Vital Mtb - Speaking Of Mountain Biking

It's an honor to have finally connected with this week's guest on The Inside Line. Cam McCaul is a household mountain biking name. I've had the privilege of watching his career blossom from a stoked grom to world-class freerider, and now, on-air personality as commentator for mountain biking's biggest broadcast events like Red Bull Joyride and Rampage.I owe a lot to Cam and his family for helping me get a career off the ground some 15 years ago. They always made themselves available to shoot photos or videos when I was cutting my teeth, and I'll be forever grateful. I met with Cam at his home in Bend, Oregon, a week or so after the 2018 Red Bull Rampage event. He was in a sling, a few weeks out of shoulder surgery, ready to talk. We discuss this year's Rampage, its format, the judging, the digging and then we go into some history and highlights of his career. Discussing the future is how things conclude.There are so many things I wanted to talk about and I think a part two will b

This week we sit down with Judd Devall, owner of Alpine Bike Parks. Judd has been a long-time mountain bike rider and racer, who turned his love of bikes into a career building world-class trails and bike parks. We discuss how Judd built his career, the hurdles of working on city and county projects, how to get a public bike park in your area, IMBA's impact on trail building, as well as the future and where trail building is heading. He concludes with the story of his 9-year-old sending the massive jumps on Crabapple Hits in Whistler!Alpine Bike Parks has worked on projects like the Stevie Smith Bike Park, Valmont Bike Park and Ruby Hill Bike park just to name a few. Visit www.alpinebikeparks.com to see a complete list of projects.

Damian Breach sits down with mountain bike racing phenom, Jared Graves, at his home in Toowoomba, Australia. A week earlier, Jared had surgery on his brain to remove a tumor that was very recently discovered. A season of mystery with troubles focusing and concentrating came to a head after the Enduro World Series in Whistler, British Columbia, where Jared suffered a handful of seizures; something he had never experienced earlier in his life. Scans revealed the brain tumor and measures were quickly taken to remove it. The surgery was successful, his prognosis is very positive and chemotherapy and radiation are the next steps in dealing with this life-changing news.Enjoy a candid, in-depth interview with one cycling's greatest competitors. Jared, everyone here at Vital is pulling for you and we appreciate your trust with this interview. #strengthforjaredYou can support Jared and cancer research at his official GoFundme page.https://www.gofundme.com/strength-for-jared

In this episode we chat with Kevin Menard, co-owner of Transition Bikes. We talk about working at a recumbent factory when he was younger, the moment he and his partner Kyle decided to go for it over a ping pong match some 18 years ago, quitting the corporate life, the brand's by riders / for riders culture, their thoroughly entertaining videos, the incredible riding community of Bellingham, Washington, memories throughout the years, product development, zigging when others zag, and much more. Enjoy the show! -Brandon Turman Keep up with Kevin's latest adventures and projects on Instagram - http://www.instagram.com/transitionkevin @transitionkevin and visit http://www.transitionbikes.com to check out the full line of party-worthy rides.

In this episode we catch up with Shaun Hughes – a.k.a. Polar Bear. Polar Bear has essentially been one of the silent soldiers behind the scenes, aiding several of the world's fastest mountain bike racers to victory over the last several years in downhill, enduro, and even four-cross. Shaun and I met up in Snowmass, Colorado, leading into the Whistler Enduro World Series. We chatted about how quickly he can build a wheel, got some incredible insight into the world of racing, learned a little bit of Team Yeti strategy, got some pro bike setup tips, queued into the big toolbox wars, the community of wrenches, and what Yeti Cycles means when they say something is "Race Bred." Enjoy the show! -Brandon Turman Keep up with Shaun's latest travels, race insights, and his two pups on Instagram @yetipolarbear

Loic Bruni describes winning the Downhill Mountain Bike World Championships for the 3rd time. From race prep to line choice to mental games, Loic and Boris Beyer discuss this hard-fought victory that propelled Loic to the rainbow stripes. YEAH LOIC!!!

Emotion, excitement, victory and defeat. Sven, Boris and Dan make you feel like you're at the World Championships of mountain biking with the riders in these candid post-race interviews.View their incredible photos in our slideshow on www.vitalmtb.com

The downhill track walk in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, took place today at the 2018 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships. Sven Martin, Boris Beyer and Dan Hearn talk with the athletes about the pressures of this one-day race, their new bikes and what it takes to win.Hear fromBrook MacDonaldDanny HartEddie MastersGee AthertonGreg MinnaarLaurie GreenlandLoic BruniLoris VergierLuca ShawMartin MaesMiranda MillerRachel AthertonSteve PeatTahnee SeagraveTracey HannahTroy Brosnan

Kyle Warner may hold three North American Enduro Tour titles but he values those as secondary to the impact that bikes have had on his life. Growing up in Chico, California, Kyle's family struggled with financial challenges as his mother was ill and the economy went bust. Through these dark times of having very little to eat and living in an abandoned home, Kyle found bicycles could help him escape, even if just for a few hours each day. Enjoy his inspiring story and see how bicycles played a pivotal role in shaping his future. Growing up in Chico, California, with a mother who was sick Having his family go bust during the economic down-turn in 2008 Finding bikes, going to trails, digging and escaping home life Dropping out of school to help take care of mother and to ride Investigating independent study programs on his own and graduating How his local bike shop helped saved his life Being taken under wing of Thunder Bringers mountain bike race team in Chico Squatting in a house with his family for 3 yea

