Madison, WI – January 13, 2020 – Mongoose, a brand of Dorel Industries, Inc. (TSX: DII.B, DII.A), has signed three BMX racers – Cameron Wood (18), Payton Ridenour (17), and Mason Hayes (11) – to ride for the brand in 2020. Mongoose AA Pro rider Justin Posey selected the talented trio of young riders to form a team that is impressive both on and off the track. When not racing, these athletes will continue the Mongoose's efforts to grow the sport of BMX through education.
In 2019, Mongoose partnered with the USA BMX Foundation to have Justin Posey ride for the brand while he also served as the Foundation's Marketing Coordinator. This partnership helped bring more attention to the Foundation's STEM education programs for elementary age children around the country. And, after a successful first year of the partnership and race program, Mongoose is adding more athletes to the BMX race team in 2020.
"I'm thrilled to have three amazing riders join the Mongoose race team. They are excellent riders, but even better people," Posey said about the additions to the team. "They embody everything I want to see in young talent – passion, humility, drive, and they're great role models on and off their bikes. I couldn't be more excited to see them achieve their goals while being great ambassadors for not only Mongoose, but the sport of BMX racing. I know these three riders will do great things in the sport – all with speed AND style! Welcome aboard Cam, Payton, and Mason."
Payton Ridenour is a seven-time USA BMX National Champion and is one of the top-ranked Amateur riders in the US. Payton rides multiple cycling disciplines and won the prestigious UCI Red Bull Pump Track World Championships in 2019. She placed 4th in the world for Jr. Elite Women in 2019 and is looking to capitalize at the 2020 World Championships. The epitome of a student-athlete, Payton is able to maintain straight A's in school!
In 2019, Cameron Wood was the top Junior rider in the U.S. winning 17 National events. He represented team USA in both Lima, Peru, for the Pan American Games and in Zolder, Belgium for the World Championships. Cameron has emerged as one of America's top hopefuls for future Olympic Games.
Mason Hayes is an 11 year-old ace from Denver, NC, who brings a variety of skills to the Mongoose team. Not only is he a top 10 amateur racer for his age group, but he also enjoys mountain biking, rock climbing, and scuba diving. In addition, Mason placed 1st in the USA BMX Race of Champions in 2019 while focusing on his studies and continuing to be a role model in the classroom.
Mongoose Team Manager Leigh Ramsdell commented, "The Mongoose Race Team is growing, and having a veteran racer like Justin Posey hand-pick these amazing young riders will not only do great things for Mongoose but more importantly it will boost the impact of these athletes as ambassadors of the sport. The future is bright for these three athletes, and I'm excited to get a front-row seat to witness all the great things they will do for BMX."
"Year one of our partnership with Mongoose was everything we had hoped and more," said USA BMX Foundation's Executive Director Mike Duvarney. "It has given the Foundation a legendary brand to help amplify our efforts to reach more schools and more students around the U.S. Each of these riders are student-athletes in every sense of the word, and they understand the importance of impacting young kids to help introduce BMX to a wider audience and hopefully instill a life-long love of cycling."
Carrying over from 2019, Mongoose will continue their support of the BMX race teams La Revolution Café, Racer Concepts and Hooligan Racing. New for 2020, Mongoose will add Focus Factory and Mongoose Factory (UK). For more information on Mongoose, visit www.mongoose.com.
###
ABOUT MONGOOSE
Mongoose is a brand of Pacific Cycle, a division of Dorel Industries' (TSX: DII.B, DII.A) Dorel Sports segment, encompassing several powerhouse brands, including Schwinn, Roadmaster, Pacific, and KidTrax. Dorel Industries Inc. has annual sales of US$2.6 billion and employs approximately 9,200 people in facilities located in twenty-five countries worldwide. For more than 40 years, Mongoose has been a world-class brand in BMX and action sports. After bursting onto the BMX scene in 1974 with the revolutionary MotoMag wheel, Mongoose remains a household name with an international fanbase thanks to our passion for designing stylish, durable bikes and scooters for riders of all ages and ability levels. For more information, visit www.mongoose.com.
ABOUT USA BMX FOUNDATION
The USA BMX Foundation was created in 2005 as a division that focuses on the fundraising efforts specifically the Race for Life and the Bob Warnicke Scholarship programs. As these programs are well established, the Foundation's core focus is creating membership growth through educational programing. The Foundation has had tremendous success over the last two years especially with the creation of the USA BMX STEM program - one of which BMX is the only Olympic sport with a fully integrated STEM program which is now deployed in more than 300 schools.
