The Inside Line Podcast - Vital MTB

Vital's Forum Discussion on the FOX Podium Charlie's FOX Podium Review Podium Tech Talk with FOX product developers Vital's FOX Podium fork review dropped on Tuesday and our tester, Charlie Sponsel, encouraged you to leave any questions that remained. Sorting through dozens of great inquiries, the highlights have been pulled and Charlie answers them so you can learn more about this expensive, heavy, but incredibly-performing enduro fork. 0:00 - Intro, baggage fee avoidance struggles 10:00 - Charlie's Zeb setup (it's not stock) 13:46 - Is This basically a prototype for sale? 16:40 - Did the CSU Creak? 19:06 - Why is it 29er only and does it matter? 20:03 - Is the FOX 38 really just the 38SL and Podium is burlier version? 21:19 - Won't the stanchions be really easy to damage? 27:28 - Podium's crown, weight and why no 180mm 33:25 - Would you run 180mm if they offered it? 34:07 - Why is it so heavy? 36:16 - Could a lighter fork be as stiff? 37:48 - Currently compatible 20mm hubs? 39:26 - Why not have swappable axle size options like EXT? 42:50 - Do you think axle size was a reason for your positive experience? 46:23 - Why not put the airspring on the opposite side to avoid brake rotor contamination? 51:06 - How does Podium differ from an Intend or a Push fork? 52:37 - Would you buy one? 57:23 - Would the Podium work on a TrailDuro setup? 1:03:57 - Burly Freeride build, Podium or a 190mm dual crown? 1:05:23 - Why would Podium be better for ebikes? 1:07:56 - Is Vital's testing method flawed? 1:13:49 - Why Charlie really enjoyed the Podium 1:17:05 - Berm performance, less compromise on setup because of less binding

After plenty of drama and mild discontent surrounding the first three races of the season, it was nice to have a good old-fashioned downhill race in Val di Sole. No one complained about the track being too straight or too easy. There were plenty of fresh sections and line choices. And the racing was as competitive as ever. Our main man Dak was back for his second race of the season, and his weekend was nothing short of a battle. We discuss how Dak’s feeling at this stage of his recovery, as well as Jackson’s ‘bouncy’ riding style, Reece Wilson’s 6D windshield goggles, Team Points, what to do with the Junior categories, Dak’s experience going from Shimano XTR/Saint brakes to SRAM Maven’s, and more. Plus, the usual race recaps. Thanks for tuning in, enjoy! 0:05 - Bring back 4X Racing 5:48 - Content and Media Landscape 10:05 - Where’s the culture?? 14:53 - After party tales 19:56 - B Practice does Whistler 22:29 - Dak is filming a Vital RAW 24:26 - Dak’s war stories from VDS 31:07 - Dak’s approach after getting two races under his belt 38:33 - Balancing recovery with giving 100% 43:02 - Dak’s pre-ride warm-up routine 51:43 - Dak’s experience going from XTR/Saint to Maven brakes 1:02:32 - VDS Track Talk 1:03:48 - Jackson’s ‘bouncy’ style = speed 1:10:20 - Dak compares his style and setup to Jackson’s 1:13:27 - USD forks: so hot right now 1:15:13 - Track changes, but similar times? 1:17:33 - No more complaining about straight, easy tracks after VDS 1:19:42 - Reece Wilson’s 6D windshield goggles 1:22:22 - Sam Gale’s bloody crash 1:24:21 - DH is dangerous, period 1:26:25 - Team Points discussion 1:31:34 - How Team Points will affect junior selection in the future 1:33:30 - No juniors 2026 discussion 1:48:28 - Maxxis Make or Brake Section 1:51:40 - No chains 2026 - chainless racing only 1:54:03 - Junior Women’s Race Recap 1:55:43 - Junior Men’s Race Recap 1:58:16 - Elite Women’s Race Recap 2:09:26 - Elite Men’s Race Recap 2:18:07 - Burgtec Labour of Love Award 2:19:44 - La Thuile next week - thoughts? 2:22:58 - Vital Fantasy tips

Host, Charlie Sponsel Watch this interview - https://youtu.be/Z5CN3pD_7Yg FOX Podium Review - https://youtu.be/UEW1tMYVM20 The Podium isn't FOX's first foray into the upside-down MTB fork market. In 2011, they developed a prototype downhill fork that used an inverted design for 26" wheels. It was heavy and flexy, so they dropped it. Fast-forward 14 years later and their single crown Podium inverted fork has dropped and we wanted to see why. Charlie Sponsel sits down with Ariel Lindsley, Jordi Cortes and Neko Mulally to learn how the FOX Podium inverted MTB fork came to be. 0:00 - Ariel Lindsley - 2011 FOX 26" inverted DH fork prototype, Podium development story 28:43 - Jordi Cortes - Why he was against an inverted fork and what does he think now? 43:29 - Neko Mulally - on trail performance of the FOX Podium

A lot of people who mountain bike also snowboard, and vice versa. Two tools with different jobs but a shared goal—provide an experience that evokes excitement and creativity. With so much time spent with a bike or board between our two feet, we were curious if these vessels of stoke had more in common than meets the eye. At the end of the day, they strive to solve many of the same problems, balancing comfort with performance, specificity with versatility, and durability with weight and price. Not to mention balancing consumer demands and industry trends to create products that riders actually want. To discuss this topic, we tagged in Ryan Burney, engineer and long-time downhill racer; Evan Finses, design engineer at Burton Snowboards; and Austin Smith, Director of Innovations and Marketing at Bogus Basin Ski Resort. Tag along as Vital Tech Editor Jason Schroeder finds out how the engineering behind snowboards and mountain bikes is a lot closer than one might think.

