Name: Payton “P-Nut!” Ridenour
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Age: 10
Occupation: Being a kid!
Payton “P-Nut” Ridenour has wheels on fire! This elementary school student is a top-notch BMX rider who has only been on the planet for a decade but has already blazed a trail. She’s competed in BMX at a high-level since she was seven and even qualified for the World Championships this year!
A Phoenix, Arizona transplant, P-Nut started riding in Pennsylvania when she was five. Her father, who had also done BMX as a child, took her to a local track near their house. Immediately she knew she’d found her passion, and practiced by racing local kids who were also into BMX bikes.
“There weren’t many girls,” she recalls. “Sometimes I had to race the boys. Nothing upsets parents — especially fathers — more than when a little girl beats up on their boys! To advance in the sport and to get to race more fast girls, I started competing in the New Jersey state series, and then in northeast regional and national events.” Her efforts have paid off. By now she’s traveled all over the United States making a name for herself.
“Racing is like: BOOM! Gate drop, lots of jumps, and rubbing elbows,” she says. Sounds intense! So does she have any advice for other girls who are looking to get into BMX racing?