XDL Round One: Lake Havasu

The first stop of the 2009 XDL season was held in conjunction with the recently relocated Spring Break Bike Week, moved from Mexico to Lake Havasu City, Arizona. With the windy oasis as a backdrop, the traveling band of two-wheeled warriors did battle under the desert sun. Intermittent wind gusts made for some shaky ground and caused minor grief for the competitors.

For those who had the weather gods on their side, it was business as usual amongst the nation's best riders. Lin Savage consistently placed well last year and with a third place finish in Havasu should be considered a serious challenger for the 2009 crown. Aaron Colton took home the second place spot, while Bill Dixon rode away with the season's first win. The 2008 defending champion, Nick Brocha, sat out the first round thanks to a busted shoulder suffered in practice.

Aside from Dixon's Freestyle victory, it was his attempt at a backwards wheelie scrape during Sickest Trick that created the biggest buzz of the weekend. Even though he didn't quite touch the tail down, it was a daring stunt nonetheless. Dixon commented, "I'm working on backwards circles next!"

Check out www.xdlshow.com for a stop near you.

RESULTS

INDIVIDUAL FREESTYLE
1st Bill Dixon
2nd Aaron Colton
3rd Lin Savage

CIRCLE CHALLENGE- Shin Kinoshita
FREESTYLE BURNOUT - Brian Bubash
SICKEST TRICK - Bill Dixon
WHEELIE RACE - Chris McNeil
APRILIA CHALLENGE - Dan Jackson