If there is one thing we can almost guarantee, it's that Leogang will provide some incredibly tight racing. This year was exceptionally snug. Dry conditions and a similar track layout as years before meant little time was spent sorting out line choices or using the brakes. The receipt was simple: rally the main line with confidence and tuck-to-win on the motorway. And what transpired was some of the most competitive racing we've ever seen and a lot of talk about the safety, speeds, and simplicity of tracks. Tag along as we discuss the validity of these concerns, along with how Dak's first race back went, the back-to-back Canadian double victories, 510s athlete summit, Y2K freeride fashion, and more. 0:13 - What is 510's athlete summit all about? 3:50 - How Dak as an athlete benefits from the summit 8:42 - Balancing expectations and deliverables with sponsors 10:25 - Dak follows Danny Hart in Schladming 11:51 - When are the 510 Desert Storm boots coming back?? 13:11 - Freeride fashion = Y2K 14:32 - Dak just learned about Apple Pay 16:05 - Dak's weekend in Leogang 20:14 - Hardest part of the track in Leogang? 22:11 - Critiquing the motorway 23:56 - Where are the jumps?? 24:48 - The need for new sections of track 26:22 - Are tracks too fast/too straight? Or is competition just high? 45:13 - Wall ride gossip 48:08 - Do you race with your phone in your pocket? 49:50 - Jackson was racing on an e-bike 53:19 - Why aren't TMD mounted at the front axle 54:55 - Are enduro bikes more useless than downhill bikes? 57:56 - Ellie Hulsebosch's TMD falling off in finals 58:17 - Best World Cup racer to never have won a World Cup? 59:17 - Maxxis Make or Brake Section 1:03:54 - Dak doesn't ride used tires 1:07:12 - Junior Women's Race Recap 1:10:34 - Junior Men's Race Recap 1:16:05 - Elite Women's Race Recap 1:24:21 - Elite Men's Race Recap 1:26:05 - NOTICE: there is less practice this year with Q1 / Q2 schedule 1:32:53 - Ronan Dunne's race craft is maturing 1:41:16 - Burgtec Labour of Love Award 1:42:55 - Is Dak ready for VDS?

The second round of the 2025 World Cup from Loudenvielle, France, produced some of the fastest racing we've seen in recent memory and was (somehow) filled with more funny drama than the first round in Poland. But it turns out a dry, straight track makes for iconic Hail Mary race runs, and the UCI/Warner Bros/Discovery not knowing how to enforce their own rules makes for good podcasting banter. We had fun this week chatting about the ongoing #polegate disputes, Dak's panic after watching racing from the sideline and rushed last-minute prep before Leogang, the Henry Keifer situation, the Stan Nisbet situation, Ronan showing why we ride with tires on our rims, track safety and the need for more turns, and most importantly, the tightness of riding pants. We have been treated to some iconic racing thus far this season, and Leogang this weekend will surely be exciting. Now let's just hope our co-host-extrodinare can make it past Q2! 0:13 - The Dak Update 3:10 - Dak's panic from watching people ride in Loudenvielle 6:05 - UCI trying to copy our post-race show 9:05 - More insight into Dak's prep before Leogang 14:13 - Has the field gotten faster this year? 16:30 - #polegate again 17:50 - Henry Keifer's start hut pit stop 19:39 - Stan Nisbet stopped from racing 24:15 - Ronan doesn't need tires. Or does he?? 27:45 - Track talk and how much they straightened it 29:52 - Why is everyone's gear so tight right now 33:50 - Complaining about the broadcast again 36:00 - XC did 5 people podiums 36:28 - Complaining about rider payout again 37:03 - How many people even watch the racing these days? 41:08 - Brembo brakes 49:17 - Maxxis Make or Brake Section 52:36 - Jackson and Gracey sending it at the bottom 55:40 - Jackson's bike setup is wild 59:13 - Junior Women's Race Recap 1:03:15 - Junior Men's Race Recap 1:09:43 - Elite Women's Race Recap 1:13:43 - Elite Men's Race Recap 1:22:00 - radial tire gossip 1:24:37 - Dak's tire choice for Loudenvielle 1:27:07 - Gwinny is back 1:30:52 - Burgtec Labour of Love 1:33:10 - Reece Wilson saying tracks are too straight, fast, not technical enough 1:35:49 - Jackson's average speed in his race run 1:41:12 - Thoughts on Leogang track 1:43:34 - Who's gonna be fast in Leogang

