding was primarily a hobby for Bestwick, despite his efficiency with the vehicle. Not seeing any future in bike riding his chief goal was to become an airplane mechanic. He entered that profession when he was in his early 20s but soon found the work to be dull and boring. With that mindset firmly rooted, Bestwick abruptly quit his job to pursue his lifelong passion of BMX riding. He competed in his first X Games in 1996 and remarkably took home a bronze medal. After the games had ended, Bestwick realized that he had found his calling and devoted himself full time to BMX riding. Over the next several years he continued to build a name for himself on the BMX circuit, competing in the X Games every year thereafter. In 2005 he took home the first of nine consecutive gold medal at the X Games, thus beginning one of the most remarkable win streaks in the sport's history. Bestwick's win-streak ended in 2014 but by then he had already guaranteed a place in the sports world's history books. In addition to his BMX riding, Bestwick also dabbled in a second career as a sports reporter covering the cycling world for the Olympics. He worked as a cycling analyst for NBC at the 2012 London Olympics, and once again at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.