The NSMB Podcast – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Unless you’ve met him at a race or listened to him on another podcast, you may not have heard of Mark Fitzsimmons, or Fitzy as he’s known to friends. 

He’s one of the unsung heroes of the mountain bike world. Fitzy is famous to a certain sort of person though: World Cup racers. He’s helped riders like Greg Minnaar, Aaron Gwin and Steve Peat go even faster, working for Fox Racing supporting the Santa Cruz syndicate and other race teams.

More recently Mark took up motor cycle racing - virtually every kind of motor cycle racing - and he wins on both dirt and pavement. He’s a knee dragging badass and a wicked mountain biker as well. 

Please have a listen to my conversation with Mark Fitzsimmons where we talk about working with pro athletes, racing motorcycles, and having mountain lions as neighbours.

Cam McRae

For our first Podcast with Mike Ferrentino, he was home on the acreage where he lives, inland from the coast up the Carmel Valley. Mike lives in a barn filled with bikes and motorcycles, the latter in various stages of decomposition. He's a decent distance from civilization, and from the internet. Mike's connectivity relies on tethering to his phone's sketchy data signal so while we were talking the first time I would lose his picture, and sometimes his voice, for long stretches. There was also a delay I was unaware of, that caused me to walk over Mike's words quite regularly. This time around Mike had a better solution. He jumped into his Ford Transit,(which he got in trade for the Sprinter he mentions in the podcast) found a spot that was quiet and set up his mic. I lost him a couple of times, and once we got disconnected completely, but overall it was like going from hieroglyphics to Morse Code.

We dug a little deeper into Mike's time at bike magazine, particularly the glory days before corporate takeovers, talked about his six years working for Santa Cruz Bikes at the old cannery location, and even discussed mountain biking's newest marketing designation; Downcountry! We also talked about "shaping the destiny of mountain biking," about spectating, working for 'the man,' and being "strapped into a rocket car without a steering wheel."

And this made me realize all the things we didn't cover. But those will have to wait until next time.

Please enjoy our second podcast with the incomparable Mike Ferrentino.

For flat pedal riders after the most grip possible, FiveTen has really been the only option. Year after year, new shoe releases have left us to question, why is it so hard for others to achieve similar grip?  

With the release of their new 2FO DH shoes and now the Rime, A.J. Barlas wanted to know more about Specialized’s shoe development process. Did they want all the grip, and if so, why did it take so long? How did they test the sole for grip? And what about their choice of materials? 

Specialized Footwear Product Manager, Stephen Quay was happy to dive into the new shoes, answering A.J's questions and more. They discussed the development process behind SlipNot ST, the materials used in the uppers, and Specialized’s Body Geometry. It turns out heaps goes into making shoes and the type of rubber needed for grip is tricky to develop.  

For many of us, riding bikes begins as a childhood activity, belting around the local neighbourhood, learning to wheelie and launching off gutters. But in some parts of the world, it goes beyond an after school activity. Neighbourhoods riddled with kids outdoing each other on the bike can build into pushing for national titles. These hotbeds of talented young riders develop more as the years go by, leaving a legacy behind.

It turns out Yoann Barelli grew up in such a hotbed in the south of France. He started riding with his 'brother' and future world champion, Fabien Barel but the town is also home to legendary downhill racer, Nico Vouilloz. There’s much racing history in the streets there but for Yoann, a slightly different path was taken.

Most listeners will know Yoann for his exuberant personality and, as it turns out, it played a large role in securing his first professional contract. But as he’s matured, his outlook on life and racing has too. Yoann shared how he got started in the sport, how the more recent events in his life and the world have shaped his career, and his thoughts on the environment.

Topics discussed:

1. Starting riding and racing in the South of France
2. Taking time to travel and learn English
3. How to be a Pro Rider video and how it actually worked
4. The Enduro World Series giving riders a chance at a career that wasn't there before
5. French lines and how the EWS has evolved
6. Cutting back the amount of racing
7. Starting the Into the Gnar coaching business
8. Racing for the thrill
9. Finding ways to progress as a pro-level rider
10. Injuries and their impact on racing
11. Cleaning up the environment
12. Becoming carbon neutral

Links mentioned in this episode:

• How to be a Pro Rider by Yoann Barelli
• Barelli Concepts / Into The Gnar
• Sam Hill in Chile
• Rideguard – mudguards made from recycled plastic
• Yoann’s Instagram

The NSMB Podcast: Obsessed with Mountain Biking is available on all of your favourite podcast apps:

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• Stitcher
• Overcast
• Google Podcasts

Bryson Martin has been involved in the industry for longer than most of you would imagine. From racing in the 80s to starting his own suspension manufacturing company, DVO, he’s seen the evolution of our sport from its early beginnings. We're excited to present the first NSMB Podcast ever recorded, we just had a little delay in publishing it. AJ and Bryson dive in and talk about elevated chainstays, drilling out suspension parts in the garage, how the Bomber name came about and, of course, the birth of DVO. Bryson also shares some snippets for exciting products that will be coming in the future.

