PC: Justin Kosman

Age / class / years racing?

16yrs old and I race 16 expert. I have been racing for 11 years.

I started when I was 6yrs old. My parents bought me a freestyle DK for Christmas and ramps and it was just natural for me. My Dad who is from Scotland, raced there when he was younger and he said let’s find the local BMX track, which was southern Maryland BMX. Shortly thereafter, I started racing for a local bike shop called Mikes bikes. Ever since BMX has been my passion.

Live / local track?

I live in Huntersville, NC and my local track is the Novant Health BMX Supercross track in Rockhill, SC. I moved here 3 ½ years ago from Maryland for the Rockhill track.

Team / Sponsors?

Haro / US Development Team, USA Cycling, Haro, Rockstar Energy, Dale Holmes Racing, WD 40 Bike, 100% Bike, Answer Racing, Shimano BMX, ODI Grips, Box, Tioga, HRP designs, Wheelbuilder.com

PC: Justin Kosman

How is the start of the season going for you?

The 2018 season has started off pretty good. I have gotten into most mains that I would normally not make this time of year due to just aging up. I’m definitely bummed that I didn’t make the junior men team for this year but I definitely have my eye on 2019 for junior men.

What kinds of racing do you like – the traditional track or SX?

SX is my passion because I love to jump and go fast! I do still enjoy traditional racing, I love all racing and have even done some mountain bike racing. I really like the adrenalin and competition.

Name a few of your favorite tracks in the US?

My all time favorite is South Park in Pittsburg, PA. I love this track because it’s downhill and one of the fastest tracks I have ever ridden. I was the youngest to jump the pro set at 11yrs old with the help of Justin Posey.  Louisville, Kentucky is my 2nd favorite track. I really like their pro set Oldsmar, Florida is also a favorite because it’s technical.

You just spent a few weeks out West with your team riding Chula Vista on the big tracks and trails, how was the trip?

My trip was amazing! I love riding the tracks out there, and the photo shoots were pretty sick. The facility is so awesome I could live there! It was such a great opportunity to be on the big hill with the pros and training in the gym with them.

Who are some of the riders you look up to and why?

Conner Fields and Corben Sharrah…

Conner because his laps are always perfect and he is consistent.

Corben because of his skill and style on the bike.

Also Justin Posey because he has influenced me in my riding and he’s gotten me to try new things over the years and helps me feel like I can accomplish anything.

PC: Justin Kosman

How are things on the US Development Team with Team USA and your new Coach, Arielle Verhaaren?

Things are awesome on the team! I’m excited to be riding for Team USA. It’s a dream come true! Arielle is great I feel she is going to get me where I want to be and has my best interest at heart. Her workouts are tough and I like that because I can already see my body and mind changing.

Who are some of the riders you like to ride with back home?

I ride with Cole Tesar, Brady Kincheloe and KJ Romero and right now, Alfredo Campo is here and will be here for next 5 months – he really helps me out a lot and it’s awesome to get to ride with an Olympian every day. Cole Tesar was my coach for the past 4yrs until getting on the US Development team. Cole has been a huge part of my life from a coach to a best friend and has helped me develop into the rider I am today. I love riding wit KJ because he always keeps it fun and has a smile on his face no matter if he gets 1st or last.

PC: Joey Cobbs

What are your goals for the remainder of the year?

My goals are to get stronger and have more confidence in myself and to always keep it fun. And, to be in the top 5 Nag Riders.

What are your long-term goals?

To make junior men for 2019 and to one day make the Olympic team and WIN!!

The Team headed out to Oldsmar for the next stop on the USA BMX Tour at the Gator Nationals and USA Cycling National Championships.

Noah Ramos, Payton Ridenour, Cam Mason and Kamren Larsen were all racing this weekend with Noah and Cam both making mains and Noah wrapping up his weekend with a solid 2nd place in Sunday’s 16x main and some added confidence in the bag.

