Vital Mtb - Speaking Of Mountain Biking

Ahead of the Tennessee National taking place this week, we sat down with Sea 'Griz' McClendon to run through some USDH names to watch on the national circuit this year. Of course, we had to get the Griz update and hear how he ended up spittin' heat on the mic at Downhill Southeast races and in the booth with the Gravity Coop doing post-race shows. We also touched on all the Americans racing World Cups this year, which World Cup racers are coming over to race this weekend at Windrock, and a bunch of other nonsense mostly related to downhill racing. Enjoy!If you want to race downhill, check out these regional series!NW Cup (Washington, Idaho, Montana)Southwest Downhill (SoCal) Southridge USA (SoCal)Downhill Rockies (Colorado, New Mexico)Eastern States Cup (Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Vermont, Pennsylvania)Downhill Southeast (North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia)Monster Energy Pro Downhill (North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia)

With most team rumors debunked or made public, we wanted to discuss which changes are most exciting and who's posed to go fast in 2025. Of course, like any good B Practice Pod, we floated between topics, mixing in chit-chat about Supercross, racers racing longer nowadays, Gates' $100k belt drive bounty, the cause and effect of setup changes, and why Dak should never read the comments. Enjoy!0:00 Rambling intro9:00 - Supercross bench racing16:22 - Developing a race bike first, then going to production 25:20 - chasing small gains in bike performance mid-season30:45 - cause and effect of testing and changing setup36:08 - comparing setups with other pro DH racers37:48 - final team change news for 202546:08 - what happens to the few names stuck in the middle52:28 - Biggest team change of 2025??1:03:08 - Most excited to see at the races in 2025??1:14:22 - Will we see more racers racing into their 30s in the future?1:20:55 - Dak injury update1:25:02 - Thoughts on Gates $100k belt drive competition1:37:52 -

Thanks to Maxxis Tires | FOX | Jenson USA for supporting The Inside LineMax Beaupre is a ball of energy on and off the bike. Taking a moto heritage to mountain bikes, Max grew into a national enduro powerhouse before making the move to e-enduro. But don't pigenhole him as a single discipline specialist. He rides everything and rides everything well. On top of that, he's a becoming a premier trail builder and is pushing his moto talent by opening up an e-moto future, too.Thanks to Jack Rice for the interview!Interview contents0:00 - Some history10:08 - Hitting Highland, Meeting Kyle Strait,  National Champs16:44 - Always enduro22:00 - Racing with a broken leg24:12 - Dropping out of school33:07 - Getting into a machine for the first time37:18 - Getting on Cannondale, U.S. EWS races51:20 - Sponsors and bike setup57:08 - Racing e-bikes, work ethic, faith in God1:01:18 - Wrist injury, riding for Surron, riding in Monster Jam1:31:30 - Back to Europe for E-EDR and World Champs1:45:54 - 2025 plans, getting

The past few months have flown by. And somehow, we haven't recorded a B Practice Podcast since the last World Cup back in October. We were overdue for a catchup to discuss the many series and team changes and, of course, our main man Dak's gnarly off-season injury. We get into all the details of what happened, his recovery, and why he's in a better place than before to handle such a setback. We then get into all the team rumor gossip, Continental series gossip, career numbers, and finish things off with a debate on what is the ultimate dream sponsor. Enjoy!Show Notes0:00 - Intro3:10 - Dak injury details, update, recovery14:45 - Thoughts on the risk of riding moto during the offseason18:17 - Dak's headspace during his injury21:39 - How Dak's program has changed to avoid fatigue, over-training, and stress26:26 - Where Dak started to find solutions to his health problems31:12 - Finding confidence and happiness in your life41:10 - Dak getting hurt at his house43:19 - Dak's new video

Thanks to Maxxis Tires | FOX | Jenson USA for supporting The Inside Line#USDH ripper, Lucas Dedora, shares his story of going from a diehard XC grom to his first year racing World Cup Downhill. In the middle of the season, Lucas graduated high school and managed to hit 19 different races around the globe. Jack Rice was there all summer with Lucas as photographer for Transition Factory Racing and they talk about the highs and the lows of it all.Podcast contents0:00 - "I wanted to be Nino Schurter"4:44 - School and finding enduro11:54 - Racing his first National Champs with a torn ACL24:32 - Early DH career32:20 - Aiming for the World Cup with Pro Builds Team39:57 - Being friends with and racing against Asa Vermette42:33 - Dealing with injuries and P.T.50:24 - First European World Cup season and the Ft Bill Crash59:15 - Poland and his last physical day of school1:05:56 - Val di Sole struggles and Valentina Roa Sanchez1:11:30 - Graduating high school mid-season1:19:00 - Junior World Cup Les Gets race d

