The OTB Podcast: Recent Episodes
Kieran Bennett
World Cup Downhill, EWS and everything Mountain Bike racing chat with Kieran Bennett and James Rennie.
World Cup racing makes it return to the USA and The OTB Podcast makes it return to the airwaves, join Kieran Bennett, James Rennie and Chris Vanderkolk as we discuss all that went down at Whiteface along with a series of side quests into off piste topics that you know and love.
Brought to you by:
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To see the full line up from Maxxis, check out www.marleen.co.nz/brands/maxxis.html
Squirt Cycling
Your bike care sorted! Top quality chain lubes, wax, bike cleaner and tyre sealant!
https://squirtcycling.nz/
Fox Suspension
https://ridefox.com/pages/bike
If you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast
Flat tyres, start gate crashes, back flips, big wins, massive whips, multiple Kiwis on the podium, Lenzerheide brought the drama and it was a good one!
This week we have Jake Hood join us who was in the thick of the action, Jake is Dak Nortons mechanic and brings some super interesting topics to the pod this week!
Brought to you by:
Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's tyre of choice!
To see the full line up from Maxxis, check out www.marleen.co.nz/brands/maxxis.html
Fox Suspension
https://ridefox.com/pages/bike
If you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast
Champery delivered another wild race and we go behind enemy lines with man on the ground Ed Masters!
Eddie spent the weekend track side with his Pivot team helping them with line scouting and delivers some great insights on lines we didn't see on TV, the track changing and under the radar riders. If you haven't watched, make sure you check out his Edbull TV footage on YouTube.
Brought to you by:
Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's tyre of choice!
To see the full line up from Maxxis, check out www.marleen.co.nz/brands/maxxis.html
Fox Suspension
https://ridefox.com/pages/bike
If you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast
We're back!! Its been a while but the regular crew is back to recap everything Les Gets, EDR World Champs and more with special guest Wyn Masters.
This week we are joined by John Hall, a man with a ton of World Cup victories to his name during his time working on the wrenches for Aaron Gwin. We talk about the current rejuvenation of US downhill racing, his time in the marines and how he went from working in a bike shop to wrenching for one of the best to ever do it on the World Cup circuit.
Stick around for his story about being stranded in South Africa too!
Brought to you by:
Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's tyre of choice!
To see the full line up from Maxxis, check out www.marleen.co.nz/brands/maxxis.html
Fox Suspension
https://ridefox.com/pages/bike
If you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast
We catch up with Ellie Hulsebosch during her mid season break back home in NZ, just a few hours before jumping on a plane back to the Northern Hemisphere to continue on her World Cup Downhill season!
Ellie has had a rough start to 2025, from injuries to illnesses plus navigating her way through joining one of the biggest teams of the World Cup Circuit and this is a very honest conversation about how all of that has been a factor but her positivity and learning shines through.
Brought to you by:
Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's tyre of choice!
To see the full line up from Maxxis, check out www.marleen.co.nz/brands/maxxis.html
Fox Suspension
https://ridefox.com/pages/bike
If you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast
This week we check in with Lachie Stevens-Mcnab while he is enjoying a well deserved mid season break from the World Cup circuit back home in New Zealand.
After an up and down start to the season with two 4th's, Lachie is still chasing a podium and is hungry to put it all together.
We discuss the races so far, the highlights, the challenges, his move to Trek Factory Racing and more.
Brought to you by:
Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's tyre of choice!
To see the full line up from Maxxis, check out www.marleen.co.nz/brands/maxxis.html
Fox Suspension
https://ridefox.com/pages/bike
If you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast
This week on the OTB Podcast, we catch up with Sacha Earnest from Trek Factory Racing while she’s back home in New Zealand during the World Cup summer break.
Fresh off a season-best 7th place in Andorra, Sacha gets real about the challenges of stepping into the elite ranks, the mental and physical toll of World Cup racing, and what it’s really like going from dominating juniors to fighting for every second at the top level.
Raw, honest, and full of insight – this one’s a must-listen for anyone chasing the dream or just wanting a peek behind the tape.
Brought to you by:
Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's tyre of choice!
To see the full line up from Maxxis, check out www.marleen.co.nz/brands/maxxis.html
Fox Suspension
https://ridefox.com/pages/bike
If you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast
Our man on the ground at Red Bull Hardline, Cam MacKenzie, delivers us some post race interviews with your favourite kiwi racers.
A wild day at the races with some incredible riding by the kiwi contingent throughout the whole weekend!
