Earlier this year, Vancouver Island’s Emilly Johnston made the jump up from a development team to join Scott-SRAM. Not just any factory team, Scott-SRAM is, and has been, one of mountain biking’s powerhouse squads for decades, housing world champions like Nino Schurter and Kate Courtney.
For Johnston, stepping up to a factory team meant more time away from her Comox Valley home. The Canadian was already largely Europe-based during the summers with her Trek Future Racing team, but the bigger budget, training camps, and team commitments of Scott-SRAM added to the already busy World Cup schedule.
A mid-season break in that racing calendar, though, allowed Johnston the time to return home. While back on the west coast, the young Canadian had time to reflect on what her Comox home means to her. The result is That Which Draws Me Back.
That Which Draws Me Back with Emilly Johnston
We don’t think it’s much of a stretch to want to return to, or visit Vancouver Island. But we’re not exactly unbiased. But here’s what Scott-SRAM has to say about That Which Draws Me Back and their second-newest teammates home town:
For Emilly, the Comox Valley holds a special place in her heart. It’s a place of peace, of adventure, of learning; a place she is always drawn back to. A place of home.
After travelling all around the world and even living in Europe, the Comox Valley always calls her back.
With some of the best riding in Canada, pristine fishing waters, and wildness just out the door, it’s a theme park of outdoor exploration. Combine that with all the creature comforts of home, for Emilly, there’s no place on earth she’d rather live.
This is an ode to Emilly and her Comox Valley.
Filmed and Edited by Piper Albrecht