Vital Mtb - Speaking Of Mountain Biking

Welcome mountain bikers.Sometimes things don’t always go as planned. I was lucky to spend an hour and a half with Chris Conroy and Steve Hoogendorn at the sea otter classic to knock out an Inside Line. if those names aren’t familiar to you, they’re the owners of Yeti Cycles.We posted up at a Sea Otter campsite on a gorgeous, sunny day to record the episode. Away from the crowds and chaos of the venue, without any shade, we battled sweaty armpits, were interrupted by various aircraft and walked away with a little sunburn. Despite the struggles, we had a great conversation about the Yeti brand, past, present and future.Well, it turns out that technology and blazing California sunshine don’t always get along. About 45 minutes in to our interview, the electronics started acting up, and by 55-minutes in, the laptop said, “this is too hot, i’m done,” and cut off the last 20 minutes of our conversation. Gutted.Fast forward a few weeks and an aircraft that may have been background noise and a cause of frustration in

An interview two years in the making finally happens in Reno, Nevada. Cam Zink is a pioneer in the sport of freeride mountain biking, and while it's easy to assume he's had a road of success paved with big money and big offers, I find out that was hardly the case. Cam has used his grit, hard work and experience on mountain bikes to push the limits of what is possible. His 360's and flips off the the biggest drops and over the biggest gaps have cemented him in the history books, becoming both a Red Bull Rampage winner and Crankworx Joyride winner. In the midst of these riding accomplishments, Cam has become an entrepreneur, starting Sensus Grips and, for a time, being the U.S. distributor for YT Industries. We talk history, challenges, fears, success and failures on all facets of life. Enjoy the episode!

Scott Hart, fanatic mountain biker, fierce competitor and one to always follow his instincts, shares how he went from humble Indiana roots to becoming one of the premier editorial voices of American mountain biking. While many of you may not know who Scott is, he and Ralf Hauser created decline Magazine in the early 2000's. I had the privilege of working as a staffer at decline with Scott, Ralf and Mark Jordan after freelancing for them. decline has since come and gone, but the impact that magazine had on our community, specifically the gravity side of our family, is still evident today and that's largely because of Scott's voice and vision. His upbringing and experience as a struggling professional downhill and slalom racer, including highlights like competing in the first Red Bull Rampage, gave Scott the foundation and desire to make mountain biking look as appealing and rad to the masses as it really is. In addition to his racing history, we discuss the beginnings of Flow Magazine which even

Welcome mountain bikers! We're stoked to bring you an interview with one of America's most promising, up-and-coming downhill racers, Dakotah Norton. Lee Trumpore caught up with him at the Windrock Pro GRT to learn Dak's story, his struggles and how he's on an upward trajectory toward World Cup DH success in 2020. From a checkers-or-wreckers mentality that grew into a patient, calculated outlook, we can't wait to see how Dakotah goes this season.

Welcome mountain bikers. It is with great pleasure that we feature Miranda Miller on this week's Inside Line podcast. Miranda was the 2017 Downhill World Champ and has decided in 2019 to make the switch to focusing on the Enduro World Series. She has also moved from Specialized Gravity to Kona. Racing details and sponsorship aside, more than a few individuals will tell you that Miranda is one of the most genuine, down-to-earth people in our sport, and that authenticity shines through as she talks with Lee Trumpore at Windrock this past week. She finds joy in the little things and values her relationships as much as any riding achievements. Miranda, thank your for taking time for this interview and Vital listeners, enjoy the show!

It's hard to imagine that Braydon Bringhurst has only been riding a mountain bike since 2016. While he has serious childhood and teenaged BMX race roots with long-time friend Mitch Ropelato, Braydon and mountain biking are new to each other. This 30-year-old father of two has been making Instagram waves with big gaps, creative jump combos and climbs that are equally mind-blowing. He's taken a passion for and has combined it with mountain biking to establish himself as a social media sender. One of the most surprising parts of his story is that he hasn't had to stray too far from home to get the job done. Enjoy the show with the humble shredder, @bikerbrayd.

