The Inside Line Podcast - Vital MTB

Vital MTB

A mountain biking podcast channel featuring in-depth interviews with world class riders and cycling industry professionals.

  • 1 hour 37 minutes
    The Financial State of the Bike Industry with Jeff Brines - The Inside Line

    Thanks to Maxxis Tires | FOX | Jenson USA for supporting The Inside Line

    Today 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 Contents
    0:00 - 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 bike industry is privately held
    32:52 - Companies that went under, does the investment money just disappear?
    38:05 - Original owners buying a company back, Family Office and Private Equity
    46:25 - Private equity and how it works
    51:54 - Is going bankrupt expected with venture capital investors?
    53:51 - The lunacy of VanMoof being worth $500 million
    1:04:23 - What does the bike industry future look like?
    1:12:41 - Is there any incentive to get into the bike industry now?
    1:15:41 - Is there an ideal company size?
    1:17:48 - Will the business world repeat the same mistakes 10 years from now?
    1:21:31 - Tools to learn about the bike industry
    1:26:10 - Vital audience survey

    Check out Jeff's slideshow presentation here (Google Slides)

    Vital MTB Audience Surveys (scroll to bottom of page)

    https://wtfhappenedin1971.com/

    29 October 2024, 7:00 pm
  • 2 hours 34 minutes
    That's It, That's All! Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup - B Practice Podcast

    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. #polegate2024

    Enjoy 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 all season—we love bringing you these conversations, and we appreciate the support! 

    11 October 2024, 12:00 am
  • 1 hour 26 minutes
    Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup - Why Downhill?

    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.

    Interviews
    0:00 - Intro
    1:11 - Greg Minnaar
    4:44 - Marine Cabirou
    6:06 - Sven Martin
    11:59 - Tahnee Seagrave
    13:17 - Vali Holl
    16:11 - Aaron Gwin
    18:41 - Finn Iles
    22:31 - Abigail Hogie
    29:52 - Brad Blackwell
    33:21 - Alex Presant
    37:41 - Swen Heil
    39:32 - Tyler Ervin
    40:47 - Kale Cushman
    43:06 - Nick Robertson
    49:11 - Ross Bell
    55:59 - Roman Tunbridge
    59:55 - Tommy Krause
    1:03:44 - Andy Vathis
    1:11:20 - Carson Fletcher
    1:13:31 - Jack Tennyson
    1:14:54 - Jorge Gomes
    1:17:23 - Rachel Pageau
    1:21:25 - Steve Estabrook
    1:22:56 - Zack Harper

    7 October 2024, 8:00 pm
  • 49 minutes 17 seconds
    Asa Vermette Interview - The #USDH Prodigy Reflects on His 2024 Season

    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 otherwise successful year, we wanted to know how Asa felt about his season—the highs, the lows, the lessons learned, and the goals for 2025. We talked about a whole lot more, so enjoy getting to know more about the calm kid from Durango who's damn fast on a bike.

    0:00 - Intro
    1:37 - Why Asa isn't racing MSA
    4:24 - Injuries collected throughout the season
    5:19 - The balance of pushing and crashing
    8:06 - Did he feel the pressure going into the season?
    12:00 - Key takeaways from his first World Cup season 
    13:38 - Why keeping racing fun is key
    14:51 - Asa's pump-up music of choice 
    15:51 - Advice from Neko and Angel
    17:05 - How Asa gets up to speed and breaks down tracks
    21:10 - Favorite country he visited this year 
    22:50 - Favorite track of the year
    23:33 - Getting used to riding in the mud
    25:32 - Injury updates going into the offseason
    28:05 - How Asa passes the time when he's hurt 
    29:46 - Favorite Elite racer
    30:55 - Asa explains his nasty whips
    31:56 - Doing a flip in a race run??
    36:17 - Who's got the best whips?
    38:29 - Things to improve on this offseason
    40:22 - Training program chit-chat 
     42:21 - What Asa rides day-to-day
    42:04 - Asa's perfect riding day
    43:36 - Freestyle Asa
    44:52 - Winter riding plans
    45:48 - 2025 Goals
    46:49 - 5 Years from now, where will Asa be… 

    3 October 2024, 2:00 am
  • 42 minutes 40 seconds
    Why Do You Ride Downhill? The U.S. Open of Mountain Biking

    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-biking

    Thanks to FOX, Maxxis Tires and Jenson USA for supporting The Inside Line

    It 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 contents
    0:00 - Intro
    1:09 - Meredith Burnette
    2:25 - Jamie Tate
    3:18 - Dusty Mason
    4:10 - Kerry Marshall
    5:02 - "Scott and the fam"
    6:33 - Jacob Dyke
    8:57 - Bailey Gunter
    11:04 - Cole Bernier
    13:40 - Jack Burnette
    21:54 - Tyson Henrie
    23:55 - Tabias Spencer
    24:59 - Lachie Stevens-Mcnab (Race Winner)
    25:47 - Nina Hoffmann (Race Winner)
    29:23 - Max Beaupre and Why NOT Downhill
    31:51 - Tegan Heap
    33:00 - Dylan Conte
    36:20 - Lucas Dedora
    36:57 - Anna Newkirk
    38:37 - Chris Grice
    39:50 - Clay Harper