Check in with Sam Gale, Oli Clark, Lou Fergusson, Brook Macdonald, Tuhoto Ariki-Pene and George Brannigan to hear how the week stacked up for them!
Join Kieran Bennett, Lester Perry and Chris Vanderkolk as we dive on in to what happened last weekend in Andorra at another massive World Cup round.
Jackson Goldstone had his streak broken and wasn't able to win a historic 5 in a row, Super Bruni is back, Sammie Maxwell continues to show her outright incredible form in the XCO and Tom Pidcock decided to just show up and dominate!
Brought to you by:
Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's tyre of choice!
To see the full line up from Maxxis, check out www.marleen.co.nz/brands/maxxis.html
Fox Suspension
https://ridefox.com/pages/bike
If you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast
Wyn Masters joins the show this week to talk all things La Thuile, from a dominating ride by Nina Hoffman and four in a row for Jackson Goldstone to some wild stories from years gone past in Andorra - This one has it all as per usual!
Grab a coffee, put your feet up and relax to the dulcet tones of the OTB Podcast.
Brought to you by:
Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's tyre of choice!
To see the full line up from Maxxis, check out www.marleen.co.nz/brands/maxxis.html
Fox Suspension
https://ridefox.com/pages/bike
If you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast
Val Di Sole delivered as always and as always we get together to bring you a not very in depth discussion on the racing with plenty of side quests. It appears Lester has joined Deadliest Catch, Red Dog has gone full time bike packer, Chris has officially declared himself as a downcountry rider and KB will forever still clinging on to his hopes and dreams as a downhill racer.
Sit back, enjoy the chat and remember, don't take life too seriously.
Brought to you by:
Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's tyre of choice!
To see the full line up from Maxxis, check out www.marleen.co.nz/brands/maxxis.html
Fox Suspension
https://ridefox.com/pages/bike
If you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast
The junior mens winner from Leogang joins us this week, Oli Clark drops in to talk about how the weekend went, the track, marginal gains, the pace of racing right now and more!
The usual line up of Kieran Bennett, James Rennie and Chris Vanderkolk also guide you through the usual world of OTB with some racing talk and a lot of side quests as you've come to know and love.
Brought to you by:
Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's tyre of choice!
To see the full line up from Maxxis, check out www.marleen.co.nz/brands/maxxis.html
Fox Suspension
https://ridefox.com/pages/bike
If you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast
Round two of the World Cup Downhill series has delivered with plenty of drama! Join Kieran Bennett, Lester Perry and James Rennie to dive into the Loudenvielle World Cup and all of the drama that came with maybe the fastest track we have seen in quite some time.
Some side tracks are taken into the Nove Mesto XC World Cup, Unbound gravel and EDR, along with some completely random tangents that we all know you love.
Brought to you by:
Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's tyre of choice!
To see the full line up from Maxxis, check out www.marleen.co.nz/brands/maxxis.html
Fox Suspension
https://ridefox.com/pages/bike
If you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast
The mechanics behind the worlds fastest races are the unsung heroes of the of the sport and Aaron Peltarri is no exception, after 10 years of making sure Troy Bronsnan never missed a practice run he decided to hang it up at the end of the 2024 season.
From humble beginnings to wrenching for one of the most consistent riders in the modern generation, Aaron takes us behind the scenes of the often not so glamorous life of being a World Cup mechanic.
Brought to you by:
Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's tyre of choice!
To see the full line up from Maxxis, check out www.marleen.co.nz/brands/maxxis.html
Fox Suspension
https://ridefox.com/pages/bike
If you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast
Friend of the show and still current World Cup Downhill racer Wyn Masters joins us this week to discuss what went down at the first round of the World Cup in Poland, from questionable French lines to officials running down the track, there was no shortage of drama!
Brought to you by:
Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's tyre of choice!
To see the full line up from Maxxis, check out www.marleen.co.nz/brands/maxxis.html
Fox Suspension
https://ridefox.com/pages/bike
If you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast
We know you've all been hanging out for this, after a 3 month hiatus the boys and back in town and bringing you a good old fashioned, top quality-low level chat about all things mountain biking and plenty of things that have no relevance what so ever!
KB is joined by Lester Perry, Chris Vanderkolk and James Rennie to dive into a smorgasbord of topics and even a new business idea is launched to sell carbon credits via cycling (patent pending).
Brought to you by:
Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's tyre of choice!
To see the full line up from Maxxis, check out www.marleen.co.nz/brands/maxxis.html
Fox Suspension
https://ridefox.com/pages/bike
If you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast
This week on the OTB podcast, we sit down with Mic Williams—founder of WRP (Williams Racing Products) and the brains behind Trinity MTB—for a deep dive into the wild world of high-performance bike tech and bold ideas that just might change the game.
