For many people, their first trip to Europe might involve visiting classic museums, viewing famous works of art or learning a new language.
But for Squamish resident Lauren Rosser, it involved dirt, bikes and jumps.
The 17-year-old member of Team Squamish mountain bike team travelled to Champery, Switzerland to compete in her very first World Cup event Monday (July 26), which also happened to be her first trip to Europe - she said it was a trip that she won't soon forget.
"I've never been in something this big before," Rosser told the Canadian Cyclist website.
"For this to be my first experience coming across to Europe is amazing."
Rosser competed in the Union Cycliste International's fourth event of the season and she was the top Canadian in the junior women's category, placing 11th out of 21 riders with a time of 1:23:08.
The track conditions weren't ideal but Rosser persevered.
"It was really muddy out there," she said. "I couldn't get my feet clipped into the pedals properly and the marsh part was a killer on the legs. It was like a steep climb that just kept going, it seemed like it wouldn't stop."
But with all her local experience in gnarly terrain, the downhill portion of the race was all hers.
"I love the downhill, as technical as it gets, I know I will be able to do it," she said.
She said overall, the trip to Europe and competing against some of the world's best young riders has "been a very good experience."
Rosser will remain in Europe for the fifth race in the World Cup circuit, which takes place in Val di Sole in Northern Italy and is scheduled to begin on Saturday (July 31).
For more information and updated results on Rosser's progress, visit www.uci.ch.
