Amelia

2025 marks my first year as a Salsa Cycles-sponsored rider. It’s also four years after I purchased my original Salsa Cutthroat and committed to the goal of racing competitively. Here’s the story of how my beloved Amelia came into my life—enjoy! Pandemic Road Trip “I’ll pay for coffee,” I say, handing the credit card to […]

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From Bikepacking to Time Trialling

How Bikepacking Helped Me Win the World 24 Hour Time Trial Championships (Twice) November 5, 2022: After twelve hours of tunnelling through darkness, dawn’s first pale hues buoyed my spirits. Since the 5:00 pm start whistle, I’d been sucked into a void: just me and my time trial bike on an 18-mile loop in the […]

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Getting to the Start Line

A Commuter’s Journey into Bikepack Racing Darkness swallows my failing front light as I ascend into the foothills of Romania’s Parâng Mountains. I’m approaching the resort town of Rânca, according to my navigation unit. Within minutes the inviting flicker of guesthouses warms the inky night—the thought of a cushy pillow and cleansing shower enough to […]

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The Lost Elephant Q&A

On July 22-23, 2023, I had the opportunity to travel to Cranbrook to compete in the Lost Elephant, a gritty ultra-distance race that explores the bikepacking paradise of the East Kootenay region, with two different route lengths to choose from. I opted for the 500+ km Jumbo (in contrast to the shorter-but-still-challenging Dumbo), which traversed […]

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Big Rides of 2022: A Roundup

Inspired by 2021’s Big Rides in the Okanagan, this year I’ve broadened my reach. Unlike 2021 where I explored terrain close to home and in neighbouring US states, this year I racked up 24,000 km in twenty-one countries on two continents (plus many more hours on my indoor trainer). Transitioning to remote, part-time work enabled […]

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Early Bird Van Island Bikepacking

James and I kicked April off with an early season bikepacking trip: seven days, no set route, more dirt than pavement. We picked Southern Vancouver Island mostly out of convenience. I had a cat sitting gig in Courtenay lined up for the end of March, plus spring arrived a little earlier on the Island than […]

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Mallorca 312

The Jersey In 2019, Stacey Welsh loaned me her old Mallorca 312 jersey for the NorthCape4000, a self-supported 4,000-plus kilometre bikepacking race from Turin to North Cape, Norway. I wore Stacey’s jersey to shreds that summer: through Italy, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and then some. I wore it for […]

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