Bellows Falls, Vermont is not a particularly notable place. It was once another typical mill town on the Connecticut River, with businesses harnessing the raging water to turn their machines of industry. Now, it is the site of a hydro-electrical dam and a rundown rail yard, with a quaint downtown always humming with local commerce. An unassuming town, it actually has a lot going on within the time-worn warehouses on the fringe of town, most notably a derelict-looking facade with hiding a gem. The only hint that there is something going on behind the door is the faint glow of fluorescent ceiling lights through the adjacent bay door window. Inside what was once a thriving printing business now resides Frank Wadelton’s newest workspace. Better known as FTW, Frank is an industry legend – he’s in the MTB Hall of Fame for his contributions to the sport. I met Frank in 2005 when he asked if I’d like to ride for the company he was a part of at the time, Sinister Bikes. I rode for them during my days as a Junior in DH

In this episode we're joined by not one, but three special guests from Guerrilla Gravity – a relatively small, Colorado-based mountain bike brand that isn't content with the status quo.Like the "Guerrilla" name implies, these guys have always made their bikes *for* the people. They're also always up to something a little different, and their latest endeavor has yielded quite the creation.We're talking a fully customizable, modular bike manufactured from a next-generation carbon material that's making waves in the composites world. In addition to the new material, the frame is made in an almost entirely new way, it's filled with meaningful adjustments to customize the geometry and suspension, and - as we witnessed firsthand during our time together - it's all done in the USA by a truly passionate, motivated crew of riders.To top it all off, you can relatively quickly convert the bike into four distinct models with varying travel and wheel sizes that will have you co

Would you ever want to be a Red Bull Rampage judge? We wouldn't, but thankfully there are experienced freeride shredders like Kyle Jameson to get the job done. The stylish freerider and trail builder talks about his career, learning the trade from Randy Spangler, adventures as a young teen in Whistler, teaching mountain biking at Andrew Shandro's Summer Gravity Camps, judging Rampage, being involved with FEST Series, riding sand dunes in Africa and more.Kyle was in Boise, Idaho working on the Boise Bike Park, which began construction about a month ago and we're glad this episode worked out!

Nathan Rennie, Australian downhill racing legend, joins us on The Inside Line podcast this week. Rennie was the 2003 World Cup Downhill overall champ and made his mark on racing as a steely-eyed competitor with a penchant for post-race antics and sometimes trouble. Damian Breach sits down with the big brawler of the early 2000's to discuss what he's been up to for the last 10 years. Topics include career highlights with teams like Qranc, Yeti, Iron Horse and the Santa Cruz Syndicate, lessons learned, bike technology of days gone by and how he transitioned to being, as he puts it, Dad Guy. Always honest, always a competitor, we hope you enjoy this episode with a true game changer of our sport.

Support Colin as you get a chance to win some great mountain bike prizes at his GoFundMe page - https://www.gofundme.com/one-more-time-for-colin This week, I'm honored to be able share some time I spent with Colin Meagher, mountain bike family member, and one of our sport's finest photographers. In this emotional episode, we discuss his career and history, but get into his battle with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. This debilitating disease is, as he puts it, melting him. Colin is slowly losing muscle control in his arms, shoulders and mouth, and that control will never return. Learn about how Colin has inspired mountain bikers and photographers throughout the world with his images and kindness, learn about the impact ALS has on his life and please take the time to support him. #onemoretimeforcolinColin, we love you and we know you'll continue to impact more people, despite your illness. -ShawnFrom Colin's fundraising campaignColin Meagher needs your help. If you’re reading

We continue our interview with legendary mountain biker, Kirt Voreis. Transitioning from Yeti Factory Racing to the Specialized Mountain Dew team with Shaun Palmer, Kirt discusses racing in the glory days of downhill with its ups, downs and hijinx. When the team disbanded, it was off to Haro where Kirt continued racing, but founded the AllRide Tour as a way to take his love of street riding and dirt jumping to the next level. During this time, he filmed his ground-breaking MTB video part in the Matt Collins movie, Evolution, influencing the next generation of slopestylers and freeriders. The discussion continues as Kirt gets on to the Santa Cruz Syndicate, finally retiring from racing. A surprise departure from the Syndicate leads him to Specialized again to continue the AllRide Tour and eventually off to Niner where he currently crushes it as an Instagram inspiration.Follow Kirt on Instagram - @kirtvoreis_allride

During a visit to Bend, Oregon, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Kirt Voreis, legendary human, legendary mountain biker, to discuss his life and his career. Honored to have Cam McCaul sitting shotgun during the interview, we listened as Kirt shared stories of a challenging childhood surrounded by drug use, gangs and a difficult home life. Despite these obstacles, the arrival of a dedicated step-father, as well as, a passion for skateboarding, motorcycles and bicycles helped Kirt find a life of fulfillment as he made a life-long career out of racing and riding mountain bikes.Kirt's influence on our sport since the late 90's is one that can not be denied. In the midst of a successful racing career, he laid the groundwork for modern freeriding and pure fun on two wheels. He continues the tradition today by producing some of the most entertaining and inspiring bike-riding clips on Instagram.Enjoy part 1 of Kirt's interview as we discuss childhood, hard times, getting on the Yeti Factory team

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