See what the top riders of the 2024 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup DH in Leogang, Austria, have to say about their race weekends. A familiar track was made tricky with varying conditions thanks to overnight rains. Interviews by Jack Rice. Interviews 0:00 - Loic Bruni 4:52 - Anna Newkirk 7:49 - Neko Mulally 10:52 - Vali Holl 11:54 - Max Alran 13:28 - Erice van Leuven 14:41 - Ellie Hulsebosch 16:18 - Finn Iles 18:37 - Myriam Nicole 21:50 - Lachie Stevens-Mcnab 23:14 - Oisin O'Callaghan 24:25 - Lisa B...
Jun 10, 2024•35 min
Loic Bruni has five different electronic buttons on his prototype Specialized Demo downhill bike, and we're not even talking about shift levers. He, his mechanic Jack and Ohlins are all pretty tight-lipped about the functions they serve, but today we got a bit of information from the current World Cup DH leader himself. SuperBruni confirms the buttons are not Skittles, he seemingly teases that they're for playing music, and then says their function should be pretty easy to figure out. When asked...
Jun 07, 2024•3 min
GoFundme to support Seton Tuning DH Team Phil Seton, manager of Pole Factory Racing, shares the story of keeping his team alive after Pole Bikes went into administration a week before Fort William. All team budget was pulled and they were left with a decision to race or pack it up. Phil decided to use his personal money to get Onni Rainio and Dan Slack to Fort William and Poland. Onni had a personal best at Fort William and Dan Slack had his best-ever finish making finals and breaking the beam w...
Jun 06, 2024•7 min
What a start to the 2024 World Cup downhill season we've had! Fort William properly kicked things off with a gnarly track and insane racing, followed by a new venue in Poland that produced one of the best tracks and tightest races we've seen in years. Now, after a brief two-week pause, racing resumes this weekend in Leogang, Austria. A classic track that always delivers dramatic racing, there are exciting stories shaping up in each category that will be fun to watch play out over the weekend. Jo...
Jun 04, 2024•1 hr 32 min
After a rocky (literally) start to the 2024 season in Fort William, a fresh track with a good mix of features and fluctuating speeds greeted racers for the second round in Poland. Speculation surrounding speed suits and electronic lockouts was replaced by the buzz of line choice and rut formation. In the end, it was a battle for thousandths of a second, and who could predict and adapt to the ever-evolving conditions best after some race day rain. The cream is definitely beginning to rise to the ...
May 22, 2024•1 hr 48 min
With positions separated by just hundredths of seconds, the 2024 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Downhill near Bielsko-Biala, Poland, was a fan and racer favorite even with it being a first-time venue. Listen to the podium finishers and more as they discuss how it all went down. Interviews 0:00 - Ronan Dunne 2:10 - John Lawlor 3:47 - Dakotah Norton 7:02 - Marine Cabirou 8:35 - Asa Vermette 9:25 - Neko Mulally 10:35 - Heather Wilson 11:51 - Loic Bruni 14:04 - Camille Balanche 15:37 - Nina Hoffmann 18...
May 21, 2024•24 min
Welcome to another pre-World Cup discussion as part of Vital MTB Downhill Fantasy ! The first race of the season in Fort William, Scotland, kicked things off with a bang! Now, just two weeks later, the excitement continues as we head to a completely new venue for the second round of the UCI World Cup downhill series. Without past results to make predictions, this weekend will offer a clean slate for racing. Who will be able to figure out the new track in a limited time and be the fastest on race...
May 13, 2024•1 hr 10 min
The World Cup season has arrived, and with that, we are back with our regularly scheduled post-race banter! Fort William went off with a bang, providing one of the most thrilling and engaging season openers we've seen. Numerous team changes were finally put on display against the clock; the track was dry, fast, and ridiculously rough, and the level of racing in all four categories was tighter and more intense than ever. With plenty of topics to hit, like speed suits, electronic suspension lockou...
May 09, 2024•2 hr 9 min
Hear what racers have to say after the first World Cup Downhill mountain bike race of 2024 in Fort William, Scotland. 0:00 - Asa Vermette, Junior Men's Winner 0:55 - Heather Wilson, Junior Women's Winner 3:00 - Dakotah Norton 7:52 - Nina Hoffmann 10:47 - Tahnee Seagrave 13:23 - Kale Cushman 15:14 - Greg Williamson 17:59 - Myriam Nicole 20:25 - Cory Rimmer
May 07, 2024•23 min
Thanks to Maxxis Tires , FOX and Jenson USA for supporting The Inside Line MTB podcast! Jorge Gomes is a man dedicated to mountain bike racing. He is team manager for Transition Factory Racing, and the man behind Pro Builds mobile bike shop and Pro Builds Racing team, too. He tells us the story of how he became hooked on MTB which includes riding a dirt jump hardtail at Mountain Creek, how he became a bike assembler for Walmarts in his region and how he took his passion straight to the top by he...
