Pinkbike: 2013 Western Open - BC Cup

August 8, 2013

The Western Open has become a bit of an institution, it’s not the easiest race to get to but it’s one of the most loved tracks on the BC Cup circuit and worth the hours of travel from Vancouver, Calgary, and Florida.

Check out more of my photos and Connor Macloed's video on pinkbike.com

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Latest Instagrams

It doesn’t get fresher than this.
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Berry picking companion: @treefrendo.
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Recipe: @ohsheglows Mother Nature’s Crumble with a healthy amount of improvising from what I had in the pantry.
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@studavid70 review: 👍👍👍

We get married in 12 days. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. I just wanted to take a moment before the big day is here to say thank you.
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Ever since we got engaged - really, ever since we started dating - our family, friends, and community have shown us so much love and support.
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From incredible gifts to a beautiful shower and stagette(s) - it has blown my mind that people have put so much time and thought into celebrating with us.
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And beyond that, the genuine well wishes, comments, messages, and calls from everyone have been really, really amazing.
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Thank you. We love you. xoxo
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Photo: @ashleydrody

Stoked to have worked (remotely) with the @redbullcanada team last night to bring you this post-event coverage of Joyride (link in bio).
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Congratulations to all the athletes who competed. While it was heartbreaking to see @brettrheeder miss the Triple Crown, watching @johanssoemil win was the perfect ending to his comeback year.
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Swipe to see the beautiful-mind-esque notes that @studavid70’s took during the comp to help me write from. He’s the best!
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Photo by the talented @parisgore and everything else by the awesome @travispersaud and team!

Stu and I joined my cousin Sarah and her husband Dane last September to search for our Great Grandmother's trapping cabin in the Nitinat Triangle.
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It was a trip full of challenges but it also brought Sarah and me so much closer to our family, history, and roots here on the West Coast.
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Link to online article in bio.
@mountainlifemedia @studavid70 @slogan424 @worldsquirrell

Maybe if I had babies I wouldn’t post so many pictures of my sourdough - but would you look at how precious this one is?
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Like any good parent, I’ll get bored of this soon. I promise!

You don’t have to be good at gardening for gardening to be good for you. I read that on a Facebook post last week. It resonated with me. I have my first garden this year. It’s small and in pots. I planted things late, fought with aphids, and occasionally forgotten to water, but I love doing it.
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This past April I found myself in a @shamanicyogainstitute Teacher Training program. I didn’t practice yoga regularly, I knew nothing about the practice shamanism, and I didn’t know a soul in the class. The week previous had been my last at BC Bike Race where I’d worked for nine years - where I knew everyone, knew my job inside and out, and new my strengths and limitations. Now here I was with no identity, no knowledge, and no expectations in a room full of strangers. And it was the most incredible experience.
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I know that you can’t really be ‘bad’ at yoga but I was pretty terrible at it - and I loved it. I’ve always enjoyed learning but have never been comfortable with failing. My grade 2 and grade 12 reports cards said very similar things on this topic, ‘Danielle will discard a project if it isn’t turning out as she expected it to.’ (Sorry to my ex-boyfriends.)
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Following my first Shamanic Yoga course, I started making bread and gardening. These are two things that I didn’t (and still don’t) know much about, I’m not perfect at, but I love doing. These are also two things that I didn’t abandon - despite some epically failed attempts.
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Next year I’ll plant these nasturtium seeds (and return to the Shamanic Yoga Teacher Training) and continue doing something I’m not good at - and I can’t wait.

@juliocuellarjewelry absolutely killed it with this design (left) for Stu’s wedding band that complements my ring but is entirely its own work of art (like a good marriage should be).
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Although we are having a relatively small wedding, we’ve worked hard to spend our money for it with people who we respect and admire, who we want to see continue to succeed, and who are creating community and love around what they do. Basically, getting married has been a fantastic excuse to buy things from people we like. Julio is one of these people. (@cjwevans is another one but she deserves her own post).
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Swipe if you want to see our sausage fingers modelling our new bling.

For the last five years I’ve struggled with my health. The main symptom has been fatigue. It’s a kind of exhaustion where one day you feel fine and hopeful and the next you can’t walk around the block. I’ve had years of making excuses to avoid bike rides, ghosting early at social gatherings, and sneaking away for naps when no one will miss me. I’ve also had years of (mostly) negative test results and a complicated health overview.
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Two weeks ago, I was finally diagnosed with Lyme Disease. The test marker that represents my immune system was at 20 (normal range is 100-300). Due to its weakness, I also have some viruses including Epstein Barr (related to Mono) and Mycoplasma Pneumoniae (related to Walking Pneumonia).
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Through this learning, I came to understand that you can be infected with Lyme Disease at anytime (like in childhood) and it can be dormant in your body. It frequently only becomes a problem after undergoing times of extreme physical or emotional stress. It’s likely that body was ripe for the inhabiting when I went through a period of time involving college, a concussion, three major losses, a move, and a difficult job and relationships - all while not understanding how to manage stress and grief.
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I am working with an incredible specialist, GP, and naturopath. The reality is that it will be up to two years before I feel the way I did before I got sick and there’s a solid chance that I will never be 100%. But after five years of not knowing what was happening and occasionally feeling crazy about it, just having an answer has taken a huge weight off my shoulders.
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I questioned whether I wanted to be open about these details publicly but in my experience the things you feel scared to say are usually worth sharing. I was nervous that people may view me differently but then I realized that @studavid70 has only known me while I’ve been sick - and he’s marrying me - so if it’s changed me, maybe it’s not so bad!
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When I got the results, I certainly wished for a moment that I’d ponied up for the very expensive test a lot sooner but I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t take the path I did and truly love my life - naps and all.
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Photo: @ashleydrody

Big thanks to @claire_buchar, @tbroms, @jessemelamed, and Ken Melamed for all your insights on what makes the shoulder season in Whistler special.
Photos by the always talented @olliegregoryjones.

Link to the @freehubmag article in my bio.

My attempt at getting artsy with the sourdough. I think I’ll have to add a little more rye into the mix to really get the effect - but hey, I got to draw with a knife this morning!
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Shout out to @xavipdx for the recommendation to ditch the parchment paper! Less hassle, less waste, and a smoother crust!