“There is nothing wrong with loving the crap out of everything, negative people find their walls so never apologize for your enthusiasm. Never ever never!”

Laura Battista was born in Adelaide, South Australia, lived in Manchester England for a decade as a teen, and now considers home to be Squamish, BC. Luckily Squamish is her favorite riding destination, where she enjoys fast, flowy, and technical trail assortments. She grew up on a small farm in Australia and had an early start in sports like field hockey and track cycling at the national level. Laura loves to travel and explore new places, and lives by the motto, “aim high, work hard, have fun, and make your goals a reality.”

Mountain biking changed Laura from a teen party queen to an outdoor enthusiast overnight. She is a natural competitor and loves the thrill of racing, plus she wanted to meet more bikers and friends to adventure with, so she started enduro racing. Since then she’s gone on to pick up some stellar enduro race results: winner of the 2018 Trans BC, 2nd at the 2019 Andes Pacifico, and 19th overall for the 2019 EWS.

Her work life juggles time as a coach with Jamie Hill, training shifts for the Squamish Fire Rescue, and over 10 years as a Veterinary Technician. This may seem like a lot for one person, but Laura loves to learn and develop each and every day. There’s a wild rumor that Laura does occasionally enjoy some chill time with her boyfriend, Curtis, and dog, Luna.

Who’s your favorite riding buddy and why?

"I would have to say Curtis, my boyfriend as he's always very supportive, pushes me to take new lines and try new features. I'm also very lucky to have a strong crew of women to ride with. We all support each other and always aim to improve and grow as a biker whilst having a good laugh."