My parents started me early. I was scrambling up mountain paths by the time I could walk and I found myself on downhill skis before the age of two. I cycled the Kettle Valley Railroad at age eight, hiked the West Coast Trail at nine and kayaked Clayoquot Sound at 12. I participated in sports throughout my school years.

By 1996 I was a self-confessed mountain biking addict. The friends I rode with convinced me to try racing, so I took their advice. That summer I entered my first race and finished last. But I finished and I had a blast. In 1997 my friends and I convinced a teacher to form a mountain bike team and I went on to win the Vancouver-area high school series two years in a row.

In 1998, as a junior, I represented Canada at the World Championships, placing 15th. Team Proworks picked me up from 1998 through 2000. For the 2001 season I raced as a founding member of the Speed Queens cycling team. In 2002 I raced for the same team, renamed Kappa Cycling. I also earned a spot on the Canadian National Team. In 2003 I rode for Team Marin Canada and retained my National Team status, representing Canada at the World Championships for the second year in a row. In 2004 I went back to Kappa Cycling.