We chat about how WRP went from humble beginnings to having components on World Cup winning bikes, the art and science behind component design, and what it takes to get prototypes from idea to trail-ready. But that’s just the start...
Mic also gives us the inside scoop on Trinity, his vision for a high-pivot, high-performance mountain bike brand, and we unpack the wild "derailleur in a can" concept he's prototyping for it.
If you're into innovation, bikes that break the mold, and hearing from someone who’s not afraid to stir the pot in the MTB world, you’re gonna love this one.
Downhill racing is alive and well in the USA!With the Tennessee National at Windrock and Round One of the Monster Pro Downhill Series kicking off in recent weeks, the American scene is buzzing—complete with a stacked lineup of World Cup talent. Teams like Commencal Muc-Off, Trek Factory Racing, Canyon Collective, and Yeti Factory Racing were all in the mix.
Kieran Bennett is joined by Sean "Griz" McClendon to break down the action from both events, share insights on what’s coming up next, and—as always—take a few entertaining detours down memory lane.
Brought to you by:
Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's tyre of choice!
To see the full line up from Maxxis, check out www.marleen.co.nz/brands/maxxis.html
Fox Suspension
https://ridefox.com/pages/bike
If you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast
In this episode, we sit down with Syd Schulz and Macky Franklin, the dynamic duo behind the popular MTB YouTube channel Syd & Macky. From racing the Enduro World Series to tackling epic bikepacking adventures, they’ve done it all—while keeping things fun and relatable. We chat about their recent time in New Zealand racing the Volcanic Epic and spending some riding time in Nelson, their journey to where they are now and dive into some of the ins and outs of managing an impressive YouTube following.
Brought to you by:
Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's tyre of choice!
To see the full line up from Maxxis, check out www.marleen.co.nz/brands/maxxis.html
Fox Suspension
https://ridefox.com/pages/bike
If you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast
The downhill scene in the US is looking maybe stronger than it ever has, so we catch up with our foreign correspondent Sean "Griz" McClendon to talk about the upcoming races at Windrock and Ride Rock Creek. As always, Griz has is finger on the pulse and pulls out some names to watch and tells us who has been flying in the pre-season races!
Brought to you by:
Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's tyre of choice!
To see the full line up from Maxxis, check out www.marleen.co.nz/brands/maxxis.html
Fox Suspension
https://ridefox.com/pages/bike
If you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast
From one Masters brother to the next, we catch up with Eddie Masters in studio while he was in sunny Nelson for the NZ Enduro National Championships on an unfortunate extended stay.
Eddie has seen and done it all and is this episode is nothing short of some great thoughts on the current climate of World Cup racing, the New Zealand scene, permanent numbers and more! You don't want to miss this one!
Brought to you by:
Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's tyre of choice!
To see the full line up from Maxxis, check out www.marleen.co.nz/brands/maxxis.html
Fox Suspension
https://ridefox.com/pages/bike
If you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast
Hardline Tasmania is done and dusted, along with a few riders race seasons being dusted too. Wyn Masters joins us this week to discuss the event, riders motivation behind it, some interesting behind the scenes knowledge, his thoughts on the 2025 World Cup season and more!
Brought to you by:
Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's tyre of choice!
To see the full line up from Maxxis, check out www.marleen.co.nz/brands/maxxis.html
Fox Suspension
https://ridefox.com/pages/bike
If you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast
Theres been a lot of team changes going on for the 2025 World Cup season so we dive into who is going where, good choices, bad choices, who is going to excel and more!
Join Kieran Bennett, James Rennie and Chris Vanderkolk for the usual talk of downhill racing with a mixture of side quests, a not too serious look at the sport!
Brought to you by:
Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's tyre of choice!
To see the full line up from Maxxis, check out www.marleen.co.nz/brands/maxxis.html
Fox Suspension
https://ridefox.com/pages/bike
If you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast
Erice Van Leuven joins us this week for her first ever podcast! After two incredible years in the Junior Women class winning multiple DH world cups, a World Cup overall, two World Championships and even an EDR World Cup round, Erice is moving up into the Elite field and has also joined the Norco Race Division team!
We catch up with Erice on how settling into the new team is going and also take a look back through the archives to where it all started with her viral YouTube video absolutely tearing it up on a 16" BMX down trails in Rotorua - If you haven't seen it... https://youtu.be/ygSblbZwHn8?si=zbUXMWVjDxyp1Ylo
Brought to you by:
Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's tyre of choice!
