Double Header: La Thuile and Andorra Recaps - Vital's B Practice Podcast
Locking down a date and time to record podcasts with Dakotah Norton could be one of the most challenging endeavors Vital has taken on. He's a busy man, and we love him for it. The time crunch between the La Thuile and Andorra World Cups was tough on everyone, so we decided to wait until Dak returned to Tennessee to discuss how his first four World Cups went and what his plans are for the rest of the season. It'd been a few weeks since the crew caught up, so the first 40 minutes of this podcast cover plenty of non-racing topics, like the wall of responsibilities that hit Dak when he returns from Europe, how fun flying with bikes can be, and some insight into a rad bike packing trip Tanner just did up in Canada. We hope you enjoy the banter, and thanks so much for listening to these podcasts!0:00 - The B practice crew is haggard2:00 - The B practice crew hates the dentist 6:30 - Dak's struggles of life on the road9:24 - Airline baggage fee debacles 13:24 - Flying with bikes pro tips16:29 - Hobbies are too expensive now23:20 - Tanner's hut-to-hut bike packing trip in Canada28:12 - E-biking adventures30:54 - Dak's not going to Crankworx, stop asking31:45 - Dak's house prep before leaving for two months36:00 - The fear of not having a ride next year37:34 - Dak's self-evaluation of his first four World Cups back46:31 - Last corner issues in Andorra47:35 - The pace this year is so high50:59 - Andorra vs. La Thuile track comparison 57:41 - Loic's shift in focus at Andorra - gotta win1:00:00 - Jackson vs. Loic riding style1:05:04 - We got a V10 to add weights to 1:09:52 - New Mondraker DH Bike1:16:38 - Frida gets into back-to-back finals!1:19:41 - Tanner still hates Juniors1:23:48 - The struggle of getting UCI points at World Cups1:24:38 - Aaron Gwin's elbow injury1:27:52 - Reece + flats = finals1:28:53 - Schedule changes in Andorra1:36:00 - Gracey is hooking this year. 1:38:16 - Davide Palazzari - what could have been1:42:42 - Valentina Roa Sanchez first final of the year1:43:22 - Martin Maes is going crazy fast1:44:19 - First team overall victory for FMD (Orbea)1:46:41 - Juanfer on fire1:47:48 - Junior Women Overall Standings1:48:50 - Junior Men Overall Standings1:50:03 - Elite Women Overall Standings1:51:49 - Elite Men Overall Standings1:53:53 - Burgtec Labour of Love Awards1:55:43 - What's on the horizon race-wise?1:58:09 - Dak's new mechanic this year
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Your Questions Answered - Team Robot on FOX Podium
Vital's Forum Discussion on the FOX PodiumCharlie's FOX Podium ReviewPodium Tech Talk with FOX product developersVital's FOX Podium fork review dropped on Tuesday and our tester, Charlie Sponsel, encouraged you to leave any questions that remained. Sorting through dozens of great inquiries, the highlights have been pulled and Charlie answers them so you can learn more about this expensive, heavy, but incredibly-performing enduro fork. 0:00 - Intro, baggage fee avoidance struggles10:00 - Charlie's Zeb setup (it's not stock)13:46 - Is This basically a prototype for sale?16:40 - Did the CSU Creak?19:06 - Why is it 29er only and does it matter?20:03 - Is the FOX 38 really just the 38SL and Podium is burlier version?21:19 - Won't the stanchions be really easy to damage?27:28 - Podium's crown, weight and why no 180mm33:25 - Would you run 180mm if they offered it?34:07 - Why is it so heavy?36:16 - Could a lighter fork be as stiff?37:48 - Currently compatible 20mm hubs?39:26 - Why not have swappable axle size options like EXT?42:50 - Do you think axle size was a reason for your positive experience?46:23 - Why not put the airspring on the opposite side to avoid brake rotor contamination?51:06 - How does Podium differ from an Intend or a Push fork?52:37 - Would you buy one?57:23 - Would the Podium work on a TrailDuro setup?1:03:57 - Burly Freeride build, Podium or a 190mm dual crown?1:05:23 - Why would Podium be better for ebikes?1:07:56 - Is Vital's testing method flawed?1:13:49 - Why Charlie really enjoyed the Podium1:17:05 - Berm performance, less compromise on setup because of less binding
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Val Di Sole War Stories | Vital's B Practice Podcast
After plenty of drama and mild discontent surrounding the first three races of the season, it was nice to have a good old-fashioned downhill race in Val di Sole. No one complained about the track being too straight or too easy. There were plenty of fresh sections and line choices. And the racing was as competitive as ever. Our main man Dak was back for his second race of the season, and his weekend was nothing short of a battle. We discuss how Dak’s feeling at this stage of his recovery, as well as Jackson’s ‘bouncy’ riding style, Reece Wilson’s 6D windshield goggles, Team Points, what to do with the Junior categories, Dak’s experience going from Shimano XTR/Saint brakes to SRAM Maven’s, and more. Plus, the usual race recaps. Thanks for tuning in, enjoy!0:05 - Bring back 4X Racing5:48 - Content and Media Landscape10:05 - Where’s the culture??14:53 - After party tales19:56 - B Practice does Whistler22:29 - Dak is filming a Vital RAW24:26 - Dak’s war stories from VDS 31:07 - Dak’s approach after getting two races under his belt38:33 - Balancing recovery with giving 100%43:02 - Dak’s pre-ride warm-up routine51:43 - Dak’s experience going from XTR/Saint to Maven brakes1:02:32 - VDS Track Talk1:03:48 - Jackson’s ‘bouncy’ style = speed1:10:20 - Dak compares his style and setup to Jackson’s1:13:27 - USD forks: so hot right now1:15:13 - Track changes, but similar times?1:17:33 - No more complaining about straight, easy tracks after VDS1:19:42 - Reece Wilson’s 6D windshield goggles1:22:22 - Sam Gale’s bloody crash1:24:21 - DH is dangerous, period1:26:25 - Team Points discussion 1:31:34 - How Team Points will affect junior selection in the future 1:33:30 - No juniors 2026 discussion 1:48:28 - Maxxis Make or Brake Section1:51:40 - No chains 2026 - chainless racing only1:54:03 - Junior Women’s Race Recap1:55:43 - Junior Men’s Race Recap1:58:16 - Elite Women’s Race Recap2:09:26 - Elite Men’s Race Recap2:18:07 - Burgtec Labour of Love Award2:19:44 - La Thuile next week - thoughts?2:22:58 - Vital Fantasy tips
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Behind the FOX Podium - The Inside Line
Host, Charlie SponselWatch this interview - https://youtu.be/Z5CN3pD_7YgFOX Podium Review - https://youtu.be/UEW1tMYVM20The 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 story28:43 - 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
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The Engineering Parallels Between MTB Frames and Snowboards
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.
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