HIGHLIGHTS

Wearing Suits & the merge into bikes for a living
Bryson: Before I got my master's degree I got a normal job, where I had to wear a suit…
AJ: No way…
Bryson: it was awful!

Starting with Marzocchi
Bryson: I ran into a guy from Marzocchi who was straight from Italy—you could tell he was Italian, you know, wearing one of those suits and walking around a bike show. I was like; “Hey, I raced Marzocchi on my motorcycles for years.” and stuff. I said: “What are you doing here?” He said, “oh, we’re thinking about entering the mountain bike market.” I’m like: “I’m your guy! I can handle it.” Laughing.

So… yeah we stayed in contact and six months later I flew to Italy and I said; “Hey I’ve got an idea. I’m going to make a mountain bike fork. I can handle the US structure, I want to be part owner and I’ll build it.” I was talking to Adriano Marzocchi, one of the cousins, and I said: “How big is your motorcycle division?” And he said you know, ‘X’ amount of millions of lira. Then I go “alright, in ten years I’ll make it bigger than motorcycle.” He laughed and goes; “You’re so stupid, haha, you Americans. I like your…” something in Italian which equates to your arrogance, you know. Then he goes; “Let’s do business.” And that’s how it started…

On Starting DVO Suspension
Bryson: We always looked at, in the past, air spring technology. We felt like, we wanted to use different air spring technologies… There are certain performance advantages to doing an air spring differently. Through the economics of manufacturing back then (at Marzocchi) we weren’t able to even investigate it. But we know that it represented a problem. That’s why we have the OTT System (with DVO)… I remember it clear as day, like the first day we sat down, we’re like, alright, let’s design a new air spring. These are the problems that we’ve seen in the past, how are we going to address them, manufacturer it, make it as light as possible, easy to adjust, you know, etc.

Something New?
AJ: Inverted single crown forks…

Bryson: I'm, that's, those are awesome. I love ‘em. I’m working on one, I’ll be honest with you… I’m working on one and… It’s a little bit… Well honestly, I was the first to come out with an inverted fork. At Marzocchi, I did the RAC fork. That’s called Reversed Advanced Composite. So I developed that. It was an inverted, carbon upper structure. I did it with Easton in Mexico. We just, we didn’t… It was way before its time. We didn’t have the manufacturing capabilities that we have now. 
I’m working on one. The thing is, it needs to be light. Inverted you can’t hit these weight targets that a lot of people… So for me, its kind of a side project, in a sense, but… Inverted is awesome. It’s the only way to go.

Over the last 20 years, we’ve watched Geoff Gulevich evolve and grow from a fresh-faced 13-year-old grom into one of the most recognized freeriders in our sport. His career started about the same time that riding on the North Shore achieved worldwide renown and the two have grown together. From cedar skinnies up in the sky to the today's modern, flowy style, he has been there, first as a young local ripper with parts in Digger’s North Shore Extreme video series, moving on to global recognition with a big online following, working with companies like GoPro and lululemon in addition to his bike industry sponsors.

Throughout that time, Gully has been a mainstay in videos as well as freeride and slopestyle competitions, earning accolades and results but also the respect and admiration of fellow riders, fans, and the industry as a whole. His easygoing nature and friendly demeanour comes as naturally as greasing a massive booter, and that may be what people like most about him, but there is no shortage of reasons to be a fan. No boasting or ego here - just a grown-up kid who likes to have fun on his bike, who has matured along with the sport that he loves, and has brought us along for the ride.

I’m Pete Roggeman and this is episode 5 of the NSMB podcast, and for this one, Cam McRae and I sat down together with Geoff Gulevich - known to many of us as ‘Gully’ - to dive a little deeper.

