The fast progression of DH champ Vaea Verbeeck

After Vaea Verbeeck rode a successful Crankworx Rotorua – where she was first in the air DH and dual slalom competitions – she headed from New Zealand to Australia. While she wasn’t competing in the Northern Territory, she still had a rather gruelling schedule. She and a film crew were chasing the light of sunrises and sunsets as they shot a tourism video this past March. During the day, the North Vancouver rider could catch up on emails by the pool.

Verbeeck’s win in the dual slalom was particularly special because she is still fairly new to the discipline. “Riding my hardtail bike used to be a rare sight, and I wasn’t very comfortable on it until I put some time in this past winter,” she said. “Winning the event was way beyond my expectations. The slalom track in Rotorua was high-speed and mixed with built rhythms, berms, flat corners and sprint sections. It called for all sorts of handling skills. I was stoked on my progression on gate starts, rhythms and strong sprints, which led me all the way to finals.”

Verbeeck left Rotorua as the queen of Crankworx having racked up the most points at the event. While in Australia, she said her plans for the season included more of the Crankworx world tour and more filming. Later in the year, she hopes to be back in Canada. The world championships in Mont-sainte-anne are a draw. Before that, she’d like to defend her downhill national championship title. “Wearing the Canadian champion sleeve is something I’m quite proud of. I would love to keep flying the flag,” she said.— MP