Thanks to Maxxis Tires | FOX | Jenson USA for supporting The Inside LineToday we're joined by Jeff Brines, a long-time mountain biker, Litter Mag and Vital MTB fan. He's also educated and versed in finance. He kicked off a forum thread on Vital MTB that asked "Will more companies be shutting down in the next 12-24 months?" At a year old, the thread has over 100,000 views with nearly 800 replies as news about our industry has broken. We discuss the past and current state of the bicycle industry through his analysis and tools and see if we can figure out where we're headed.Thank you Vital listeners!THIS IS NOT FINANCIAL ADVICE.Podcast Contents0:00 - Intro, who is Jeff and what are we discussing?6:11 - Why start a Vital MTB forum post about bike companies shutting down?11:07 - Why did the *money people* think MTB would make them rich during Covid?17:30 - Is it just greed and ego?19:55 - Why did bikes stop selling?23:49 - Why don't brands save money for slow times?27:54 - Most of the

The 2024 World Cup season is over. And what a whirlwind the past five months have been, with all-time racing across the board. It's a shame things have to come to an end, but the hype is already building for next year. Mont-Sainte-Anne was very par the course for how the 2024 season has gone, with wet conditions on race day. Luckily, the classic Canadian course holds moisture like a champ, and besides some slick rocks and fresh sections, it was game on. Our dude Dak was having another promising weekend, and the odds were looking good that he could close out the year with another podium. That was until a damn track pole had other plans. #polegate2024Enjoy listening to the crew discuss all kinds of nonsense, from arm pump surgeries to e-bike training for DH, Greg Minnaar's retirement, the odds of needing a work Visa to race World Cups next year, rule changes for next year, and, of course, race highlights from the weekend and overall standings. A massive thank you to everyone who listened to us banter

Jack Rice wraps up the 2024 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup with interviews from racers, mechanics and MTB filmers and photographers to see how their season went, to find out what the future looks like and to continue the question, "why downhill?"Thanks to Jack, John Lawlor and Rick Schubert for all the hustle this year at the World Cups. And thank you listeners for helping us keep the stoke for DH alive.Interviews0:00 - Intro1:11 - Greg Minnaar4:44 - Marine Cabirou6:06 - Sven Martin11:59 - Tahnee Seagrave13:17 - Vali Holl16:11 - Aaron Gwin18:41 - Finn Iles22:31 - Abigail Hogie29:52 - Brad Blackwell33:21 - Alex Presant37:41 - Swen Heil39:32 - Tyler Ervin40:47 - Kale Cushman43:06 - Nick Robertson49:11 - Ross Bell55:59 - Roman Tunbridge59:55 - Tommy Krause1:03:44 - Andy Vathis1:11:20 - Carson Fletcher1:13:31 - Jack Tennyson1:14:54 - Jorge Gomes1:17:23 - Rachel Pageau1:21:25 - Steve Estabrook1:22:56 - Zack Harper

Did you believe the hype? Coming into the 2024 World Cup season, Asa Vermette was an obvious favorite in the Junior Men's category. He'd been fast domestically for a few years, and with the support of Frameworks and guidance from Neko Mulally and Angel Suarez, he seemed poised to have a successful debut on the international stage. Then, at the first round in Fort William, Asa waxed everyone by 6 seconds. You tack on the fact that he won after sitting on the couch for weeks prior healing a broken hip, and the hype became simple facts. The next generation is always faster than the last, and Asa is leading the latest charge. Fast forward to now, and we've been lucky to watch Asa and Max Alran exchange blows all year. Each has three wins, and Mont Sainte Anne was teeing up to be an epic final round between the two. Unfortunately, Asa's crash in Loudenvielle left him more battered and bruised than initially suspected, putting an end to his first World Cup season. A bittersweet conclusion to an