Payton Ridenour had an up and down weekend getting her feet wet in SX for the first time and gaining some good experience on the big hill. Best finishes for the weekend were a 4th and 2nd place in her class but all positive moving forward for the “P-Nut”.

Kamren Larsen decided to step-up with the big boys on Saturday and sign up for Elite to see where he stacked amongst the best. Kamren put in some good laps on Saturday but really upped his riding on Sunday during the National Championships, putting himself in the Final and placing 6th place, which is a great booster moving forward in his first few weeks as a Pro.

The 2018 Haro / US Development team shot some footage with Justin Kosman during a week-long camp down at Chula Vista’s Elite Athlete Training Center, as we head into the season. Kicking off our second year of this program, we’re excited to expand the team and document our journey along the way.

A good start to the year for the Haro/ US Development Team in Phoenix, Arizona at the USA BMX Winter Nationals. With new signing and rookie Pro Bryce Batten unfortunately out with an injury for his home town race, it was down to our other new Rookie Pro Kamren Larsen to fly the flag on the pro department side of the team. Kamren did just that, winning A Pro both Friday and Saturday and finishing off a perfect weekend taking the win in Pro / Open on Sunday as well and had a nice check in his pocket to take to the bank from his first weekend of racing Pro.

For the girls, our crew of ladies hit the podium all weekend long with Brooke Craft coming in 2nd on Saturday, Payton Ridenour opening her account for the season with a 2nd and 3rd and Madelynn DeSantis taking home 2 wins and a 2nd place for the weekend.

Noah Ramos and Cam Mason in 16x didn’t hit the podium in Phoenix but still both made the mains both days and put some solid laps in with lots to build on.

In all, a good start to the year for the team, which now heads to Tampa, Florida for the Gator Nationals this coming weekend.

Bryce Batten has flown into San Diego to hook up with the US Devo Team to shoot some footage and and get some riding in down at Chula Vista for the week. Both Batten and Kamren Larsen will make their Pro debut in Phoenix for our squad so we’ve decided to give them a different look from the rest of the AM’s on the Team with full 100% helmets and gear.

PC: Joey Cobbs

The final stop on the USA BMX National Schedule for 2017, as always, goes down in Tulsa, Oklahoma for the Grand Nationals, which is marked as both the most traditional and Greatest Race on Earth.

The full Haro/US Junior Development Team line-up was in Tulsa looking to finish the year strong alongside celebrate the team’s first full year as the US Junior Development Team under Team USA’s umbrella. We’ve had a solid year with so much growth potential slated in the years ahead.

Noah Ramos came into the Grands with some good momentum from the last few races in the highly competitive 16x and walked away from the weekend with a solid 3rd place at the Race of Champions and 4th at the Grands.

Colin Whittington has also had some good results in the latter part of the year but could not quite put anything together at the Grands. He still “repped” strong and hung out in the pits after his racing to support his teammates.

Payton Ridenour, always fighting for the win at any given race, took the Race of Champions win Friday night and backed it up with a 3rd at the Grands in Sunday night’s main event. Great year for the P-Nut.

Kamren Larsen has been almost unbeatable at the last few Nationals of the year with wins in Bakersfield & Reno and had plans to continue that into Tulsa. During training 3 weeks ago, Kamren crashed out breaking his shoulder. With rigorous rehab, Kam managed to put himself back together in time for the Grands. He took the win Friday but unfortunately went down battling for the coveted 2nd spot in Sunday’s main. He consistently gives it his all.

It was a great weekend and year and we look forward to sharing more information on our expansion of the US Junior Development program in the month ahead. We extend gratitude to all of our sponsors for their support this year as we head into the off-season.

USA Cycling, Dale Holmes Racing, Rockstar Energy, Haro Bikes, Barona Casino, Mercedes-Benz of San Diego, wd40Bike, ride100percent, Shimano, ODIGrips, Answer Racing, Tioga, Box Components, Stealth Hubs, Wheelbuilder.com and KMC Chain.

