The French rider threw down the biggest FMX tricks the Spanish crowd would have ever seen without an ounce of hesitation, one after another until his 1 minute 15 second run was complete. The centrepiece of his routine being the Front Flair, a trick Pagès landed for the first time in competition in his final run in Madrid.

Pagès sent the sold-out crowd of more than 20,000 at the Las Ventas bullring into a state of euphoria with a brilliant run against Clinton Moore and Josh Sheehan Australia in a gripping final. He filled his run with gravity-defying tricks of up to 15 meters high.

Moore, the 2015 World Tour champion, came in a close second after a flawless run in the final with his Bundy jump recorded to be 14 meters high by a new Intel high-tech device. Sheehan had to settle for third despite nailing his signature double back flip. Levi Sherwood (NZL) finished fourth on an unforgettable night at the FMX extravaganza in the Spanish capital. No other riders have won Madrid more than twice.

“That’s insane,” said Pagès, trying to catch his breath after dazzling the appreciative crowd on Friday with a stunning comeback following his lowly 11th place finish in Thursday’s Qualifying marred by a heavy crash. “I was really stressed coming here with the new tricks. But it all worked out. Madrid is the best place in the world for FMX. It’s incredible. What a place to be!”

Pagès won all five helmets from the judges in a clean sweep of the first three-way final in the history of the Red Bull X-Fighters, one of the many innovations added for the stop in Madrid. The 31-year-old Pagès, who won the World Tour in 2013, mastered his Bike Flip, his Special Flip, his new Front Flip Flair and the Volt – amazing tricks that only a few years ago would have been enough on their own to win an event.

“I’m very happy with my run,” said Moore. “It was definitely one one of my best runs ever. I’ve got a little more homework to do. Hopefully next time I’ll be even better prepared and do an even better run.”

Red Bull X-Fighters Madrid 2016 Result
1. Tom Pages (FRA)
2. Clinton Moore (AUS)
3. Josh Sheehan (AUS)
4. Levi Sherwood (NZL)
5. Maikel Melero (ESP)
6. Rob Adelberg (AUS)
7. Taka Higashino (JPN)
8. David Rinaldo (FRA)
9. Dany Torres (ESP)
10. Adam Jones (USA)
11. Tom Robinson (AUS)
12. Sebastian Westberg (FIN)

Thomas Pagès’ winning run