To see the full line up from Maxxis, check out www.marleen.co.nz/brands/maxxis.html
If you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast
We catch up with Lachie Stevens-Mcnabb as the announcement has just come out that he is joining the Trek Factory Racing squad for 2025.
After his break out 2024 and the unfortunately closure of The Union, it's no surprise that he has made the move into the factory team.
The news has dropped today that Ellie Hulsebosch has joined the Santa Cruz Syndicate for 2025 and beyond! We caught up with Ellie recently to talk about her new deal, her breakout 2024 World Cup season and much more!
Ellie is a rising star on the downhill circuit and has the skill and drive to be at the top, we are definitely looking forward to watching where she goes in the next few years!
Brought to you by:
Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's tyre of choice!
To see the full line up from Maxxis, check out www.marleen.co.nz/brands/maxxis.html
If you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast
We're back for one final episode to round out 2024 before holiday season kicks in and we decided to let you guys, the listeners dictate where this episode went!
We've got team rumours, listener questions and the always popular power rankings by Chris have made a return.
Thanks for joining us for another year, we'll see you in 2025!
Brought to you by:
Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's tyre of choice!
To see the full line up from Maxxis, check out www.marleen.co.nz/brands/maxxis.html
If you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast
Rae Morrison joins us this week as we take a dive back through her very nice career racing on the enduro circuit over the last 10 years. From the classic humble kiwi beginnings of putting everything she had into going racing as a privateer to spending a number of years as a factory racer with Giant/Liv, theres no doubt that she gave it everything.
After announcing her retirement from full time racing at the end of the 2024 season, Rae is by no means done! Tune in to find out her exciting plans for 2025 and the future.
Brought to you by:
Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's tyre of choice!
To see the full line up from Maxxis, check out www.marleen.co.nz/brands/maxxis.html
If you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast
And were back! Its been a few weeks but the crew is back together to catch up on everything that has been going on. Lester and Red Dog attended the Le Petite Brevet, KB went to the Ignition MTB festival in Australia and Chris... well we're not really sure, he probably went running.
All the hot topics are covered this week, whats the difference between a brevet and a gran fondo? how long does it take to dry a chamois? What ever happened to bus stops? You know, the important stuff!
Brought to you by:
Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's tyre of choice!
To see the full line up from Maxxis, check out www.marleen.co.nz/brands/maxxis.html
If you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast
Do we even need to introduce Lachie? After an incredible 2024 World Cup Downhill season that saw him land two podiums, including an absolute nail biting second place at the final round, Lachie sat down with KB to talk about the season just gone and what has lead him to this point.
Another rising star out of New Zealand, we're excited to see what the future brings for him!
Brought to you by:
Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's tyre of choice!
To see the full line up from Maxxis, check out www.marleen.co.nz/brands/maxxis.html
If you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast
John Kirkcaldie, an absolute legend of New Zealand downhill racing joins us this week to discuss just about everything from his years of racing in the USA - The bikes, the contracts, the antics, we leave very few stones unturned!
JK did it all, from his early days as a privateer on a Foes, to being part of the factory Schwinn power house team with Dave Cullinan, to his very successful years with Maxxis racing on the Norba circuit.
Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's tyre of choice!
To see the full line up from Maxxis, check out www.marleen.co.nz/brands/maxxis.html
If you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast
The 2024 Whaka100 is in the bag and as you would expect, it didn't go smoothly for the boys. Who finished? Who didn't? Who cramped first?
All in all though, another great event and as always, it didn't take long for everyone to decide they would be back again in 2025!
If you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast
Post race interviews from the Whaka 100, straight from the finish line featuring (in order):
Craig Oliver
Ben Oliver
Matt Wilson
Sammie Maxwell
Jesse Cseh
Jon Odams
Katy Winton
Gav MyRide Welly McCarthy
Lester Perry
The Whaka 100 is just a few days away so the boys get together to discuss how the preparation is going, weather chat, tyre choices, fueling (aka. how many gels will KB consume), nang chat and more.
Excuse some of the dodgy audio, its worth pushing through!
If you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast
Conor Macfarlane joins us this week, fresh off the plane from Red Bull Rampage where he was digging for Tom Isted. We dive into Conor's history at the event both competing and digging, how lines are chosen, the gruelling schedule of 12 hour days on the mountain and of course it wouldn't be complete without discussing the judging!
If you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast
This week I'm joined by Sean 'Griz' McClendon, a veteran of the downhill scene in the USA and current commentator of the Pro Downhill Series - We catch up to talk about why the sport needs a strong series in the USA and what this could potentially do for the racers who are trying to make it as a professional.
