As we head into the USA BMX Grands later this month, which is also the final race of the year – it’s already been a fantastic year for Payton Ridenour. With her first year in the Junior Women’s class, Payton has been banging out National double wins all year and a solid 4th place at the UCI World Championships in Zolder. Last month, Payton became the first official UCI Red Bull Pump Track World Champion in Switzerland earning the coveted Rainbow jersey.
We’ve just wrapped up another summer season of BMX Pro For a Week Camp. We ran 9 weeks straight with our biggest numbers in 6 years! We had the opportunity to work with more than 400 local shredders this summer and we’re excited to welcome them back.
Many thanks to Kasandra and Tyler Brown at Chula Vista BMX for working so well with us all summer long. These two run a top-notch track facility. We’d also like to thank Rylinde Cole, Brooke Craft, McKenna and Derin Mertin, and Sasha Bright for their efforts in working with the kids all summer. Special thanks to all of our camp sponsors: Haro, 100%, Barona Casino, WD40, 3dyn Composites Inc, ODI, Tioga and Dvide.
We’re at the midway point in our YMCA BMX Pro For A Week Summer Camp Season 2019 down at Chula Vista BMX in San Diego. We’ve already exceeded our expected number of campers and are happy to share we have an overall 82%+ retention rate on campers. It’s great to see so many familiar faces coming back to hone their skills while also welcoming so many newcomers too. We’ve seen an increase in the number of girls signing up, which is great for the sport. It really boils down to getting more kids on bikes and we’re on a mission to do just that.
Shot of our guy Dr. Jason Richardson during our recent DVIDE shoot this week with Justin Kosman. Dr. J has been an instrumental part of our after school program, Ride to End Obesity, with his presentation on inspiring young people to be kind, active and happy. For more on DVIDE check out dvidebrand.com.
It’s more than just a bike; it’s building a healthy lifestyle, helping youngsters to be aware of their surroundings, promoting great brain development, helping to alleviate anxiety, increasing academic achievement, preventing obesity and disease, creating happier kids all while having fun. Let’s Ride!
Our BMX Pro For A Week YMCA Summer Camp Season kicks off June 17th all summer long through August 16th at Chula Vista BMX. Email daleholmes99@gmail.com for more info or hit our BMX Pro For A Week link for YMCA sign-up information.
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As we kick-off our 2019 Ride to End Obesity season, underwritten in large part by Barona Resort and Casino, we continue to celebrate our expansion and ultimately our ability to reach more young people with the positive message of staying active, eating well while introducing them to the sport BMX. We are excited to continue our partnership with San Diego-based, HARO Bicycles. Haro has uniquely been a long-standing leader in the cycling industry while also investing a tremendous amount back into the sport and our local communities.
Today, 30% or more of San Diego’s children in grades 5, 7 and 9 are overweight or obese according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. Obesity is also one of the leading causes of preventative death and disability. EDUCATION is the key. Our Ride to End Obesity Program doesn’t just educate children and their educators on healthy habits and the dangers of obesity but also inspires our children to make positive changes. We are excited to add an additional element of STEM education into our programming this year too. Kids will learn how working on bikes and conducting their own safety checks can inspire ideas in engineering and product development. The Ride to End Obesity program will operate in both Poway Unified School District and also in the San Diego Unified School District through or partnership with Toby Wells YMCA.
PC: Justin Kosman
This past weekend the team headed to Phoenix, Arizona for the Winter Nationals. Luckily, we missed out on the rain that had hit the race in previous years and we got to set up in the pits and had a good weekend of racing all-around for the team.
Cam Mason flew out from South Carolina for his first race of 2019 and came in 3rd and 4th in Junior Men giving him a great start to the year.
New to the team this season, Derin Merten put herself in the main event both days but unfortunately crashed out Sunday – still lots of positives moving forward to Albuquerque next month.
Madelynn DeSantis already has wins under her belt from Vegas last month and she continued hitting the podium with 2 wins, a second and third for her efforts in Phoenix.
Brooke Craft started 2019 on fire with wins in Vegas, Oklahoma and another two this weekend in Phoenix. Brooke’s on a great track for the 2019 title chase.