This is a special episode of The Inside Line as we had Jack Rice at the 2024 U.S. Open of Mountain Biking in Killington, Vermont.See photos from the event - https://www.vitalmtb.com/features/why-ride-downhill-u-s-open-mountain-bikingThanks to FOX, Maxxis Tires and Jenson USA for supporting The Inside LineIt was the season ender to the Pro Downhill Series and with the final World Cup DH in Mont-Sainte-Anne next week, the field was stacked with Elite level pros from around the globe. Instead of the usual questions with only the top riders, we had commissioned Jack to search the pits and ask amateur riders a simple question - Why Downhill?While plenty of answers resonate with the excitement and action of what DH is, an overwhelming response praised the community as a reason for coming back to ride. It's the people that make our sport so great and it's our hope that the comradery of the #USDH community continues to grow.Interview contents0:00 - Intro1:09 - Meredith Burnette2:25 - Jamie Tate3:18 - Dusty

Would it even be a World Cup without a natural event playing a major role in the outcome? Loudenvielle, the sixth World Cup of the season, was the third race to be heavily affected by rain on race day. We saw ideal conditions for the Juniors and 98% of the Elite Women's field before Deja vu struck and the skies opened up for fastest qualifier, Tahnée Seagrave. And oh boy, did it get spicy as the rain continued to fall throughout the Elite Men's final. Gnarly conditions always foster spectacular displays of bike handling, and some racers put on a clinic this weekend. We also got to witness Vali and Bruni each wrap up another Elite title, a bunch of young Kiwis filling the podiums in the junior fields, and a ton of feel-good results, like Benoit taking the win after crashing here last year, Reece Wilson landing on the podium after so many setbacks, Aaron Gwin back racing after two years, and Myriam Nicole taking her first win after missing all of last season to a concussion. We chat about all of this,

The unpredictable Loudenvielle World Cup Downhill venue proved to keep everyone on their toes again in 2024. As conditions changed on an hourly basis, it was a crapshoot for some riders and a calcuated risk for others. Jack Rice gets some perspective from the racers in France.Contents0:00 - Disclaimer and Benoit Coulanges1:54 - Myriam Nicole4:01 - Loic Bruni6:47 - Reece Wilson9:12 - Phoebe Gale10:07 - Amaury Pierron11:36 - Andreas Kolb12:40 - Aaron Gwin17:41 - Dakotah Norton20:28 - Finn Iles28:39 - Luca Shaw31:53 - Ronan Dunne33:34 - Valentina Roa Sanchez35:17 - Wyn Masters

What could have been…our grassroots podcast almost came home with a World title in Andorra. We won't say we are disappointed in our co-host superstar Stack-Attack-Dak for throwing it away in the second to last turn, but dang, did that one sting. This week, Jason Schroeder chats with Dak about his week in Andorra, what happened in his race run, the tuned mass dampers strapped to his bike, and how he's dealing with the highs and lows of almost winning World Champs. Then, Tanner Stephens and John Hall jump on to discuss what stands out from Worlds, and who's looking poised to have a strong result this weekend in Loudenveille. Enjoy!Play Vital Downhill Fantasy - https://www.vitalmtb.com/fantasy More mountain bike news and reviews - vitalmtb.com3:06 - Dak's wild week at Worlds4:56 - Race day game plan7:52 - Where it all went wrong (pull out could end at 12:15) (or 14:01)15:08 - Dealing with the heartbreak of crashing at Worlds23:29 - Bike setup for Andorra23:48 - Loudenveille setup and approach

Jack Rice checks in from Andorra and the 2024 UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Championships with interviews from the podium riders and Greg Minnaar, who continues to troll us about possible retirement.0:00 - Loris Vergier2:33 - Vali Holl3:15 - Greg Minnaar7:55 - Myriam Nicole9:09 - Finn Iles12:48 - Tahnee Seagrave13:41 - Benoit Coulanges

