Nikki Peterson
Nikki’s athletic career started many years ago as a middle and long distance runner. She ran on a scholarship for Indiana University and the University of Wyoming while completing a Bachelor’s degree in Human Food and Nutrition. She later got her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential for CA with a Masters Degree in Teaching and Education. She began riding all-mountain bikes in 2010 but rode sparingly because her focus was on the two Third Wave coffee shops that she co-owned in Wyoming. She started racing cross country mountain bikes in 2015 when she moved to Southern California. In 2016, as a first year UCI Pro, she finished 11th in the women’s Pro division XC at the USA Cycling National Championships. In 2017, Nikki made huge improvements and finished 6th in the overall US Cup series with an 8th place at the ProXCT Chile Challenge (C1), 10th at the ProXCT Utah Tech-Devo, and 17th at the ProXCT Windham XCO race (HC). In 2019, Nikki finished 14th in the Belgian Waffle Ride and 16th at the USAC Pro Women’s XCO race. In 2021, she will focus primarily on the marathon mountain bike distance as well as gravel events, including the BWR series.
Nikki is the Program Coordinator for SoCal NICA, a Level 3 NICA coach, and a senior consultant for Source Endurance. She and the League Director of the NICA Ohio League, Jen Malik, co-founded and co-host a NICA GRiT-inspired podcast called Girls Moving Mountains. Nikki is also the co-chair for CAMTB, a 503(c) that focuses on providing a unified voice for mountain bike advocacy organizations throughout the state of California. For racing, she is a part of the Competitive Metals - Trek team. Nikki is most passionate about getting kids on bikes so they can experience the joy that riding outdoors in nature can provide!