Don't call it a comeback, the Shakedown's been here for years. Even though today was sunny and hot (really and truly hot, like, June hot) and last year was rainy and miserable, you'd be a fool to think an epic day at the Shakedown is a rare occurrence. The event's history is rich with great weather, but today may well have been the greatest to date - and tomorrow is predicted to be even nicer. With that in mind, I can assure you that I will be layering lightly and slathering on as much SPF 30 as my skin can absorb in the morning.

Eric Mercier demos in the Push.ca. tent.

With 40-plus riders battling through the pre-qualifiers earlier today (click here for our mid-day post and the names of the four riders who advanced), and the Push.ca skate tent going off with heated mini-ramp demos, the proverbial stage was set for the evening's rail jam. It was the first glimpse of the big names competing at the Shakedown: heads like Seb Toots (freshly recovered from his injury and already taking names), Darrel Mathes, Will Lavigne, Phil Jacques, Chris Rotax, Hana Beaman, Jess Kimura, Magalie Dubois, Kael Hill and many more. And trust me: everyone, and I do mean everyone, was curious to see how these riders would approach the unique 2010 Shakedown rail set-up.

The competitors in pre-qualifiers seemed primarily focused on the jump (understandably so), with the rails receiving a little less enthusiasm. But with the pro line-up in tonight's rail jam, there was little doubt that shit would go down. The three choices - the staircase kinked rail, concrete wallride, and flat bar to tranny - offered lots of variety and interesting potential for creativity. With the wallride being the most unique option compared to the rails (since it's not actually a rail at all), it saw the most inspired riding in the jam.

Alex Leblanc in qualifiers.

From the get-go, it was clear that visiting American pro Forrest Bailey was on a mission. He seemed to double the other riders in runs, and showed serious flair with tricks like a nose press 180-out on the kinked rail, and a slick 50-50 on top of the wall ride, reverting out backside to fakie. Fellow American Chris Rotax also jammed hard, ripping a 50-50 to 180 change-up to switch 50-50 on the kinked rail. Corey Noble focused heavily on the wallride, landing a couple of styled-out alley-oops to revert. Albertan Kael Hill wasn't about to be left out, cranking a crail grab transfer onto the wallride, and going doubles with bro Nash Lajeunesse on the flat rail.

The Quebec riders represented as hard as you'd expect them to. Jason Dubois landed one of the best tricks of the night on the flat rail: a backside 180 to switch 50-50 to switch backside 360 out, landing perfectly on the concrete transition below. He also landed a few transfers from the wallride jump up onto the top deck (next to the flat rail), spinning onto the flat rail tranny. Phil Jacques pretty much killed it through the entire jam, pulling out frontside lipslides on top of the wallride, while Will Lavigne slid a perfect 50-50 through the kinked rail, then spun a 360 out. Nothing too fancy, but when it's done with the speed and style of Lavigne, it stands out for all the right reasons.

Tyler Ashbee.

The night concluded with four riders, two guys and two girls, advancing into a two-run, winner-takes-all "best trick super final". $5,000 was on the line for the guys, with $3,000 for the girls. After a short break, the finalists were announced: Forrest Bailey and Antonin Chamberlain, and Marie Anne Tremblay and Jess Kimura (who was fresh off three plane rides from Ms. Superpark in California, and no doubt exhausted). The riders were called to the top, asked if they wanted to take a practice run (they did), and the finals began.

Bailey dropped first, landing a frontside lipslide change-up to frontside boardslide on the kinked rail. Impressive, to say the least. Chamberlain countered with a backside 270 to boardslide on the kinked rail. Also impressive, but arguably less so. Tremblay dropped next with a 50-50 on the kinked rail, but slipped off the side halfway through. Kimura stepped up with a frontside lipslide on the kinked rail, but fell.

Antonin Chamberlain.

Tension built with the second runs: it could be anyone's win at this point. Bailey dropped first again and opted for the wallride, ripping the same 50-50 on top of the wallride to backside revert out he did earlier in the evening. Chamberlain countered with another backside 270 to boardslide, but fell: it was obvious Bailey would take the cash. Tremblay attempted another 50-50 on the kinked rail and came remarkably close to the end before slipping off. Likewise, Kimura charged into another frontside lipslide on the kinked rail, but took another fall.

To the lady's credit, they kept riding in spite of being called to the podium, taking more runs to see who'd land a trick first. But after a couple more attempts each, and several punishing falls, a truce was declared and they split the money down the middle. Bailey, on the other hand, pocketed all of the men's cash, winning a cool five grand. With his little moustache and big smile, he positively beamed from the podium, no doubt stoked to know that he took first the old fashioned way: with big tricks and plenty of persistence.

Rail Jam podium, L to R: Marie Anne Tremblay, Jess Kimura and Forrest Bailey. 

The Ride Shakedown continues tomorrow with the pro competition (big air and rails), and the Push.ca Half-Time Show, which features skateboarders competing on the kinked rail. Yes, you read that correctly. Check Push.ca tomorrow for photos, results and a full report.

Story by Matt Houghton

All photos: Mathieu Couture