April 18, 2004 ­ Three years ago, John Jesme (Ellsworth Bicycles) became the first rider to land a backflip at the Hyundai Sea Otter Classic. But it was not until this year that he won the invitation-only SRAM Dirt Jumping Contest for the first time, on the strength of a backflip no-footer that received a perfect score from the judges.

In the competition, each rider attempted three jumps, with the two top scores counting towards the final standings. Unfortunate injuries to renowned jumpers Timo Pritzel (Scott Bicycles) and Darren Berrecloth (Specialized) opened the door for Jesme and others, although the Orange County native was the day¹s most consistent rider, landing all three jumps with two backflips and a 360.

Jesme¹s sponsor since 1998, Tony Ellsworth said of his jubilant rider, ³It¹s cool to see him win. He tried a double backflip out here two years ago and he¹s got a lot of soul for jumping.²

Second place went to Kona¹s John Cowan, 30, who also landed two flips ­ a backflip tabletop and a backflip no-footer. In third was Utopia¹s Paul Basagoitia, 17, whose near-miss on a rare backflip tailwhip made him a crowd favorite and drew a high score from the judges.