Sven Martin, @maddogboris and Dan Hearn interview the World Cup downhill racers after the event in La Bresse, France. Martin Maes, Rachel Atherton, Amaury Pierron, Gee Atherton and so many more discuss the race weekend, the end of the long season and World Championships to come in two weeks. View the complete race action slideshow on www.vitalmtb.com to see photos from the event. #MBWorldCup

Go deep with interviews of downhill racers as they arrive in La Bresse, France, for the final stop of the 2018 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup. Sven Martin and @maddogboris with the goods.Interviews subjects in order Aaron Gwin on his thumb injury and riding a new 29er Amaury Pierron on clinching the overall and having no pressure Brendan Fairclough on Freeracing Brook MacDonald on the details of the La Bresse DH track Eddie Masters, Bernard Kerr - track first impressions Gee Atherton on a fresh, new track where a large amount of small decisions add up Giant Factory Off-Road mechanic, Grant Sides, on packing for the World Cup Greg Minnaar on recovering, the track and the old-guy-are-you-retiring-soon question Loic on racing in France, thoughts on the DH course and how La Bresse was his first-ever World Cup as a Junior Martin Maes on minimizing risk for his EWS battles, using La Bresse as a warm-up for World Champs and his EWS in Whistler Marshy, Syndicate mechanic, on why he does

Sean McClendon, better known as Griz, is a one of mountain biking's greatest community members. He grew up racing downhill, eventually making his way into the pro ranks as a national level contender in the U.S. Throughout his race journey, he set out to keep mountain biking fun and spirited with the Low Budget Rollers, the 2Six Stallions and eventually put on the first MTB whip contest, the Sideflight Champs. In 2010, Griz suffered a major injury at the National Champs where he over-jumped a massive gap jump. The crash impact pushed both femur bones through his hip sockets almost taking away his mobility. His road to recovery was long and challenging, but he persevered and continues to ride hard. Today he's part of the crew at Deity components as National Sales manager and Fresh Blood talent scout. Enjoy the episode with a passionate mountain bike family member who is a true inspiration.

Brandon Turman hosts The Inside Line this week with special guest, Joey Schusler. Brandon says, "I had the pleasure of catching up with a long-time friend of mine, Joey Schusler. In recent years Joey has played a big role as a rider, director, filmer, and photographer in some truly incredible films and features that you've no doubt laid eyes on. This was recorded in Snowmass, Colorado at the 17th Annual Yeti Tribe Gathering, a multi-day get together of Yeti owners and fans in a rad location, riding bikes and having a great time. Snowmass is a place where Joey has a lot of history as a race winner, so it was only fitting that we touch on his journey from local grom to US hopeful, World Cups, World Champs, enduro racing, and how they have helped fuel the adventures he's up to today. Enjoy the show!"

Sam Hill and Cecile Ravanel win Enduro World Series races again and this time the victories are secured at the epic venue of La Thuile, Italy. Sam is 4 for 5 this season while Cecile has swept the 2018 series so far, even while dabbling in some World Cup DH. The EWS is a fickle beast with racers once at the top finding nothing but struggle and others remaining consistent. With 5000m of breath-taking descending in two days, this La Thuile event was a race for the ages. Our slideshow from the event is live on www.vitalmtb.com

Erik Saunders has a long history in the world of bike racing. Coming up as a competitive road, criterium and track racer with a National Championship under his belt, he's channeled his love of racing, bikes and competition into a position of keeping mountain bike racing alive and well. He's Brand Manager at VP Components, but he's a big reason for the rise of the California Enduro Series, which will host its first Enduro World Series event at Northstar in 2019. From grassroots, all the way to the top of the box, Erik is passionate about all levels of racing and is not afraid to take chances or make a decision. This philosophy has benefited our great sport in ways we may not realize both locally and internationally. Oh, he's a handy DIYer too, making fenders out of plastic grocery bags among other cool projects. Enjoy the episode!

Sven Martin, Boris Beyer and Dan Hearn interview the racers from the Andorra World Cup Downhill today where Loris Vergier takes his first World Cup Downhill win and Tahnee Seagrave backs up her Val di Sole victory.

Another incredible World Cup Downhill is in the books and we have interviews capturing the highs and lows with winners and losers from Val di Sole, Italy. Thanks to Sven Martin, @maddogboris and Dan Hearn for the hustle!

Go deep with some of the fastest World Cup DH racers as they discuss the chaos of qualifying in Val di Sole, Italy today.

Enjoy some post-training interviews from the Val di Sole World Cup Downhill. The course is steep, rough and sketchy in the dry. Throw in some rain, like what happened during the timed training session, and all bets on survival are off. Sven Martin and @maddogboris interview Danny Hart, Aaron Gwin, Amaury Pierron, Rachel Atherton, Luca Shaw, Troy Brosnan, Myriam Nicole, Vali Holl, Finn Iles, Loic Bruni and Jack Moir in today's broadcast. Stay tuned to www.vitalmtb.com for the Vital RAW and the slideshow later today.

All heart, all passion and all in. Eric Davies, founder of Deity components, has turned a life-long dream into a thriving independent mountain bike parts brand. From a unique childhood in Central America to stumbling across mountain biking in college, Eric worked his way from bike shop employee to industry insider. Eventually, he grew tired of helping others build something he didn't believe in and started Deity in late 2003 with his wife Sadie. The rest is patient, deliberate history and I hope you enjoy learning about that history in this week's podcast.