MTB TRIBE - Your Trail Map to the World of Mountain Biking

On episode Sixty Eight we are chatting to Jacob Martin, Owner and Founder of Mid Nowhere Productions. If you listened to last weeks episode with Maya Atkinson you will know the background to how Jacob sent me a film he had shot with Maya and after watching that film I just had to get both Maya and Jacob on the show.

It was cool that Jacob was happy to come on the show and share his story about how he got into filmography and how the film with Maya came about through the network of people in mountain biking. And once again it goes to show that this mountain biking community is so friendly and social and that the contacts and friends you make within it are a major reason why we all find it so appealing and consuming.

I was blown away to find out that Jacob is only 19 years old because by looking at his films, these all seem to be the work of an older more mature and experienced film maker. Don't judge a film by its cover type thing. Which makes what he has done and is planning to do that little bit more special. We chat to Jacob about how he got stated in filmography, how working with Aussie Grit Apparel came about, what gear he uses, how you can easily get started in filmography, the major part it plays in mountain biking and his very cool movie 'Get It Done' with Maya Atkinson. Plus much more.

Get plugged in and check it out!

On episode number Sixty Seven we are chatting to two time Junior British Downhill Champion, Maya Atkinson. It was great to get Maya on the show fresh off the back of her new film 'Get It Done', by Mid Nowhere Productions. Jacob Martin the founder and owner of Mid Nowhere Productions emailed me the movie and after watching for the first time I knew I had to reach out and get Maya on the show. Maya was very cool and agreed to come on and share her story about racing, crashing and her preparation for her up-coming elite racing season.

Maya is so laid back in her approach to racing, training and results that you would be forgiven for thinking that she doesn't really care, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Maya is super focused, motivated and very determined to make her mark on the ladies downhill elite scene. I love Maya's approach. She is determined to have fun and enjoy herself in the process by not taking the whole thing to seriously. She has her goals set and is going to work hard until she achieves them. Maya is excited and nervous all at the same time about her up-coming season which is totally normal. We chat about this and how among many other things her parents have been a major driving force behind her getting to the level she is at and how they help in so many ways. We also chat about ladies in mountain biking and how best to get involved. Plus tones more great stuff.

So hit play and find out what it is like to be advancing from Juniors to the elite level of ladies downhill mountain biking.

On todays episode, number Sixth Six it was awesome to get James on the show from Kenya. As you guys who follow the show will know, I have had a number of guests on the podcast from Kenya, East Africa, chatting about what is happening over there regarding the expansion of mountain biking including, tours, races, skills courses etc..etc.. So it was great to get James on and tell us more about how he (with the help of friends) is helping mountain biking grow and expand in and around his local area.

James is the Director of Savage Wilderness, an adventure and tour company which now offers mountain biking as one of its packages. This has mainly grown from a passion James has for mountain biking and after a chance run in with Simon Blake the two guys put their heads together to organise not only cross country rides (some times lasting for a week) but enduro races as well. Because of people like James and Simon the enduro and mountain biking scene in Kenya is really gaining popularity with more interest from visiting racers and locals alike, the scene is looking very healthy for the future. We chat to James about how his adventure company is helping mountain biking, what his local trails are like, why there is such problems with getting good bikes in Kenya, how things are growing and expanding and what he has planned for the near future regarding mountain biking. Plus more.

So take a visit to Kenya, East Africa and find out what the mountain biking scene is like there. Who knows you may just stick it on your bucket list. Enjoy.

On episode number Sixty Five we are chatting with the young Irish ripper Oisin O'Callaghan. Oisin has been raging the downhill circuit over the last number of years and is quickly reaching the top of the youth division. When I had Oisin's father Chris on the show back on episode 062 (listen here) chatting about the Ballyhoura Trail Network, we had a quick chat about Oisin and how his season had went and what his goals were for the near future. I was super interested and wanted to know more. Chris was kind enough to ask Oisin if he would like to share his story on the podcast and thankfully he was cool with coming on and chatting with us.

For a 15 year old kid, Oisin is super motivated, dedicated and willing to push himself to take that next step forward. When I gave him a call he had only finished a gym workout. A gym that he has set up in his garage and it sounds awesome. For a young man Oisin has his head screwed on in the right direction. He knows what he wants from mountain biking and knows what he wants to achieve over the next season, and Oisin has the plans in place to do just that. We chat to Oisin about why he has got so good at a young age, what his training looks like, his favourite race from last year, how his season went, Crankworx, sponsorship, plus loads more.

On episode number Sixty Four we are chatting with Andy Cole. Andy is a massively passionate photographer and even thought he does take photography of more than just mountain biking, mountain biking and action sports is where his true interests lie. You can check out Andy's images on his very cool website at alcphotography.co.uk Andy first got in contact when he had just published an article for Pink Bike (see below) about his adventure with Sean Green and his Grizzly Munro Diaries. I was so impressed with Andy's images for that article and the overall Grizzly Munro idea that I had to reach out and ask both Sean and Andy to be guests on the show.

