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 recipe 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

Ahead of the Tennessee National taking place this week, we sat down with Sea 'Griz' McClendon to run through some USDH names to watch on the national circuit this year. Of course, we had to get the Griz update and hear how he ended up spittin' heat on the mic at Downhill Southeast races and in the booth with the Gravity Coop doing post-race shows. We also touched on all the Americans racing World Cups this year, which World Cup racers are coming over to race this weekend at Windrock, and a bunch of other nonsense mostly related to downhill racing. Enjoy!

If you want to race downhill, check out these regional series!

NW Cup (Washington, Idaho, Montana)

Southwest Downhill (SoCal) 

Southridge USA (SoCal)

Downhill Rockies (Colorado, New Mexico)

Eastern States Cup (Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Vermont, Pennsylvania)

Downhill Southeast (North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia)

Monster Energy Pro Downhill (North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia)

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