The Inside Line Podcast - Vital MTB – Details, episodes & analysis

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

Jack Rice checks in from Andorra and the 2024 UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Championships with interviews from the podium riders and Greg Minnaar, who continues to troll us about possible retirement.

0:00 - Loris Vergier
2:33 - Vali Holl
3:15 - Greg Minnaar
7:55 - Myriam Nicole
9:09 - Finn Iles
12:48 - Tahnee Seagrave
13:41 - Benoit Coulanges

The mud at the 2022 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Downhill in Snowshoe provided the drama, but the racers, fans and atmosphere were the highlight of the weekend. Trill Will got his hands on interviews from Bernard Kerr, Camille Balanche and Eliot Jackson, Ronan Dunne, Gracey Hemstreet, Superfan Alex Ohlman, Laurie Greenland, Matt Sterling, Preston Cline (Race Director for the Snowshoe World Cup) and Wyn Masters.

After two years, the World Cup circus returned to the heart of the Pyrenees Mountains for an exciting weekend of dry, hot, fast, and tight racing. With a brand new track on a completely different side of the mountain, gone were the steep, technical sections we are used to seeing in Andorra, and instead, the track was made up of blistering fast off-cambers and high-speed turns with no shortage of loose shale and dust. Times were tight, and the margin for error was even smaller.

This week, we discuss if World Cup downhill should assign permanent race numbers, if selling more downhill bikes is the answer to the longevity of the sport, the multiple death-defying sections on this year’s track, Loic Bruni's softer-than-average suspension setup, Jackson Goldstone having the fastest time of the day, plus our usual deep dive into results and overall standings. Enjoy!

In this episode of The Inside Line podcast, Jason Schroeder sits down to interview his good friend and past landlord, Austin Smith, better known as Cheddar Child. Originally from Southern California and now residing in Boise, Idaho, Austin is first and foremost a ripping snowboarder. Introduced to mountain biking during his college years, his love for two wheels and digging trails have become his newfound passion. 

As the current Director of Innovations and Marketing at Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area, he has played a huge role in growing Bogus’ new bike park, which has moved the needle forward for mountain bike trails in the greater Boise area. He’s a staple in the community who is constantly organizing dig days and trying to improve the experience of every rider who visits the park. He also has some of the sickest backyard dirt jumps you’ll likely never see and a love for music festivals and drum and bass. Austin is truly a one-of-a-kind individual whose intensity for life and motivated personality leaves an impact on everyone who crosses his path.

Have a listen as Austin discusses growing up being a snowboarder in Southern California, jumping beach cruisers at Sheep Hills, what a degree in Ski Business & Resort Management involves, the costs of operating a bike park, what it means to be a nonprofit mountain recreation area, and what it’s like being queer in action sports. Enjoy!

Thank you to
- jensonusa.com - Use coupon code “insideline” (all one word) at checkout and receive 10% off qualifying items.
- maxxis.com
- santacruzbicycles.com 

Cover photograph by John Webster - @johnjwebster

Show Notes

• The inspiration for the name 'Cheddar Child'
• 2014/15 Snowboard Edit
• Air Awareness
• Building ‘Crackland’ Backyard Dirt Jumps
• Crankland 3.0 Session
• VitalMTB All Trails POV The Basin Gravity Park
• ‘Wish You Were Here’ Austin Smith 
• Bogus Basin Community Trail Build Day
• Pose TV Series
• Ballroom Culture 
• We're All Mental Community 
• 'Freedom From The Known' by Jidda Krishnamurti
• Mr Happy - DNB Song 
• Critical Crack Critters Anonymous Spotify Playlist

Dakota Norton qualified 2nd in Lenzerheide, was up at the splits and had an unfortunate slideout during his race run at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Downhill. Jason Schroeder and Tanner Stephens, former World Cup downhill racers, talk with Dak about his race weekend and then the three of them dive into the performances of top finishers in all categories.

Will Washam, also known as Trill Will, is on the Inside Line podcast today. If you've raced a Downhill Southeast, watched one of their race replays or attended a recent National Champs gravity event, you have heard him making the calls as commentator. We talk about his journey into mountain biking, finding his way into announcing duties over the years and more.

Thanks to jensonusa.com for supporting The Inside Line. They have their Independence Day sale going on right now with big savings on bikes, components and riding gear. Summer is here, so make sure you and your bike are ready for shredding. Use coupon code InsideLine, all one word, at check out and receive 10% off qualifying items.

Maxxis tires are stacking wins this year with Richie Rude winning the latest EWS, Jesse Melamed winning the week before, Vali Holl taking a Crankworx DH win in Innsbruck and Matt Walker winning the Leogang World Cup downhill. Hit up maxxis.com to find the mountain bike tire that best suits your riding style and conditions and maybe you'll be on the podium at your next race, too.

Santa Cruz bicycles just launched the new Hightower 29er trail bike with 145mm of rear travel, internal frame storage and 5 size options. Hit our site to see our first ride review with our tech editor Jason Schroeder ripping the trail in Oakridge, Oregon, or hit up www.santacruzbicycles.com to learn more about this do-it-all trail smasher! Don't forget, they offer free, lifetime bearing replacement on their full-squish frames, too!

We're going to take a trip back in time to 2018 with a previously aired Inside Line featuring Rob Warner. If you didn't know, after this 2022 season, Red Bull will no longer produce the Live webcasts of World Cup Downhill and Cross Country as the UCI sold those rights to the Discovery channel through 2030. Upon hearing the news, I asked Rob if he would still be involved as race commentator, hopeful for a "yes" answer because he has been such an integral part of what makes those shows so exciting to watch. This was his reply, "after this year, it's highly unlikely I'll be commentating on any UCI MTB World Cups for the foreseeable future." and he left it at that. With that answer, I thought it was a great time to revisit our interview from 4 years ago to showcase just how much passion he has for what he does.

Thanks to jensonusa.com for supporting The Inside Line. They have their Independence Day sale going on right now with big savings on bikes, components and riding gear. Summer is here, so make sure you and your bike are ready for shredding. Use coupon code InsideLine, all one word, at check out and receive 10% off qualifying items.

Maxxis tires are stacking wins this year with Richie Rude winning the latest EWS, Jesse Melamed winning the week before, Vali Holl taking a Crankworx DH win in Innsbruck and Matt Walker winning the Leogang World Cup downhill. Hit up maxxis.com to find the mountain bike tire that best suits your riding style and conditions and maybe you'll be on the podium at your next race, too.

Santa Cruz bicycles just launched the new Hightower 29er trail bike with 145mm of rear travel, internal frame storage and 5 size options. Hit our site to see our first ride review with our tech editor Jason Schroeder ripping the trail in Oakridge, Oregon, or hit up www.santacruzbicycles.com to learn more about this do-it-all trail smasher! Don't forget, they offer free, lifetime bearing replacement on their full-squish frames, too!

Engage time travel....now.

Dakotah Norton, Jason Schroeder, Austin Hackett-Klaube and Tanner Stephens discuss all things UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Downhill Leogang, Austria. #MTB #downhill #DH