I was lucky enough that they both agreed to come on and tell their stories. One from the riders perspective and the other from the photographers. I had Sean on the podcast back on episode 057 (listen here) but now with Andy's schedule having a few gaps he was kind enough to put an hour aside and come on the show to tell us about how this all started, how he and Sean first hooked up and what it was like to photograph and ride in such unpredictable elements. We chat about this plus, how Andy got into mountain biking, what he loves about it, how and when he started photography and how he catches the perfect image. Plus much more.

Todays Guest

Matt Mooney, Founder and Owner of MTB Fitness. We chat with Matt about how being that little bit more pacific in the gym can help you on the trails and how nutrition and mind-set can help even the weekend warrior.

On episode Sixty Three we are chatting to Matt about his 12 week MTB training programme, which has been bought in over 23 countries and is a great way to help you get fitter, feel better and be faster on your rides. We chat about how Matt after many years of being a Personal Trainer found his passion again for mountain biking and seen a hole in the market for a more pacific mountain bike training programme. And this is when MTB Fitness was born.

Matt is very knowledgeable in how training can help you in a load of different areas of your daily life and how getting your butt into the gym a few times a week can help your riding. We chat about what his 12 week MTB programme consists of, how it works, equipment you will require (which is not a lot) and how much time you will require in the gym to help on the trails. We also delve into nutrition, mind-set and injury recovery.

Chris O'Callaghan - The service provider to the Ballyhoura Mountain Bike Trails and founder of Trailriders.ie

On todays episode, number Sixty Two we are chatting with Chris O'Callaghan about why we  should all check out the Ballyhoura Mountain Bike Trail Network and don't leave it off our to do lists for 2019. After all it has 98km of trails and is the biggest trail network in Ireland. We chat with Chris about how the trails came to be, how they where designed, how popular the trails have become, what facilities are on offer and what to expect from the trail networks, plus much more.

Chris was kind enough to come on the show and chat to us about this awesome sounding trail network. I have to admit, it is a network I have never visited and to be totally honest I have never really thought of going there. Why is that? It has awesome facilities, bike hire, a bike shop for repairs and general components and on top of all that it has a number of different level loops totalling 98km of trail. So I reached out to get more information on Ballyhoura for both myself and you guys as I feel it is a destination we all should visit on our next mountain bike trip.

On episode Sixty One we are chatting with The Bear, Rob Allcoat. I have been following Rob on Instagram for a little while and just loved his attitude, love for mountain biking and the energy he put out with his posts and videos. So I reached out and asked him to come on the podcast for a chat about what he does, how he stays motivated and how he went about getting ambassadorship and sponsorship. Rob was kind enough to say yes and we quickly set it up.

Rob has a passion for getting people out on the trails and through his sponsorships and growing social community he has been able to reach more people and motivate people to start mountain biking, get out in nature and enjoy exercise on two wheels. And for Rob that is what it is all about. Rob is fully aware of what mountain biking does for his overall mental state, energy and love for life and he simply wants to pass that on to as many people as he can. He is doing a great job so far!

On episode 60 we chat to Matt Sanders about living and riding MTB in Alaska and how he got the lead role in the newly released movie series Alaska Photo Ventures, from Dan Redfield an Emmy Nominated Filmmaker and Photographer. Plus much more!

On episode Fifty Nine we are chatting to Jon Aston the Founder and Owner of Chickens Frame Emporium about building, designing, shaping, welding and producing top notch steel frames hand build in the UK. I was put in touch with Jon by Tom Redfern, founder and owner of the MTB apparel brand Broken Riders. Tom was on episode number 38 of the podcast and thought Jon would make a great guest. So I reached out and Jon was kind enough to come on the show and share his story.

It was great to get Jon on the show as he see's the mountain bike industry in a different light and is not scared to air his views and thoughts on the industry. Jon got into building frames in a different way from most but if you had to put it down to one thing it would have to be passion. Jon loves what he does and even though he does not work out of a state of the art workshop and maybe he doesn't have the latest piece of building equipment, Jon is super stoked to be where he is and do what he's doing. Building frames for people and seeing smiles on their faces as they pick-up and ride their new frame is all it takes.

Jon chats to us about the building process, what steel he uses and how he goes about fabricating a bike frame. Jon works with all kind of orders, everything from ice-cream bikes to mountain bikes to fire breathing dragons (you will have to listen to the show to find out about that one) but mountain biking is where his passions are the strongest. We chat to Jon about why he loves steel so much, why he only makes hardtails, the many options that are available for your bespoke build plus much much more.