PC: Steve Diamond @stevediamondelements

Another perfect weekend for Kamren Larsen at Reno, Nevada for the Black Jack Nationals – winning 17-18x both days. Noah Ramos also put in a good showing making the 16x main both days and grabbing a 2nd place on Saturday. Up next, USA BMX Grands next month.

PC: USABMX

The 2017 USA BMX National Series continues as we head into the tail-end of the season with this past weekend’s stop at the new, improved Metro BMX Track in Bakersfield, California for the Fall Nationals. Our Full US Junior Devo Team line-up made the trip out to Bakersfield in hopes of grabbing a few more points heading into Reno the weekend of October 13-15th and the Grands in Tulsa over Thanksgiving weekend.

Payton Ridenour was riding strong even though the results didn’t show it. Bad luck struck for the P-Nut crashing out both days in the mains, while batting it out. Still, thankfully, no injuries and we know she will come back strong as she always does.

Noah Ramos and Colin Whittington rode consistently both days. Both made the main events and Colin had his best ride with a 2nd and Noah with a 4th Sunday.

Kamren Larsen was riding on his home track and with lots of family and friends track-side he was looking to put the hammer down, which he surely did, easily winning both days in a highly competitive 17-18x class continuing a great season.

As always, a big thanks to all our Team Sponsors for supporting our program and we look to finishing off the season strong. USA Cycling, Rockstar Energy, Haro Bikes, Dale Holmes Racing, Mercedes-Benz of San Diego, WD-40 Bike, ODI Grips, Answer Racing, Ride 100percent, Shimano, Box Components, USA BMX, Stealth Hubs, KMC Chain and Wheelbuilder.com.

PC: Tangent Products

Since July’s UCI World Championships in Rock Hill, our US Junior Team have kept busy on the race front all summer long. Noah Ramos and Payton Ridenour took wins at the Mile High Nationals in Colorado and just a few weeks later Kamren Larson took wins both days up in Washington at the Lumberjack Nationals.

On the State Championships side of things, Payton won her State/Gold Qualifier over in Pottstown, PA with Noah and Kamren both winning out west at the Tangent Pro/Am in Northern California in their respective classes. Kamren also made the Pro/Am Main event in a deep class of 36 riders, which is a big stepping stone in the larger picture mixing it up with some of the world’s best Elite riders.

Colin Whittington who has been focusing on school for the first part of the summer is easing back into race mode getting on the podium at the Las Vegas Nationals and coming in 2nd at this weekend’s States race in Lake Perris, CA.

PC: Andy Olmstead

The latest stop on the USA BMX National schedule this weekend was at one of the most famous east coast tracks, South Park BMX in Pittsburgh, PA. The track was originally built in 1978 and is known for its natural flow and beautiful park location.

The men’s side of the US Junior Development Team was unable to make the trip, so Payton “P-Nut” Ridenour held down the fort. She was up against some stiff competition in the 15-16 girls class as well as the demands of the ever-changing weather and track conditions. Rain delays on Friday and Saturday forced the race to be postponed while the track was covered and uncovered several times. However, Mother Nature paid everyone back with a sunny and dry Sunday. The event staff did an amazing job of keeping everything running.

Payton was on the podium all three days, getting 3rd on Friday and Saturday and a 2nd on Sunday. This was a great opportunity to prepare for the UCI World Championships in Rock Hill, SC, later this month.

PC: Eric Doty / On The Road.

Check out the edit our US Junior Development Team just finished with Sprinter Mercedes Benz of San Diego. Justin Kosman did an awesome job on this one.

We hit Salt Lake City this past weekend on the recent USA BMX National Schedule for the men’s side of the Junior Devo Team with Colin Whittington, Noah Ramos and Kamren Larsen. They were all ready for 3 days of National racing.

Colin was easing back into racing after focusing on school for the last few months and even though he did not figure in the results he put in some good laps and made the mains on Sunday. Still lots of motivation as we move into the summer for Colin.

Both Noah Ramos and Kamren Larsen flew into Salt Lake a few days early to spend some time training with our Team Coach, Arielle Verhaaren before the race alongside helping out with a Grass-Roots Clinic on Thursday at the track with the GT Team, which had a huge turn out and was a success with so many local bmxers showing up.