Apr 30, 2024•2 hr
Win Prizes from RockShox, SRAM, Troy Lee Designs, FSA & Maxxis! https://www.vitalmtb.com/fantasy Ellie Hulsebosch of The Union is a first-year Junior on the World Cup Downhill circuit. She's been stacking up wins this off-season and is ready to slay Fort William this weekend. #MTB #DH #bike
Apr 30, 2024•9 min
This year, we are bringing you pre-World Cup discussions as part of Vital MTB Downhill Fantasy. Each round we will break down which racers you should keep an eye on going into the weekend, who's gone fast in years past, and try to give you some extra insight to help make the best Fantasy picks. In this episode, join Vital's own Jason Schroeder, ex-World Cup mechanic John Hall, and podcast co-host and contributing editor Tanner Stephens as they discuss off-season team changes, pre-season races, a...
Apr 29, 2024•1 hr 32 min
WIN A ROCKSHOX BOXXER - Vital MTB Downhill Fantasy Watch this interview - Ronan Dunne's 2022 season was going so poorly that his parents secretly signed him up for the army. Thankfully for us and Ronan, his results improved, he continued to race World Cup Downhill and now he's a podium finisher.
Apr 28, 2024•7 min
On today's podcast, Tech Editor Jason Schroeder brings you a pulse check on the state of our beloved mountain bike industry. Last week, during the Sea Otter Classic, he chatted with some industry folks from Santa Cruz Bicycles, Maxxis Tires, Feedback Sports, Transition Bicycles, Industry Nine, Orbea, FSA Components, Trek Bicycles, Hunt Wheels, and Privateer Bikes. And asked one simple question: now that we are a few years past the COVID bike boom, what is the state of the industry? Are things go...
Apr 26, 2024•36 min
Join Vital Tech Editor Jason Schroeder as he wanders the sea of vendor tents at the 2024 Sea Otter Classic. From new products to athlete check-ins to Pro dual slalom practice, get a taste of what it's like to have boots on the ground at the event. 1:28 - Checking in with Brandon Turman 5:15 - Crankbrothers SOS Tools 8:32 - B Zone loamers and Fort William predictions with George Browne 14:14 - Mondraker on moving to the U.S. 21:18 - Dillon Lemarr chats working at TLD and Fort William predictions ...
Apr 22, 2024•44 min
Join Vital Tech Editor Jason Schroeder as he wanders the sea of vendor tents at the 2024 Sea Otter Classic. From new products to athlete check-ins to Pro dual slalom practice, get a taste of what it's like to have boots on the ground at the event. :35 - Derek Teel of Dialed Health 4:03 - Nik Nestoroff chats slalom finals prep and Maven brakes 6:11 - 2024 news with Industry Nine 8:43 - New forks from SR Suntour 14:43 - John Hall from Intense Cycles 28:39 - Intense’s gearbox downhill bike 40:33 - ...
Apr 22, 2024•1 hr 2 min
Join Vital Tech Editor Jason Schroeder as he wanders the sea of vendor tents at the 2024 Sea Otter Classic. From new products to athlete check-ins to Pro dual slalom practice, get a taste of what it's like to have boots on the ground at the event. :53 - Tannus Inserts new Fusion 3:08 - Ride Wrap 5:41 - DEITY Components - new grip and two new pedals (coming in June) 12:45 - Dakotah Norton - Slalom update 14:40 - Ari Bikes - custom slalom bike for Kyle Strait; updates on the new DH bike 17:45 - Ne...
Apr 20, 2024•31 min
Join Vital Tech Editor, Jason Schroeder, as he wanders the sea of vendor tents at the 2024 Sea Otter Classic. From new products to athlete check-ins to Pro dual slalom practice, get a taste of what it's like to have boots on the ground at the event. Day 1 Photo Gallery #1 - https://www.vitalmtb.com/photos/features/pit-bits-sea-otter-2024-day-1/pit-bits-sea-otter-2024-day-1 Day 1 Photo Gallery #2 - https://www.vitalmtb.com/photos/features/pit-bits-sea-otter-2024-day-1-part-2/pit-bits-sea-otter-20...
Apr 19, 2024•31 min
To learn more and hear our thoughts on the new Grip X2 damper, check out our First Ride review . After years of mostly positive reviews intertwined with some shortcomings, FOX has ditched its Grip2 and FIT4 dampers for model year 2025 forks. In their place are three new dampers that seek to offer a heightened level of discipline-focused performance and features. Grip SL - XC, short track, marathon Grip X - all mountain, trail Grip X2 - all-mountain, enduro, gravity We joined FOX for a few days a...
Apr 09, 2024•1 hr 4 min
Thanks to Maxxis Tires , FOX and Jenson USA for supporting The Inside Line MTB podcast! The first-ever Monster Energy Pro Downhill Series race took place at Ride Rock Creek in North Carolina this weekend. Clay Harper, founder of the series, has a vision to bring back national-level downhill mountain bike race events and round 1 has proven to be a strong start. Jack Rice was at the event and caught up with Clay and others to get their thoughts on the weekend. Our show concludes with the Pro Women...