    1 October 2024, 4:00 pm
  • 1 hour 53 minutes
    Who Keeps Doing the Rain Dance?! - Vital's B Practice Podcast - Loudenvielle

    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, plus get the inside scoop on why our dude Dak was off the pace last weekend, points battles leading into MSA, RockShox Kashima knock-off, Asa Vermette's bike size, mass dampers (obviously), and a bunch of other nonsense. Enjoy!

    13 September 2024, 12:00 am
  • 38 minutes 18 seconds
    WinnerViews - Loudenvielle World Cup DH

    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.

    Contents
    0:00 - Disclaimer and Benoit Coulanges
    1:54 - Myriam Nicole
    4:01 - Loic Bruni
    6:47 - Reece Wilson
    9:12 - Phoebe Gale
    10:07 - Amaury Pierron
    11:36 - Andreas Kolb
    12:40 - Aaron Gwin
    17:41 - Dakotah Norton
    20:28 - Finn Iles
    28:39 - Luca Shaw
    31:53 - Ronan Dunne
    33:34 - Valentina Roa Sanchez
    35:17 - Wyn Masters

    11 September 2024, 5:00 pm
  • 2 hours 8 minutes
    Heartbreak at Worlds - Vital's B Practice Podcast

    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.com

    • 3:06 - Dak's wild week at Worlds
    • 4:56 - Race day game plan
    • 7:52 - Where it all went wrong (pull out could end at 12:15) (or 14:01)
    • 15:08 - Dealing with the heartbreak of crashing at Worlds
    • 23:29 - Bike setup for Andorra
    • 23:48 - Loudenveille setup and approach
    • 26:22 - Tire choice in Andorra 
    • 27:31 - Dak's "stock" tire pressure
    • 30:39 - Unintentional Maxxis sponsor plug - DH casing convo
    • 33:47 - Tuned mass damper hearsay 
    • 42:36 - New (Shimano) brakes
    • 46:27 - Dak's current bar height, stem length, stack height
    • 57:06 - Industry Buzz Report: John's thoughts on tuned mass dampers
    • 1:03:42 - pranks in the pits
    • 1:06:27 - Fav Worlds Kit
    • 1:09:06 - MTB TMZ
    • 1:11:29 - Why Bruni isn't fast just because of his bike
    • 1:25:58 - Importance of team environment 
    • 1:34:17 - Junior results, race highlights, Loudenveille predictions
    • 1:38:46 - Loic going top 3 in the last split after crashing…
    • 1:40:35 - Back to Junior discussion
    • 1:49:30 - Elite results, race highlights, Loudenveille predictions
    • 2:05:52 - Burgtec Labour of Love
    5 September 2024, 4:00 am
  • 16 minutes 18 seconds
    WORLD CHAMPS - Race Day WinnerViews

    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 Vergier
    2:33 - Vali Holl
    3:15 - Greg Minnaar
    7:55 - Myriam Nicole
    9:09 - Finn Iles
    12:48 - Tahnee Seagrave
    13:41 - Benoit Coulanges

    2 September 2024, 5:00 pm
  • 1 hour 22 minutes
    Andorra World Champs Pre-Race Show - Vital Downhill Fantasy

    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 up
    3:30 - Monster Energy Downhill - Snow Summit / US National DH scene
    8:30 - The growth of national series in the coming years
    11:19 - Why no Aaron Gwin on the US Worlds team? + Aaron’s return to racing
    18:09 - Richie Rude the DH racer
    19:20 - Do racers share more info with each other at World Champs amongst fellow countrymen?
    21:24 - How country federations play a part in World Champs
    27:16 - 2024 season thus far…
    37:40 - Races that happened during the summer break
    50:24 - Fantasy info for World Champs
    54:36 - Andorra track notes
    1:02:35 - Fantasy Picks - Junior Women 
    1:04:55 - Fantasy Picks - Junior Men
    1:09:45 - Fantasy Picks - Elite Women
    1:12:55 - Fantasy Picks - Elite Women

    26 August 2024, 10:00 pm
  • 3 hours 46 minutes
    The Future of #USDH - Clay Harper

    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...it's just the tip of the iceberg.

    Learn more about Clay, the Pro Downhill Series and the U.S. Open

    14 August 2024, 3:00 pm
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