Jamie Bestwick, 14x X Games BMX champion, on discovering gravel and the dark side of athletic greatness

For over 20 years, Jamie Bestwick reigned as one of BMX's most decorated athletes in the history of the sport. Since competing in his first X Games in 1996, he's won 14 gold medals at the event, including in nine consecutive years. In 2005, he won every single event in which he competed. Now he's found a new outlet: gravel racing. 

In this conversation, Jamie tells Payson about his harrowing experience racing at Unbound Gravel earlier this year, including what made him complete the 206 miles in spite of nearly quitting halfway through, and why he can't wait to do it again next year. They also talk about his BMX career and the tradeoffs he had to make to be the best in the world. They discuss the dark side of achieving athletic greatness, and the tragic passing of his friend and competitor, Dave Mirra. Jamie also tells Payson about coaching Team GB BMX rider Charlotte Worthington to victory at the Tokyo Olympics earlier this year, and explains why her surprise upset of American superstar Hannah Roberts was actually the result of a carefully calculated strategy.

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