Race-wise, Noah made some main event appearances but no podiums this weekend. Kamren Larsen like Nashville, was feeling good going in but somehow crashed out Friday while leading the 17-18 x final in windy conditions. Saturday Kamren finished a solid second place and like Friday, more bad luck Sunday, crashing out while leading the semi final.

Still lots of positives to take away from the weekend. The boys headed down to San Diego for a week’s Camp at the Olympic Training Center with other riders on the US Team prepping for this Summer’s World Championships.

While we were out in Utah, Payton Ridenour was flying the flag back East Coast racing and winning both days despite moving up a class! Clearly, it didn’t slow her down a bit. Now, she’s hopping on a plane to make her way out to the OTC for this week’s camp as well.

PC: Tangent Media.

The Music City Nationals in Nashville, Tennessee is one of the iconic races on the USA BMX National Schedule that goes back to the early 80s with the Murray World Cup, which was held at the very same venue.

Our US Junior Development Team riders, Noah Ramos, Kamren Larsen & Payton Ridenour all spent the week leading up to the race with the Team Coach, Arielle Verhaaren over in Rock Hill for a Pre-Worlds Junior Camp. Even though our crew was understandably tired from the Camp, it didn’t slow them down.

Payton Ridenour came away with a 1st, 2nd and crashed out day 3 while out front.

Noah Ramos moved up a class into the highly competitive 16x and rode strongly all weekend long, coming away with 3 main event appearances and a consistent 3rd and 4th in the bag with a dose of confidence, and it’s clear the hard work he’s putting in with Arielle is paying off.

Kamren Larsen has really excelled since joining our program and was primed for a win anytime. Nashville was that time, as he won 17-18x all 3 days against the country’s best in that class. Kamren is on a roll right now putting in the work and it’s paying off.

All-in-all our best weekend as a team to date since this program rolled out back in January. We leave Nashville with 6 Podiums and 4 wins, which really puts us on the right track as we head into the summer. Next up, the Team will be in Salt Lake City, Utah in 2 weeks times.

Photo Credit: JPennucci Photography.

The US Junior Development Team headed back East this weekend to Atlanta for the USA BMX Dixieland Nationals, which were held in Cobb Country, Powder Springs, GA. Payton Ridenour, Noah Ramos and Kamren Larsen all made the trip out and were looking to continue building on an already good start to the year, as we move into the summer part of the season with the World Championships in July – which is the main goal for the season.

Noah was racing 15 x and Kamren 17-18 x, both were riding well during Saturday’s race but both crashed out in the same place in the semi-finals while in qualifying positions. Just bad luck.

Both came back stronger Sunday with Noah placing 5th in his final, and Kamren fighting a bad start in his final to a 2nd place with a real gutsy ride and a good finish to the weekend.

Payton Ridenour was on it all weekend long. Her time training in Chula Vista and working with Team Coach, Arielle Martin, is really starting to show great benefits to her. Payton came from 2nd place to make the move on the leader on day one making the pass and taking the win. She dominated Sunday, taking the win from lane 8 start to finish.

We also wanted to note and thank John Buultjens from Haro, who came out for the weekend to check out the action and spend some time with the team to get to know everyone. Thank you, John.

Next up for the Team – Nashville, Tennessee later this month.

Photo Credit: USA BMX.

Over the weekend the USA BMX 2017 National Tour continued at the Novant Health Supercross facility in Rock Hill, South Carolina which will also host the UCI World Championships later this summer.

The full US Junior Development Team made the trip out to South Carolina, as not only National points were on offer but this event also doubled up as a World Championship qualifier for a lot of the riders. Noah Ramos, Kamren Larsen & Colin Whittington have all trained hard to build up to Rock Hill at their first official training camp at the Olympic Training Center last month. In addition to these guys, our Pennsylvania based rider, Payton Ridenour were all feeling confident going in.