The downhill talent in the US is maybe at all time high and now is the chance for the Pro Downhill Series to capitalise as the World Cup series faces so many questions around its future for the privateers and "non-factory" teams.
With Clay Harper spearheading the Pro Downhill Series, the man behind the US Open of Downhill, now is the time for the US to rise again and provide a home for worlds best racers.
Keep your eyes peeled as Sean and I continue to to expand on our USDH series of episodes!
We're a day late and a buck short but we've finally managed to get our Mt Sainte Anne World Cup DH final recap together and man what a race!
The story lines from Lachie Stevens-Mcnabb being a whisker off the win, to Erice van Leuven wrapping up an incredible junior career with another win, but ultimately it was the GOAT retiring that stole the show - can you believe Greg Minnaar actually just raced his last race ever?
Its been a great season with plenty to talk about, but stay tuned because theres plenty more episodes to come!
If you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast
This week, we’re joined by none other than Sam Hill himself! A man who needs no introduction, Sam boasts an unparalleled career with five Downhill World Championships, two World Cup Downhill titles, and three Enduro World Series titles, solidifying his legacy as one of the greatest in the sport.Sam joins us to discuss what he’s been up to in 2024, including his new business venture, Sam Hill Signature Trail, and The Foes Project. We also get his thoughts on the current state of World Cup Downhill racing, and take a trip down memory lane to revisit some of his favorite bikes and tracks from over the years.For more details on his latest business venture, visit https://samhillsignaturetrail.com.au.
Katy Winton joins us in the hot seat this week to talk all things bikes! Katy is an absolute ripper on a bike and has just migrated back to NZ for the foreseeable future, first up on the hit list for her is the Whaka 100 in Rotorua!
Merch, team rumours, LOI's, RFP's, ROI's, LOL's and more.
Join the boys as we dive into the Loudenvielle World Cup Downhill, who would most likely be a drug dealer on track walk, team rumours for 2025 and more!
The World Downhill Championships are done and dusted (literally) and that had to be one of the tightest battles for the title ever!
The Kiwi juniors were absolutely flying once again with back to back golds for Erice Van Leuven, a bronze for Sascha Earnest and a host of other solid results.
Join Kieran Bennett, James Rennie, Lester Perry and Chris Vanderkolk as we break down all things World Champs, Lester's trip to Whistler, Kieran destroying himself on his XC bike and more!
The prodigal son, friend of the show, former Downhill World Champion, Cam Cole returns!
KB, Red Dog and Chris are joined by Cam to talk about a bit of everything and then eventually get on to the topic of World Champs that is happening this weekend.
As always, Cam is full of excellent insights into the sport!
Wyn Masters joins us this week to talk all things cycling, from how the current World Cup Downhill season is going, the logistics of running his own team, his privateer award, 2025 rumours, the Tour de France and some classic yarns from the mid 2000's of course!
Wyn has seen and done it all, this isn't one to be missed!
In our latest episode we get to know co-host Christ Vanderkolk, with KB, Red Dog and Lester putting him in the hot seat to find out how he got into riding and his peak as a 4x specialist.Full of yarns, tangents and all of the usual entertainment!
The Les Gets World Cup was another one for the history books, from ice rink conditions, to Greg Minnaar nearly winning and Amaury Pierron putting in another absolutely storming victory, it had plenty of excitement.Join Kieran Bennett, James Rennie, Lester Perry and Chris Vanderkolk as we break down all things Les Gets, plus plenty of tangents as per usual!
Lachie Stevens McNab grabs himself an elite World Cup Downhill podium at Leogang, Ellie Hulsebosch takes the fastest time of the day in the women’s field and Erice and Sacha complete a Kiwi junior podium lockout at Val Di Sole, the future is now with Kiwi talent! Join us as we discuss all things Leogang and Val Di Sole World cups, along side the ever present tangents we find ourselves on!--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kieran-bennett4/message
Lachie Stevens McNab and Ellie Hulsebosch join us this week for a catch up on the start of their season and their epic performances at the Bielsko-Biala Downhill World Cup. Also joining us is the man behind the Union Joe Bowman to tell us all about how and why the team started along with the ins and outs of managing a World Cup race team!--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kieran-bennett4/message
The boys are back and Bielsko-Biala sure did turn on an epic race, a new venue, mixed conditions and a rise of the kiwis!--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kieran-bennett4/message
The winner of round two of the EDR series and now current points leader Charlie Murray joins us to catch up on his incredible weekend in Poland!--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kieran-bennett4/message
The World Cup season has started and we are back! Better late than never, we finally managed to get the crew back together to break down all things Fort William; electronic suspension, horrendous kits, race chassis’s, speed suits, 75mm rise handle bars and more!--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kieran-bennett4/message
This week we've got Blenki back in the hot seat with KB and Lester to talk about his new deal with Zerode, how the new bike is going for him, Hardline and plans for 2024 and beyond. As always its an extremely insightful chat with a legend of not only NZ downhill but a legend of the World Cup scene too.
