Dew Tour: Steve McCann's 900 no-hander wins BMX Vert

SALT LAKE CITY — Steve McCann felt the fear building in the back of his mind, but he banished it by committing to a trick that only one other person has ever landed on a BMX bike vert ramp.

The 28-year-old Australian ended his high-flying run with a no-handed 900 — and then he dropped his bike and danced.

"That was out of pure joy," said McCann, whose rarely seen trick not only thrilled the crowd at EnergySolutions Arena Sunday, but also earned him his first Dew Tour victory in four years of competition. "It was putting a run together that I was super pumped about. That's what these sports are about — just going out there and putting together things that you are happy with."

His score of 92.38 for the run allowed him to edge the man who has owned every single Dew Cup since the Dew Tour started seven years ago and most of the individual competitions during that time — Jamie Bestwick. The 40-year-old native of England, who now lives in the U.S., won a gold at the X Games, as well as at the first stop of the Dew Tour. Bestwick, who finished second with a score of 92.25, suffered a huge fall on his final run and was grimacing as he limped off the vert ramp. He spent the awards ceremony with medical personnel.

The victory over Bestwick did not come easily, as McCann and third-place finisher Vince Byron, who scored 91.38 points, both fell on their first runs.

"After my crash on my first run, I got scared, I'm not going to lie," said McCann. "I went back and I looped out. On my second run, I was just like, 'Just commit to it! Lean in and make it happen.'"

Seeing veteran Dennis McCoy take a fall that silenced the crowd and sent medical personal rushing onto the vert ramp did not make swallowing that fear any easier.

"What we do is serious," McCann said. "When people crash it hurts. We all know the dangers of what we do. At the end of the day, that's what makes these sports amazing is that there is danger involved — even at the pro level, we're scared."

It all paid off, however, when he landed the jaw-dropping trick on his second run and took the lead from Bestwick.

Byron was the first to raise the stakes of the finals when he landed his 540-double-tailwhip on his second run.

"It was a little bit of a repeat of X Games," said Byron. "I did my big run and Stevie did his. The pressure was there, and when Jamie didn't take (first place) on his second run, I think it got to him."

Bestwick has been so dominant in the sport that he has, at times, appeared to be unbeatable.