Vaea Verbeeck: “Still Growing”

“If you set your mind to wanting to learn something new,” Vaea Verbeeck shares in Still Growing, “and you make a plan for it, it’s totally doable.”

As the reigning Queen of Crankworx and Canadian downhill national champion, Verbeeck ranks among the top riders in the world. While she comes from a background in downhill racing, earning her Crankworx crown required a much more diverse set of skills.

Even with two major titles to her name in 2019, Verbeeck is still aiming higher. This year, Verbeeck is pushing hard to learn new tricks. Crankworx has opened the fast-paced, high flying Speed and Style race to women for 2020. The Canadian is already finding success. At Crankworx Rotorua, Verbeeck finished second in Speed and Style.

Verbeeck’s road to success, and pro status, wasn’t easy or quick. The Canadain raced for 10 years before becoming fully “pro” in mountain biking. Now that she’s there, she’s not slowing down.

Find out what drives Vaea Verbeeck in Still Growing, part of Shimano’s Make Your Mark series.

Vaea Verbeeck: Still Growing

From Shimano:

“Breaking through to the professional level is one of the hardest things to do in sports. Years of hard training, traveling to competitions far and wide and sustaining injuries await all those who wish to pursue a career as a professional mountain bike athlete. For Vaea Verbeeck, years of hard work and dedication left her within inches of a podium spot. In order to break through to the next level, she had to take a step back and remember why she began racing in the first place.“