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KB, Red Dog, Lester and Chris are back and just when we thought the mountain bike world was a bit quiet, the slopestyle riders at crankworx decide to form a union and stage a walk out! Throw in some Sam Hill rumours, Whaka 100 news and the usual tangents we head off on and its a banger of an episode!
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In this episode of Rewatchables we dive into the iconic New Zealand downhill movie Pusher - KB, Red Dog, Lester and Chris are joined by Byron Scott who co produced the movie to talk about how it came about and dive into stories of the 2005 New Zealand National Downhill Mountain Bike Series.
Sit back and enjoy some great stories, or if you want to watch the movie and listen we have that up over on our YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@TheOTBPodcast
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The boys are back to discuss what went down at the New Zealand National Mountain Bike Championships at Coronet Peak in Queenstown, national jersey controversy, how did the 26" bikes fare, where did KB lose time and much more!Hosted by Kieran Bennett and James Rennie with Lester Perry and Chris Vanderkolk.
Video version available on Youtube.com/@theotbpodcast
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We catch up with Ellie Hulsebosch, Tuhoto Ariki Pene, Louis Hamilton, Toby Meek, Oisin O’Callaghan, Lachie Stevens McNabb, Thibaut Ruffin, Benoit Coulanges and Jess Blewitt.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kieran-bennett4/message
Greg Minnaar joins the podcast this week to discuss his move to Norco after 16 years with Santa Cruz Bicycles, KB and Red Dog cover off how the switch happened, his thoughts on the new bike, his longevity in the sport, tales of the past with team mates like Missy Giove, Steve Peat, Nathan Rennie and Josh Bryceland and of course, it wouldn't be The OTB Podcast if we didn't discuss the era of 26" downhill bikes!A very special thank you to Spoke Magazine, Advance Traders and Norco for making this episode happen!--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kieran-bennett4/message
Sam Blenkinsop, Toby Meek and Lachie Stevens-McNabb on how their weekend went down in Christchurch at the Christchurch Adventure Park.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kieran-bennett4/message
Zerode is going World Cup racing! Ali Quinn, co-owner of Zerode Bikes joins us to discuss their new team of Sam Blenkinsop and Taylor Vernon who will be piloting the G3 downhill bike this season.We dive into the why, the how and the who of the new team!--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kieran-bennett4/message
We are back for 2024 and why not kick it off with an episode of team rumours! Some facts, some totally ripped off theories and as per usual, plenty of random chat and shoe horning in some 26" wheeled content!
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Hallucinations, massive bonks, incidents with birds, bears and angry American road workers and thats barely scratching the surface of the tales from Matt Fairbrother as he joins us to tell us some insane stories from his time on the road bikepacking between EWS/EDR races over the last two years.
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The boys are joined this week by Whaka 100 winner Craig Oliver to learn how you're actually supposed to do the race and do well at it!It was a mixed bag from the OTB team with the overall theme of the day being uncontrollable cramping, Lester's ability to lose water bottles and KB eating way too many gels in a single day.Join us for the highs (mostly Craig) and the lows (mostly us) of the Whaka 100!--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kieran-bennett4/message
KB, Red Dog & Chris are back to break down the Snowshoe and Mt Sainte Anne World Cups covering everything from team rumours, has the Discovery take over been better, what is really going on under the covers of the Demo and more!
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Benoit from Accounts has gone and won his first World Cup! KB & Red Dog are joined this week by GT Factory Racing mechanic Matt Clarke to break down the madness of the Les Gets World Cup, team rumours, gossip from the pits and more. Matt brings some (actual) knowledge from inside the paddock this week!
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What a race! A brand new track for the World Cup circuit and a good one at that made for some epic racing, lots of mistakes, big changes in overall points and plenty of drama to recap. Jump in with KB, Red Dog, Chris and Lester as they unpack everything that was the Loudenvielle Downhill World Cup.
KB, Red Dog & Chris are back in studio to discuss all of the drama from the Andorra World Cup, what could have been such a good raced ended up being a bit of a shambles but there was still plenty to discuss!
