At 23 Bailey Goldstone is young to be leaving downhill. While it is a young person’s sport, the two-time national champion has a race resume that could see her keep racing for years to come. When the Squamish-based rider made the announcement, she shared that the decision stems back to a serious concussion suffered early last summer.
The concussion wasn’t Goldstone’s first but it came with more complications than in the past. The Squamish racer is looking back on a successful career, happy with what she’s accomplished and ready to move on. But she also wants to help other riders
“I’m proud of myself for what I did, but I’m kind of ready for the next chapter,” Goldstone says, adding, “I’m excited to help push the conversation around concussions forward. I’ve seen a lot of them and seen a lot of them in other people. And I think everyone should be more open to talking about them.”
A cumulative effect experienced over a year
Last year’s crash wasn’t Goldstone’s first concussion. She says her first major one was probably around age eight and has had several since. This one, she says, was different.
“The last one in 2025, if felt like the big one,” Goldstone says. “All of the symptoms were unleashed from all of my concussions, if that made sense.”
The list of symptoms Goldstone that came with last year’s crash is harrowing.
“I was fatigued all the time. I needed to sleep all the time. Headaches. I’ve been having a lot of vision problems, with my vestibular system. So when I’m out biking and there’s shifting light, it takes my eyes a really long time to readjust. That one’s kind of freaky because I can’t see for a second or two. I get quite bad vertigo and I have no depth perception.”
While she says some have improved, it’s still requiring a serious shift in her day-to-day life a year on.
“My headaches are a lot better. I only get them sometimes now whereas before it was kind of like 24/7 that I had a pretty bad migraine. I’m less fatigued, but I’m still definitely more fatigued than a should be. I’ve been working on my focus, just how to manage a lot of the symptoms. That’s made them better. But I think a lot of these symptoms are going to be long term, if not permanent.”
Several of the symptoms are already requiring significant changes.
“I’ve slowly developed a speech impediment over the years as…
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