#27 - Recapping the Whaka 100 with Craig Oliver

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.htmlFox Suspensionhttps://ridefox.com/pages/bikeIf 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.htmlFox Suspensionhttps://ridefox.com/pages/bikeIf 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.htmlFox Suspensionhttps://ridefox.com/pages/bikeIf 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.htmlFox Suspensionhttps://ridefox.com/pages/bikeIf 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.htmlFox Suspensionhttps://ridefox.com/pages/bikeIf 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.htmlFox Suspensionhttps://ridefox.com/pages/bikeIf 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.htmlFox Suspensionhttps://ridefox.com/pages/bikeIf 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.htmlFox Suspensionhttps://ridefox.com/pages/bikeIf 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.htmlFox Suspensionhttps://ridefox.com/pages/bikeIf 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