Vaea Verbeeck was born in Tahiti, French Polynesia, growing up with her mum and older sister in Quebec, Canada. While snowboarding in her late teen years, she bumped into a new group of friends who introduced her to mountain biking the following summer. Vaea was immediately on board, tagging along with her friends to hit some local downhill races. The learning curve was quick, and although Vaea faced her share of injuries through the process, she became one to watch at Downhill World Cups. 

In recent years, Vaea has shifted her focus from Downhill World Cups to the Crankworx World Tour – a mountain bike series hosting all sorts of mountain bike disciplines, from pump track, dual slalom, air downhill, whip off, to downhill races. She has since been working at getting better at other riding disciplines to better her chances at success in the overall race. Crowned the 2019 Queen of Crankworx, Vaea won the overall title and is set to keep her progression going. Her progression as a rider doesn’t end at races either. Vaea has developed a love for big jumps and freeride outside of racing. Being an all-around skilled rider, keeping things fresh throughout the year has been her favourite change in recent years.