KB, Red Dog and Chris are back to breakdown the 2023 World Championships from the iconic Ft William. An anything but predictable race that was damn near impossible to watch if you were from New Zealand!
A Kiwi podium sweep for the Junior women, Blenki winning the 1980's class, power rankings and more!
World Cup Downhill, EWS, E-EWS and now Ultra Endurance Bikepacking, Joe Nation has just about done it all! We catch up with Joe to talk about his move into the world of Ultra Endurance Bikepacking, what motivated it, how he prepares and of course some unreal stories about his race at the Tour Divide where he finished up third on his first attempt!
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The usual suspects are back to round up the action from round three of the World Cup Downhill Series at Val Di Sole. Kieran Bennett and James Rennie are joined by Chris Vanderkolk and Lester Perry to discuss all the hot takes from the weekend along with some Canazei EDR and listener questions too.
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The boys are back! (Minus Lester) Live from the Khandallah studio, KB, Red Dog and Chris get together to breakdown the hot topics of the Leogang World Cup, Andy Kolb's win, Jacky Coldstones near perfect run, why KB hates night riding and many more hot topics!
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The World Cup Downhill season has started and what a race it was! Your favourite podcast is back to wrap up the action with KB & Red Dog joined in studio by regular co-hosts Lester and Chris to break down everything from the broadcast, the new racing format, prototype bikes, blacked out Maxxis tyres and of course the historic wins of Rachel Atherton and Jordon Williams!
Don't forget to support our show partners, Smith Optics and Troy Lee Designs NZ! You can save 15% storewide at troyleedesigns.co.nz by using the code "otbpodcast" at check out!
Red Dog, KB & Lester are back to talk about damn near everything in the bike world, theres downhill chat, enduro, XC, Giro d'Italia and everyones favourite, gravel! We also draw the Smith Network helmet winner so make sure you listen!
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This week we're joined by Mr World Wide himself, Eddie Masters! We've known Eddie since the early days of him racing downhill in New Zealand and this was a fun episode to record, we go back to where it began and hear about how taking some time off bikes to go to Uni helped make racing a career for him.
There's no shortage of laughs and good stories when it comes to Eddie!
For 2023 we have partnered with Smith & Troy Lee Designs to bring you the show! Smith options bring you advance protection with Koroyd technology in their helmets and perfect vision thanks to Chromapop!
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KB and Red Dog are joined by Chris Vanderkolk and Lester Perry to wrap up what happened over the Summer in NZ. National Champs, Crankworx, wake surfing, we cover it all!
We're finally back! Cam Cole joins us this episode to talk about his role with GT Factory Racing, what he's been up to over the off season, changes to the UCI World Cup DH series and more!
Note: We've just changed to a new recording platform and have some audio kinks to work out, so bare with us!
Brook MacDonald joins KB and Red Dog In The Hot Seat this week to discuss just about everything! From where mountain biking and racing started for him, travelling the world as a teenager with Wyn Masters, winning a Junior World Downhill Championship, joining the Red Bull family, winning a World Cup, his years riding for Martin Whitely on the powerhouse Trek World Racing Team and his incredible return to racing in 2020 after his near career-ending crash at the 2019 World Championships.
Brook has had an incredible career on the World Cup Downhill circuit and tells us some amazing tales of his years on the scene, but his story isn't over yet as he heads into the 2023 season back with the MS Mondraker team, still hungry and ready to chase down more wins!
Sam Blenkinsop needs no introduction when it comes to downhill racing, he has been racing the World Cup Series for 17+ years and has done it all from being a NZ National Champ to having the most elite DH wins in the NZ National Series history to being a World Cup winner, its hard to find something Sam hasn't won!For 2023 Sam has set up his own privateer deal with Crestline Bikes so he joins KB and Red Dog to discuss his plans for this season along side taking a trip down memory lane with some epic stories from over the years. We barely scratched the surface so I'm sure there will need to be a part 2!
With the 26" National Champs rapidly approaching we decided to do a fantasy draft of the best 26" DH bikes from four different eras. If you're a fan of downhill racing in the golden age, aka everything pre 27.5" then you will surely enjoy this trip down memory lane!
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In the hot seat this week we have one the best freeride mountain bikers to ever come out of New Zealand, Conor MacFarlane. Conor is quite possibly one of the only people in the world that has competed at both a XC World Championships and Red Bull Rampage and has some very interesting stories.