Friday night marked the USA Cycling National Championships for Junior & Elites with not only Stars and Stripes on the line, but also for Kamren & Colin racing in the Junior category, there were two qualifying spots available for the World Championships. In short, they’d need a first or a second to put them in.

With three Moto total points for the title, Kamren was sitting pretty with two wins going into the 3rd round and it was looking like he was going to take the win – when a small mistake going into the last turn caused him to unclip and get bumped back to 6th. Still 1, 1, 6 was still good enough for 2nd overall and even though he missed out on the title, 2nd it was still good enough to confirm Kamren’s spot on Team USA later this summer.

Noah Ramos was racing 16 Boys Friday night and breezed through the long day of racing qualifying his spot for the World’s.

The rest of the weekend marked a regular USA BMX National. Payton Ridenour (Already qualified for the World Championship) put in a flawless performance winning her class Saturday and making her new Coach, Arielle Martin-Verhaaren, very proud.

Noah Ramos was also on a mission taking a huge win in his class and a double dose of celebration was in order for Coach Arielle.

Kamren Larsen had some bad luck Saturday going down in qualifying and a trip to the medics with a few minor injuries. The best option was to sit out the rest of the weekend and rest up.

Colin Whittington didn’t fair in the results over the weekend but still came away with some good positives to work on during the next few weeks.

All in all, a very solid weekend for the Team with a big not of thanks to our new Coach, Arielle Martin-Verhaaren, Jamie Staff and Andrew Kramer for all of the support over the weekend. As we depart with 3 podiums, we’ve renewed our motivation and drive to press on.

Photo credit: Gork.

From Phoenix, the US Junior Development team headed to Oldsmar, Florida for the Gator Nationals with much better conditions than last week; easy breeze with the sun out. Kamren Larsen, Colin Whittington, and Noah Ramos were all racing with Colin and Kamren not only racing the national but also racing Friday’s SX open on the big hill. Both guys have not ridden SX in over a year – so it was a bit nerve wrecking for both – but they managed to push through and qualify for the final with Colin coming in a respectable 6th place and Kamren going from 3rd place in the first turn to passing both riders ahead of him and taking the big win! Saturday & Sunday all three guys raced the USA BMX National – Colin had a bit of trouble qualifying during the weekend but Kamren hit the podium again on Saturday with a 3rd in 17-18 x and also making the main on Sunday. Clearly, a solid weekend for Kam. Noah rode consistently all weekend despite not hitting the podium, he made 3 out of 4 mains and has lots to build on going into the National Championships next month. Now, the guys all head back to California for a little rest before heading to Chula Vista’s Olympic Training Center for the first US Training Camp of the year.

Photo Credit: USA BMX.

The Winter Nationals in Black Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona has a deep race history in the American race scene and for a lot of us – the real first test for the season is here with such a big turn out in most classes across the board. The USA Cycling Junior Development Program has just partnered up with Rockstar Energy Drink in the last few weeks and looking to make its first full team line up appearance for the 2017 season.

Payton Ridenour was first up for the team racing Friday night at the World Championship qualifier and coming home with the big win and setting the stage for the rest of the weekend for the Team.

Saturday, as predicted all week, the heavens opened up raining all day long and turning the track into a slippery mud fest lotto for every rider racing. Noah Ramos 15 x, Colin Whittington 17-18 x and Kamren Larsen 17-18 x all were riding good but crashes due to the slick conditions made it impossible to be consistent up front all day but all still managed to make some Open finals — but again, crashes in the mud kept them off of the podiums. Payton Ridenour coming from the East Coast and a little more used to these kind of conditions put another solid day in coming in 1st in Open and 3rd in class.

With Sunday’s National cancelled due to more rain over Saturday night that’s a wrap on the Winter Nationals and the Team all head back to the East Coast for next week’s Gator Nationals in Oldsmar, Florida where everyone is looking for better conditions.

Big thanks to Jamie Staff and everyone at USA Cycling for the support of this new program and all the Teams sponsors for 2017.

Photo Credits: Jerry Landrum.