Apr 08, 2024•47 min
The Redcar Rocket, Danny Hart, handles the dreaded 17 without a flinch. Watch the video of this interview Watch Danny's Vital RAW Watch Danny's Bike Check video
Apr 05, 2024•10 min
Thanks to Maxxis Tires , FOX and Jenson USA for supporting The Inside Line MTB podcast! The 2024 Tennessee National Downhill mountain bike race at Windrock Bike Park is in the books with Dakotah Norton and Frida Ronning taking Elite wins. This was the first downhill event at Windrock since Aaron Gwin took over ownership of the park and racers and fans alike seemed stoked with the track and the way the event was run. Jack Rice checks in with racers and the people who make #USDH so great. Asa Verm...
Mar 25, 2024•30 min
Thanks to Maxxis Tires , FOX and Jenson USA for supporting The Inside Line MTB podcast! The first major race of the 2024 #USDH season is here with the Tennessee National at Windrock Bike Park. Jack Rice hits the ground and meets up with racers, managers and the great people who make the event happen in this weekend's Inside Line. 0:00 - Aaron Gwin 5:41 - Luca Shaw 8:05 - Frida Ronning 10:38 - Sean Leader 14:52 - Alvaro Castillo 19:28 - Rachel Kelleher 26:51 - Seth Sherlock 29:28 - Rachel Pageau ...
Mar 22, 2024•52 min
Thanks to Maxxis Tires , FOX and Jenson USA for supporting The Inside Line MTB podcast! With the 2024 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Downhill season fast approaching, we talk with Aaron Gwin about his move to Crestline Bikes, how his 2023 injury is healing, why he has like 497 different jobs, including being the owner of Windrock Bike Park , and how he thinks he'll handle racing this year. Interview Topics 0:00 - Intro, Move to Crestline Bikes 3:05 - Did Aaron Spend Personal Money for the New Team?...
Mar 09, 2024•1 hr 43 min
Watch our video and see photos of the fork on Vital MTB and our YouTube channel . Thank you Maxxis Tires , FOX Suspension and Jenson USA for making The Inside Line possible. Vital first rode a prototype PUSH Nine.One inverted mountain bike fork a year ago in February of 2023. The same day, we recorded an interview with PUSH owner, Darren Murphy, getting all the details about the fork before its release. At the time, the scheduled release for the Nine.One was only a couple months away and PUSH ev...
Feb 29, 2024•1 hr 21 min
Thank you Maxxis Tires , FOX Suspension and Jenson USA for making The Inside Line possible. Watch this interview on YouTube Joe Bowman of The Union and Steel City Media gets on the mic to discuss sponsor and rider changes for the team in 2024. 2023 was an extremely successful year for the not-for-profit program with Chris Hauser grabbing a Junior World Cup DH win and team riders graduating to bigger factory teams. As a development team, The Union's goal is to help young and up-and-coming riders ...
Jan 26, 2024•1 hr 20 min
The #frecklegate conspiracy comes to fruition as Dakotah Norton officially joins the newly formed Mondraker Factory Racing Team. After two years of upward trajectory under Intense Factory Racing, Dak hopes to continue edging closer to that elusive first World Cup win while helping develop Mondraker's new DH bike alongside Ryan Pinkerton and Ronan Dunne. Dak is a staple of our B Practice Podcast , so we had to hop on last week to discuss how the switch to Mondraker came about, what he was looking...
Jan 24, 2024•1 hr 30 min
Thank you Maxxis Tires , FOX Suspension and Jenson USA for making The Inside Line possible. Watch this interview and see riding clips on YouTube In a sea of slashed budgets, folding teams and riders struggling to find a way to race downhill mountain bikes in 2024, Neko Mulally has expanded his Frameworks team with the addition of Spanish rider, Angel Suarez for 2024. In this Inside Line MTB podcast, we ask Neko how he was able to expand his team, increase budget and roll into the season with two...
Jan 16, 2024•57 min
Downhill mountain bike racing legend, Greg Minnaar, announced that he joined Norco Bicycles after 16 years with the Santa Cruz Syndicate. Minnaar has more Mountain Bike World Cup Downhill victories than any other Elite male racer. While 2023 was supposed to be his farewell season after two-and-a-half decades of racing, a flat tire at World Championships in Fort William left Greg with a poor result and a hunger to end his competitive career on a high note. When Santa Cruz decided to let Greg go, ...
Jan 09, 2024•40 min
Thank you Jenson USA | Maxxis Tires | FOX Shox Welcome mountain bikers! We're stoked to take you for a ride along during a conversation we had at the end of October during Vital's budget mountain bike test in Reno, Nevada. It was a special time because every Vital editorial staffer was present with some of our favorite contributors too. The primary discussion revolves around the bikes we were testing and how great it is to be a mountain biker with so many quality bikes and components. Whether be...
Dec 13, 2023•1 hr 40 min