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In the hot seat this week we have the Kiwi who has very rapidly climbed the Enduro World Series Ranks, Charlie Murray. We talk about where he came from, his very eventful first EWS rounds and now to the point of winning stages. Charlie is one of the friendliest guys you'll ever meet at the races and has some epic stories! (Apologies for some dodgy audio!) If you enjoy this one, check out our episodes in our feed!
In our new Rider Chats series we catch up with the current NZ National Downhill Champion, George Brannigan. George had a fairly up and down 2022 season and it was great to get some insights into what happened and how he felt moving on to the United Ride NS team. Rider Chats is going to be a semi-regular series over the NZ Summer where we will catch up with New Zealand's top racers, legends of the past and industry insiders!
Red Dog is back, KB is always here and were joined again by none other than Chris Vanderkolk to wrap up the amazing World Cup Downhill Finals from Val Di Sole. Cam Cole leaves us on seen once again, Chris talks downhill ski racing and we have a game changing announcement that you won't want to miss!
Red Dog has gone AWOL but semi regular co-hosts Lester Perry and Chris Vanderkolk pick up the slack to talk all things World Champs from Les Gets from how incredible Bruni's winning run was and how it made all the others kind of boring, to whats up with the custom painted bikes...
The boys are joined by none other than Finn Isles fan club leader, Chris Vanderkolk to break down what happened at the MSA World Cup, does Red dog get another 6 beers for Gwins second podium, is Finn still partying right now and how damn fast is Jackson Goldstone right now!?
You don't want to miss this one!
The boys are back to talk about the Snowshoe World Cup Downhill race, Red Dog sleeping on a bike box full of tyres, KB vomiting at MSA and more!
Cam Cole is back! We finally manage to reunite with Horse to get some actual credibility on the podcast this week, especially since he was at the race and got to see things first hand.
Lester, Red Dog and KB add in their usual low level insights and we even have a voice mail to share this week!
KB, Red Dog & Lester are once again not joined by Cam Cole to discuss what we saw at the Lenzerheide Downhill World Cup Round, what we might see at the Vallnord World Cup, we get massively side tracked like usual and we even throw in some XC World Cup insights too just for good measure.
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More off topic discussions this week with Red Dog, KB and Lester, we talk Crankworx, EWS, Tour de France, a Cycling World Championship of every discipline but on one bike and we even talk about DH racing!
Troy Lee Designs joins the show as a sponsor too!
KB and Red Dog and once again joined by Lester Perry AKA. Mokey to break down the Leogang World Cup, frame bags on gravel bikes, mounting a vape on your bike and Mokey gives us a first hand account of his 2W Enduro experience last weekend.
Red Dog and KB are joined this week by Waikato MTB legend, Lester Perry. The boys take a deep dive into EWS-e, is Enduro played out, KB announces his future in Gravel Racing and they even touch on the Leogang World Cup.
KB and Red Dog are back to discuss the Fort William World Cup, off brand tyres, Benoit from Accounts and we get ghosted by Cam Cole who does not make an appearance in his regular seat at the table.
KB and Red Dog are joined once again by Cam Cole to talk about the upcoming Fort William World Cup Downhill, round 2 of the 2022 series. An iconic venue like Ft Bill has a lot to unpack from the largest ever world cup winning margin to the midgee's in 2009, we've got it all covered.
Join KB, Red Dog and special guest Chris Vanderkolk as they dive in to the depths of one of the greatest DH movies ever made, Earthed One. We break down the bikes, the tracks, the incredible soundtrack, World Cup after parties and of course the antics of Nathan Rennie.
KB and Red Dog are joined by Jono Church from The Suspension Lab to break down current World Cup Bikes, dampers, what is the difference between high and low speed compression and we even dive in to the all time win list of the NZ National downhill series. If you like tech talk, this is a good one!
Join Kieran Bennett, James Rennie and special guest Cam Cole as they talk about the 2022 World Cup Downhill Series opener from Lourdes, France. They talk about the racing, the bikes, how big Loic Bruni and Finn Iles have got, Benoit from Accounts and you can even learn why McDonalds in Nelson has new speaker boxes in the drive through. Enjoy!
KB and Red Dog do a deep dive into the legendary Avanti Moto, the off season, preview the upcoming World Cup Downhill season opener in Lourdes this weekend, throw some hot takes in as usual and even take some voice mail's from listeners. Tune in!
Join your hosts, Kieran Bennett and James Rennie, two guys who have been around the downhill mountain bike scene for far too long but can't seem to stay away as they dive into their first episode of The OTB Podcast. The podcast that is dedicated to banter and hot takes about the World Cup Downhill race series, plus some other stuff in between.
Sit back, relax and enjoy their dulcet tones.