FORT WORTH – A place known for cowboys, bull riding and cattle drives was taken over by what could be called the modern rodeo: freestyle motocross. Horses were replaced with 250cc dirt bikes.

Eleven of the top riders flew and flipped over a large dirt course as part of the Red Bull X-Fighters series Saturday at the Stockyards.

Nate Adams, one of four Americans, took home the longhorn-inspired trophy, winning his first X-Fighters event. He sat out last year with injuries and took fifth at the stop in Calgary.

"Getting fifth in Calgary lit a fire in me," Adams said. "I still can't believe it. I'm still in shock."

He bested defending series champion Mat Rebeaud of Switzerland in the final.

"We were very close," Rebeaud said. "I just had a few mistakes.".

Rebeaud beat Australia's Cameron Sinclair in the semifinals. Sinclair made FMX history, landing two double back-flips during his two runs. He landed the trick for the first time during Friday's qualifying run.

The trick took its toll, injuring his ankles on the first and limiting him to nine tricks on his second run. Rebeaud landed 12.

"I'm always confident doing them [back-flips]. I've landed 20," said Sinclair, who took third. "I'm just bummed that my ankles were hurt."

There were several close calls for riders, but most avoided crashing. The night's scariest moment came when Thomas Pagés of France fell off his bike from 20 feet in the air during a back-flip attempt. He landed on his side and got up under his own power.

Australian Robbie Maddison, best known for holding the world record for longest jump on a motorcycle, dislocated his shoulder during a trick and landed one-handed. After getting off the bike for 20 seconds, he jumped back on and finished his run.

He didn't win his round, but he stole the show with five consecutive back-flips on a run that extended a minute after his official 90-second allotment.