In this episode, the crew covers all the hot tea from the first World Cup in Poland, but most importantly, gets an update on Dak's highly anticipated return to racing. We hope you enjoy the show, and we will see everyone next week for a post-Loudenvielle podcast! 0:00 - Intro / Crew Updates 5:32 - Dak Injury Update 13:37 - Dak's return to racing?? 16:30 - Post-injury fears getting back to racing? 19:13 - Transparency while recovering 22:14 - Bike setup post-injury 25:34 - Is there too much coverage per race weekend? 30:27 - #polegate #bringbacktape 36:05 - Ryan Gilcrest going around the start wand at Crankworx 40:29 - Course marking inconsistencies 42:40 - Q1 and Q2 thoughts and strategy 47:27 - Pit boards in qualifying 50:16 - 3 person podiums: yay or nay? 53:54 - Rotor guards: so hot right now 55:23 - Fenders vs. mudguards 58:07 - Lit Kit & Worst Kit in Poland 1:01:41 - Maxxis Make or Brake Section 1:04:01 - Riders looking tired mid-run 1:04:42 - Tire choice for the weekend 1:05:45 - Is Poland too one-lined? 1:11:31 - Goggle setup thoughts for the mud 1:20:08 - Junior Women's Race Recap 1:21:15 - Junior Men's Race Recap 1:24:40 - Tanner's hot take on Junior racing 1:29:40 - Elite Women's Race Recap 1:32:12 - Jason's first ride impressions of the new Orbea Rallon DH bike 1:37:23 - Elite Men's Race Recap 1:43:53 - Thoughts on the vibe around Poland/this World Cup season 1:52:46 - Who has the most podiums now that we only do top 3 1:53:25 - Burgtec Labour of Love Award

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 intro 9:00 - Supercross bench racing 16:22 - Developing a race bike first, then going to production 25:20 - chasing small gains in bike performance mid-season 30:45 - cause and effect of testing and changing setup 36:08 - comparing setups with other pro DH racers 37:48 - final team change news for 2025 46:08 - what happens to the few names stuck in the middle 52:28 - 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 update 1:25:02 - Thoughts on Gates $100k belt drive competition 1:37:52 - Dak's comeback plans 1:53:08 - Dak shouldn't read the comments

Thanks to Maxxis Tires | FOX | Jenson USA for supporting The Inside Line Max 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 contents 0:00 - Some history 10:08 - Hitting Highland, Meeting Kyle Strait, National Champs 16:44 - Always enduro 22:00 - Racing with a broken leg 24:12 - Dropping out of school 33:07 - Getting into a machine for the first time 37:18 - Getting on Cannondale, U.S. EWS races 51:20 - Sponsors and bike setup 57:08 - Racing e-bikes, work ethic, faith in God 1:01:18 - Wrist injury, riding for Surron, riding in Monster Jam 1:31:30 - Back to Europe for E-EDR and World Champs 1:45:54 - 2025 plans, getting on Ari 2:01:18 - Digging trails and Working with Sean Leader at Wildside 2:07:58 - Questions from friends and e-Moto talk 2:19:42 - Future of WC Downhill

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 Notes 0:00 - Intro 3:10 - Dak injury details, update, recovery 14:45 - Thoughts on the risk of riding moto during the offseason 18:17 - Dak's headspace during his injury 21:39 - How Dak's program has changed to avoid fatigue, over-training, and stress 26:26 - Where Dak started to find solutions to his health problems 31:12 - Finding confidence and happiness in your life 41:10 - Dak getting hurt at his house 43:19 - Dak's new video with GoPro' In Their Element' 45:11 - Mondraker doing a fill-in for Dak? 47:20 - Confirmed team changes for 2025 1:02:08 - Rumored team changes for 2025 1:19:28 - New team rules pushing out smaller teams and screwing 'bubble' riders 1:22:35 - Continental Series chit-chat and what it takes to make it to World Cups now 1:27:41 - Chit-chat about U.S. Series carrying weight against World Cups 1:39:01 - What career number would Dak pick? 1:40:37 - More team rumor talk 1:46:15 - Why Dak doesn’t wear gloves + what grips he runs 1:52:59 - Dream sponsor?

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 contents 0:00 - "I wanted to be Nino Schurter" 4:44 - School and finding enduro 11:54 - Racing his first National Champs with a torn ACL 24:32 - Early DH career 32:20 - Aiming for the World Cup with Pro Builds Team 39:57 - Being friends with and racing against Asa Vermette 42:33 - Dealing with injuries and P.T. 50:24 - First European World Cup season and the Ft Bill Crash 59:15 - Poland and his last physical day of school 1:05:56 - Val di Sole struggles and Valentina Roa Sanchez 1:11:30 - Graduating high school mid-season 1:19:00 - Junior World Cup Les Gets race day canceled 1:25:04 - Getting on Transition Factory Racing 1:30:25 - National Champs, Rest in Peace Scott Huntley 1:36:17 - Competing in 19 races, Joakim and World Champs 1:44:33 - Loudenvielle and weather issues, Recovery, US Open, MSA 1:57:50 - 2025, no contract and the USDH scene and World Cup challenges

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/

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!

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

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…

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

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!

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

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