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Video: Vancouver Island Living with Vaea Verbeeck – Pinkbike

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6 months ago

June 19, 2024

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Video: Vancouver Island Living with Vaea Verbeeck – Pinkbike

Over the years, Vaea Verbeeck’s career has evolved through her decade-long partnership with Rocky Mountain. From downhill World Cup racing to multiple Queen of Crankworx titles, she was introduced to the freeride world at Red Bull Formation in 2019 and has since shifted her focus.

For Vaea, North Cowichan, BC, on Vancouver Island, is the perfect home base. Surrounded by a strong and supportive riding community, numerous trail networks, airbag facilities, and local dirt jumps, she has everything she needs to keep progressing and pushing herself.

Tag along as Vaea shows us why she loves to call the island home, highlighting her day-to-day life, the tight-knit community, and the local spots that inspire her.

Mount Prevost overlooking Duncan

My favorite part about living on Vancouver Island is the pretty relaxed environment and lifestyle while also having unlimited access to really sick outdoor experiences one could ask for. I made the move initially because I was drawn to year-round mild weather, premium riding spots and optional access to winter activities. But the lifestyle and the people here suit me best. I feel at home.—Vaea Verbeeck

Vaea clocking air miles with local legend and good friend Leland Harris

The environment and the people around here bring an organic stoke for anyone to want to push themselves. Riders of all ages and varied experience, each one just stoked to be there riding and hyped on other people’s success. It’s so fun to watch and I’m always keen to take on a fun challenge. There are just as many bikers eager to become the best in the world, just like there’s people just happy to chill and socialize. So, the pressure is never there, but the opportunity to push yourself and the stoke that comes with that is always there. We’re lucky to have the infrastructures to learn and try new things, but keeping those places alive and always growing is what has built this strong community.—Vaea Verbeeck

Mount Prevost laps providing the goods

I’ve always been stoked to challenge myself and try new things. Racing was the path forward since my beginnings but side opportunities in freeride would come up and I was curious and wanting to try. Turns out I had way more fun riding features and learning new skills in that environment. It felt bold to step away from something I was successful at, but I knew that following what fuelled me with full time stoke was the right thing to do.—Vaea Verbeeck

Featuring: Vaea Verbeeck
Filmed and edited by: Scott Secco
Photos: Sebastien Berthiaume