"Endurocross is always full of energy and the guys race their heart out," said Blazusiak, a 28-year-old Polish rider. "To be honest, I don't think the difference was X Games or not. The difference was that the track was really cool to ride because it was more like a supercross. Everybody had so much speed. All the top guys were within two seconds and that's really great."

Forsberg, meanwhile, quelled two months of nerves and won in a rout. The 24-year-old union electrician from Seattle lapped her competitors despite crashing once, which was much less than every other woman.

"The key to winning is consistency and the less you crash the better you do," Forsberg said. "It got tough because it all got wet from the water [racers had to ride through a trough of water with a log in the middle], so it was slippery. But it was good because I live in Washington so I practice in the rain all the time. You just have obstacle after obstacle; it's a cardio and strength workout. You have to hold on for dear life."

Tarah Gieger won the race for second place, while Kacy Martinez claimed bronze. Just like the men, who were routinely pitched over their bars, the women struggled to navigate the various logs, boulders, tractor tires and puddles, often riding over each other's downed bikes instead of trying to avoid them.

Check out full results.