THE TRUSTY CHEVROLET BLAZER
Chapter 1 - Jump Start – The mission to the Trails
Touching down in Vancouver, I was a bundle of nervous energy, excited to ride and race in one of the world’s most famous mountain bike destinations—but first I had to get from the city up to Whistler. What is, in theory, an easy task turned into a six-hour ordeal that still only got me as far as Squamish. Knowing that great New Zealander Tom Bradshaw was residing somewhere near Vancouver, I flicked him a text saying I’d shout him sushi (world’s best sushi in Vancouver) if he could swing by the airport and pick me up. An hour later a sweaty man in Kiwiana clothing rolled up in a Nissan Xterra and parked on an angle about two metres from the curb. Exchanging hugs and some banter, we began trying to pack his poorly-loaded truck. After the best part of an hour (thirty minutes talking to thirty minutes packing) we’d managed to fit his life and my month’s worth of gear in the boot. Next stop was sushi where my card declined and Bradshaw ended up paying; my lunch shout had taken a 180 degree turn.
