2022 was a great year for women’s BMX, and through The Bloom BMX awards, we were able to celebrate together the women who inspired us the most. Thanks to Vans BMX and their support, we were able to make this fourth year bigger and better by adding a new category called photographer of the year. As women’s BMX grows we look forward to growing this award as well, thank you for taking the time to vote and we look forward to seeing how 2023 shapes out.

2022 Award Recipients

PARK RIDER OF THE YEAR
Nikita Ducarroz

“We are stoked to announce the 2022 PARK RIDER OF THE YEAR goes to @nikita.ducarroz. Nikita has been a close favourite consistently the last few years, but 2022 was her year to win with the majority vote. No surprise considering the success and podium consistency she’s had all year and the work she’s been doing as an advocate for mental health via @m1ndtricks and the growth of women’s BMX through @redbull – Congrats Nikita!”

RACER OF THE YEAR
Bethany Shriever

“In 2021 @bethanyshriever made history by becoming the first British BMX racer to win an Olympic gold medal and then World title; you would think that’s enough, but Bethany entered 2022 and checked off even more accomplishments! This included winning her first World Cup in Bogota, becoming a UEC BMX Racing European Champion, winning a European Cup for the first time, having a track named after her in the UK, joined people like @adele and @teddysphotos by becoming a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire and she also released a book called The Power of Belief – just a few of the things she’s done in 2022. It’s no wonder you voted her in as the 2022 Bloom BMX Racer of the year! Congrats Bethany!”

FLATLANDER OF THE YEAR
Aude Cassagne

“The flatland community has spoken! Aude Cassagne is your 2022 Bloom BMX Flatlander of the year! Aude has had a number of accomplishments this year including becoming the 2022 French Champion in Montpellier, the new UCI BMX Flatland World Champion in Abu Dhabi, and then in the same month, joined the #heresybmx family. Congrats Aude, we can’t wait to see what you do next year!”

STREET RIDER OF THE YEAR
Linda Grabner

“Women’s Street has grown rapidly in the last few years, the community has grown and has developed its own culture and even birthed its own crew via @theclichecrew. You’ve spoken and you wanted @linda.grabner to be The Bloom BMX Street Rider of the year for the second year in a row! 2022 was a busy year for Linda, she had a @wethepeoplebmx edit that dropped in February, she went on the Bloom x Vans tour in March, got featured in the second issue of @silentmag_ and was the only women to ride at @simplesession. Even though she’s been out since July due to injury, Linda has stayed in the game with numerous podcast interviews and even acted as a judge at Waffle Cup. Linda is breaking the mold, and we’re here for it!”

TRAIL RIDER OF THE YEAR
Jesse Gregory

“We’re stoked to crown Jesse Gregory as your 2022 trail rider of the year! Coming from a race background, it’s no surprise Jesse can transfer her confidence and skills onto dirt. This Huntington Beach local has been hitting the bicoastal trails from the dirt at Woodward West and Sapwi to the hidden gems in Pennsylvania like Catty and Posh. Jesse won bowl rider of the year in 2021, but we heard you and she’s now your trail rider of the year. Congrats Jesse!”

BOWL RIDER OF THE YEAR
Perris Benegas

“There’s no one boosting quite like Perris Benegas, and no one that rides as fast with her tongue sticking out like her. This @fastandloosebmx member joined us on the Vans x Bloom BMX trip; she cooked the bowls, cleared the gaps and connected the transitions that no one else did. Surfing the concrete waves and unlocking every air pocket imaginable, we hear there’s something developing from a recent Pacific Northwest trip, and we’re waiting for it! We got your votes, and we’re stoked to have Perris as your 2022 Bowl Rider of the year!”

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Bethany Hedrick

“We’re celebrating the up and coming young guns and the future of women’s BMX. We heard you and we’re stoked to have Bethany Hedrick as your 2022 Rookie of the year! It’s been a great year for this 17 year old rider from Kentucky who graduated from her last amateur @usabmxfreestyle competition and then competed in her first @ucibmxfreestyle level event, making her world debut in Abu Dhabi. Bethany also picked up a couple of sponsors in just the last few months, joining the @gtbmxfreestyle, @gtbicycles, @odysseybmx and @spunbicycles family. Congrats Bethany, we’re excited to see where you take your BMX next!”

BRAND OF THE YEAR
Vans

“Today we’re celebrating the brand who has provided the most support to Women’s BMX this year, but we might have to rename this award to “Brand of All Time” with @Vansbmx66 winning this award for the third time! Let’s be real though, what other brand has continued to top their commitment year after year, supporting female riders and creating events like #wafflecup for women to shine, all while elevating the culture across the globe and in all disciplines? Let’s also remind you of the Vans x Bloom BMX tour which started on International Women’s Day, taking an international group of women riders from San Francisco to Huntington Beach on a week long BMX trip. So it was no surprise Vans was top of YOUR mind when it came to voting for The Bloom BMX Brand of the year.”

COMEBACK OF THE YEAR
Natalya Diehm

“Having injuries is an unavoidable risk of BMX and can be mentally devastating when BMX is where you feel the most free. Comeback of the year celebrates the women who has overcome a serious setback, but more importantly we’re celebrating how they’ve dealt with the adversity. In 2021 after the Tokyo Olympics, @_natalyadiehm ruptured her ACL for the 5th time, and after 15 months of rehab and finally being able to ride again… she was hit with another injury resulting in a posterior labrum tear and another surgery. As a community we felt the devastation with and for her. Throughout this, Natalya has been honest and vulnerable with the difficulties of dealing with another injury, but she continues to dig deep on her rehab, staying positive with hopes of returning to competition as soon as possible. While dealing with this, Natalya continues to be involved with BMX, from being an @australiancyclingteam BMX coach, and gifting us with her wit by hosting events like #wafflecup and #urbansportfest. Thank you @_natalyadiehm for being a huge inspiration to us, we’re rooting for you!”

BACKER OF THE YEAR
Beatrice Trang 

“As some of you may know, in 2022 I left my 9-5 job to focus on @thebloombmx full time, it was a tough decision to leave a steady pay cheque but with the opportunties @a_ngiemarie and I had to elevated our community, as my therapist said, it would have been a disservice if I didn’t go for it. Covering women’s BMX has been my passion since I was 15 years old when I first started Magnolia BMX, but I never imagined it would become my life. With some savings, I took the leap and without regret have been living my childhood dream. Backer of the year was created to celebrate the person who has done a lot to support Women’s BMX or the growth of the Women’s BMX scene, and I am so honoured to have you vote me in. Money comes and goes and life is short, so pursue your dream, regardless how silly or unreachable it seems. Here’s to another great year in womens BMX 🍻 – B”

PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
Naoki Gaman

“Women’s BMX is growing at a rapid rate, and to further develop the community we created this category in hopes of seeing more women involved in action sports and to fill the growing demand for more women behind the lens. This year, @55naoking is our honorary recipient of this award. Hard working, talented and kind, Naoki has been a dedicated photographer for the women’s BMX scene. Thanks to her, we’ve been able to bring events like the Olympics, FISE and more to the comfort of your home. Thank you Naoki for taking photos of us and for being a huge inspiration to future photographers!”