After almost a two-month break since the last World Cup, elite downhill racing returns to the Pyrenees Mountains of Andorra for World Champs this week. Rejoice! Tag along with Jason Schroeder, Tanner Stephens, and John Hall as they refresh your memory of who’s been fast this year, what happened during the long summer break, and discuss who will be in contention for the elusive rainbow stripes. 0:00 - The crew catches up3:30 - Monster Energy Downhill - Snow Summit / US National DH scene8:30 - The growth of national series in the coming years11:19 - Why no Aaron Gwin on the US Worlds team? + Aaron’s return to racing18:09 - Richie Rude the DH racer19:20 - Do racers share more info with each other at World Champs amongst fellow countrymen?21:24 - How country federations play a part in World Champs27:16 - 2024 season thus far…37:40 - Races that happened during the summer break50:24 - Fantasy info for World Champs54:36 - Andorra track notes1:02:35 - Fantasy Picks - Junior Women 1:04:55 - Fantasy Picks - Junior Men1

There's a new national-level downhill mountain bike race series in the U.S. — Clay Harper has ushered in the Monster Energy Pro Downhill and is in its inaugural year, landing in Big Bear this weekend. Clay, our guest on The Inside Line this week, is no stranger to downhill finding his love for the sport back in 1996 with the likes of Kyle Ebbett, Lars Tribus, Todd Bosch, Ken Avery, Aaron Chase and more. The farm-raised New Jersey native is also responsible for creating one of America's most legendary bike parks by building the first trails at Mountain Creek. He was behind the founding of the U.S. Open of Mountain Biking and continues to run the event today. Let's not forget he even puts on the X Games Real MTB contest. If it involves downhill in the USA, there aren't many things Clayton hasn't done and his push to grow the sport in our country through the Pro Downhill Series is a testament to his dedication to the community. Enjoy this interview with an instrumental figure in #USDH...

Thanks to  Maxxis Tires, FOX and Jenson USA  for supporting The Inside Line MTB podcast! While visiting Mountain Creek Bike Park in New Jersey, for a Vital Enduro Fork Test Session project, I caught up with local legend, George Ryan. I met George in person about 20 years ago, but knew of him before that because of his online persona in old-timey forums and his presence in videos like the Chain Reaction series. Over the years we'd see each other at events or on photo shoots, so it was a massive pleasure to sit down with him and hear his full story. To my surprise, he's a big-time MTB keepsake collector and he showed up with old jerseys, DVDs, magazines and even a Shaun Palmer baseball card. We discuss his journey into mountain biking, turning pro and eventually becoming the main man in charge of trails at Mountain Creek. Enjoy the episode and hit up Vital MTB to soak up some of his old relics he has stashed away. I've put some of my photos from 2005 decline work down below too. Thanks so much, M

If Val di Sole delivered an exciting and memorable race, then Les Gets bumped things up a notch. Our guy stack-attack Dak was having a perfect weekend until the weather had a different plan, and some miscalculated race prep led to an underwhelming finish. It was still a solid weekend for the world's fastest podcast co-host, but the limelight was stolen (again) by Amaury Pierron, who executed a legendary race run on home soil (again).  With our crew spread out across the world this week, it was just Dakotah and I who linked up to chat about the weekend. We chatted about what happened with his visor and goggle setup in the rain, how Amaury did what he did, where Dak went wrong with his race prep, why mud races are the best, escaping the finish corral, and where overalls sit going into the last two rounds of the season. Enjoy!

An all-time day of World Cup Downhill racing in Les Gets, France, ends with post-race interviews from winners and podium finishers by Jack Rice.Interviews0:00 - Amaury Pierron1:59 - Eleonora Farina3:28 - Mille Johnset6:47 - Andreas Kolb9:12 - Greg Minnaar16:21 - Tahnee Seagrave18:01 - Remi Thirion21:01 - Myriam Nicole

What could have been! After a long stint in the hot seat with a time that bested the season's biggest names, the last man down the hill squashed our tall bar savior's dreams of winning his first World Cup. We were filled with mixed emotions as reality set in that we'd have to wait a little longer to see Dak take that elusive first win, but what a treat to watch Amaury Pierron piece together a historic run that cemented his return to the top of the sport.We chatted a lot about the wet, slippery conditions that made Val di Sole particularly difficult this year. Dak weighed in on where Amaury made up so much time and how he adapted his bike for the steep, technical track. We speculated on why time gaps are always so big down the Black Snake, and how much Dak made in bonuses from his 2nd place finish. We also cruised the results sheet from each class, dissecting who had standout riders and where overalls stand going into the fifth round of the year in Les Gets. Enjoy!0:00 - Intro4:31 - What was goi