Topics discussed:

1. Gully's first bike and how the wheel got taco'ed on the first day.
2. First-ever ride with a pro with Jay Hoots and knowing MTB was the career he wanted from the time he started.
3. Getting his parents to forge his application to McDonald's so he could earn money for bike parts - at age 12!
4. Competing at Rampage and slopestyle events like Joyride. 
5. Guinea-pigging the Oakley sender and his biggest crash ever.
6. Traveling the world as a competitor and then as an adventurer.
7. Geoff collects pocket knives from places he travels to and commissioned Ethan Nell's dad to make custom knives for his groomsmen.
8. The experience of his Fox News interview after Rampage in 2014.
9. Social media, dealing with haters, a few tips for getting better GoPro footage.
10. How GoPro has influenced his career.
11. What advice would he give to Gully in the past?
12. What does the future hold for Geoff Gulevich?

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Follow Gully on Instagram
• Gully's viral helmet cam vid from Rampage and ensuing Fox News Interview

The NSMB Podcast: Obsessed with Mountain Biking is available on all of your favourite podcast apps:

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• Stitcher
• Overcast
• Google Podcasts

On a short trip to New Zealand in 2019, I thought there might be a chance to record a podcast with Sven and Anka Martin. When I arrived in Nelson, I learned that my two podcast targets had planned and were running the Santa Cruz media event that had brought me to their adopted homeland.

Sven is a former pro skateboarder and World Cup downhiller who has become one of the most well known and respected photographers on the DH and enduro circuits. Anka, who’s married to Sven, is a badass rider who raced World Cup DH until two thousand and nine and eventually began pursuing a career racing enduro. She has won both Trans Provence and Andes Pacifico and was a regular in the top 10 at the EWS - before stepping back from competitive riding at the end of 2016. Neither Sven nor Anka had ever ridden a mountain bike when they first met. Incredibly together they clawed their way up until they were both racing at the highest level.

Sven and Anka, South Africans by birth who also host the popular NZ Enduro every year, had to scuttle their original plan for myself and the other visiting journalists. Things were too hot in the trails near Nelson and the risk of fire was too high. They took this in stride and hastily organized a two-day excursion that involved riding sweet singletrack to a lodge that can’t be reached by road, leaving there by boat and then jumping in helicopters for an alpine drop to sample some of the finest loamy singletrack I’ve ridden. They pulled a wicked advenutre out of the hat and never seemed to break a sweat.

On top of this - Sven was shooting photos of all the journalists and athletes - and Anka was making sure everyone was having a great time and quietly sorting all the details - all this the week before their annual NZ Enduro.

In the midst of this chaos I asked if they could spare an hour to sit down for a podcast and they were gracious enough to accept.

The first thing you notice about Sven and Anka is that they are always smiling and laughing and enjoying life - even when things seem to be going sideways. Sven is always making wise cracks and Anka’s good mood seems impenetrable. We talked about their nomadic lives, how they came to settle in New Zealand, racing and photographing bikes and Sven’s unbelievable opening line when they first met.

This episode isn’t heavy on downhill or EWS for you race nerds, but I think it captures something authentic about my guests and the incredible lives they have created within the world of mountain biking.

Sven Martin on Instagram
Anka Martin on Instagram
Gary Perkin on Instagram

In the second episode of the NSMB Podcast, A.J. Barlas chats with Nico Vink about his childhood and how growing up in Belgium influenced his riding today. Nico opens up about the struggles he's faced as a result of pursuing his passion – chancing it on more than one occasion to get to an event with only enough money to fuel his car to get there. How perception plays a role in being comfortable on massive 90-foot jumps and let's not forget the missing tooth. You'll have to wait until the end to learn that story because A.J. almost forgot himself.

Topics discussed:

1. Growing up in Belgium and racing Cross Country
2. Nico's transition into, and out of World Cup DH
3. Freeride and the FEST Series
4. Riders to look out for and who he's inspired by
5. Loosefest; how the event and Fest Series events are run and what it takes to put it on
6. Rampage: Judging the event and his insane line the last time he competed in the event
7. Nico's involvement with Chatel Bike Park
8. Parts he runs and how his bike setup changes from regular riding to FEST events
9. That missing tooth and why it took so long to replace

Links mentioned in this episode:

• FEST Series
• Chatel Bike Park
• Red Bull Rampage

This week, in the first ever episode of the NSMB Podcast, Cam McRae talks to Sterling Lorence about how he got his start as a rider and photographer and how he went from being a mountain biker with a desire to document the trails and riders on the North Shore into one of the most respected photographers in mountain biking. 

Topics discussed:

1. Sterling's beginnings as a photographer and mountain biker.
2. Transitioning from shooting with friends, to editorial work, to commercial work.
3. Working around the world with pro mountain bikers like Thomas Vanderham.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• http://sterlinglorence.com
• http://nsmb.com