Solid weekend all-around for the team.
Now that the dust has settled, reflecting back to the Grands and Winning the race and a National Number 1 Girl Title, how does it feel to put your name in the record books?
It feels amazing! Winning the amateur title is one goal that I’ve always wanted to accomplish! Winning the national age group title is cool, but to win an award this huge and for my name to go into the record books alongside riders like Alise is an honor.
How did you approach the main event? Anything different?
For the main event I didn’t do anything different than I would usually do when I go up for a race. I knew I was up for the title, but honestly I forgot about it by the time I crossed the finish line and was just stoked I won (haha). For prep leading up to it, I just kept it fun. I had fun in the chutes and on the gate, and that’s what helped me win and stay relaxed in the end.
How did you celebrate?
I was absolutely amazed by the amount of people who congratulated me on the title, and especially all of the pros who came up to me. After the races, my family and I went to an Irish Pub for dinner where we celebrated. It meant a lot to receive congratulations from my competitors, friends, family, sponsors, frankly from lots of people I didn’t even know, and tons of riders who inspire me.
We see you’ve been riding your park bike and some MTB in the off season. Do you think switching things up helps with your racing?
I’ve been trying to ride at some indoor bike parks during the winter since no tracks are open near me because of the weather. I’ve ridden at Ray’s Indoor MTB Park in Cleveland, Ohio once and the Wheelmill in Pittsburgh, PA a few times this year. I’ve also done a few cross-country mountain bike rides with my Dad on the local trails. I think switching things up helps with my racing tons! Exposing myself to different kinds of cycling not only expands my skills but could also present me with new opportunities.
Have you been checking out the Women’s Park events now that they’re in the Olympics? What are your thoughts on it?
I haven’t really checked out the Women’s Park events too much. I think it would be super cool to branch out and try some of that stuff someday, though. But right now, racing takes up just about all of my schedule. Plus, I’m planning on competing in some extra events this year.
Phoenix kicks off in a few weeks. How are you feeling after the off season?
I’m feeling amazing! I’ve been training in the off season at the indoor bike parks and on the rollers. I haven’t gotten any track time in because of the snowy and freezing weather, but I’ll be out on the west coast a little bit before Phoenix, so I’ll get plenty of track time out there. At my house the highs have been below freezing all day and it’s either raining or snowing!
I know you’ve been keeping your eye on the Red Bull Pump Track Series. Any plans on hitting it up this year?
Awww, yeeaahhh! When I saw the Red Bull Pump Track Series last year it definitely caught my eye. I’m signed up to hit up one of the qualifiers this year so I’m super pumped to race that. I’ve been working on my pump-track skills at the indoor bike parks lately, and it’s so much fun!
What’s the rest of the year looking like?
For the 2019 season a big goal of mine is to go to Zolder, Belgium for the world championships and race the junior class there. I would love to travel to and race my first world cup too. As for nationals, the system is a little confusing but I was planning on racing quite a few junior races in the U.S. this year. I was also going to do a few other events like dual slaloms, the Red Bull Pump Track Series, and hit up some local trail jams.
Final words…
A huge thank you to my Mom and Dad, Coach Arielle, Jamie Staff, Dale Holmes, and my sponsors (Haro, Cliq, Dale Holmes Racing, 100%, WD40, 3dyn Composites Inc, Dvide, ODI, Gaerne, Box, Tioga, HRP Designs, EVS Sports) for supporting the dream! See everyone in Phoenix!
As we kick-off 2019, we’ve changed gears a bit on the team front, Haro will now be our primary sponsor. The goal is to now rebuild the next Haro Factory Team over the next few years. Big thanks to everyone supporting this new effort and we look forward to a good year and to continue building on this program.
Team
Payton Ridenour @paytonridenour
Cam Mason @cam.mason
Brooke Craft @craft_brooke
Maddie Desentis @maddie_desantis1
Derin Merten @derinmerten
Connor Eaton @connoreaton
Sponsors
Haro, Cliq, 100%, Barona Casino, WD40, 3dyn Composites Inc, Dvide, ODI, Gaerne, Box, Tioga, HRP Designs.