Singletracks Mountain Bike Podcast

Jenny Corso is a cyclist and R&D Scientist who has studied exercise nutrition and physiology through various undergraduate, graduate, and PhD programs. She’s also a licensed USA Cycling coach, and has written many articles for Singletracks on topics including fitness, nutrition, and travel. Topics Discussed: How is exercise metabolism separate from just everyday metabolism? How are nutritional needs different for athletes? How do you look at studies regarding the health of certain foods, which are often contradictory, and what’s the best way to take this into account when making decisions about what to eat? Is gluten bad for athletes, or people in general? Nutrition and exercise clearly go hand in hand in terms of health. But does one win out over the other in terms of outcomes? Is intermittent fasting good for athletes? Why do you think nutrition is so difficult for many people to get right? Connect with Jenny for coaching and consultation through her website, truphys.com where she delivers objective information on scientific research on nutrition and exercise. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Cam McCaul is a legendary slopestyle mountain biker who has helped grow and shape the sport for amost twenty years. He’s won numerous freeride competitions including Crankworx Colorado and the Bearclaw Invitational. He’s also been featured in some of the biggest mountain bike films and is a regular announcer at Red Bull mountain bike competitions. We talk with Cam about the history of freeride, his career, and his newest sponsor, PlusCBD Oil. In addition to sharing his sense of humor and how he looks at risk, Cam also opens up about dealing with bike-related injuries and navigating health insurance choices as a professional mountain biker. We even get his take on building challenging mountain bike trail features. Follow Cam McCaul on Instagram @cammcaul and check out his latest videos on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/user/camwmccaul --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Most, if not all mountain bikers are nature lovers too. For many of us, it’s the main reason we ride off road. This week, we want to share our stoke for nature and perhaps inspire others. Topics Discussed How important is the natural aspect of mountain biking to you? Has your interest in nature grown since you started riding? What do you find most interesting on the trail — trees, plants, vistas, rocks, wildlife, or something else? What is your favorite type of ecosystem for mountain biking? What are some places you’ve ridden where the natural beauty surrounding the trail really stands out? What are some natural highlights you’ve experienced on the trail? Do you see any tension between having a love and respect for nature and riding or building trails? Do you think there are ways mountain bikers can be better natural stewards? What do you think about the fight between various recreation groups over land access? Is there at least common ground we can recognize? Sponsored by TripOutside.com which makes finding, comparing, and booking rental gear quick and easy. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Darcy Wittenburg is a partner, director, producer, and cinematographer at Anthill films. Anthill has produced some of the most iconic mountain bike films in recent memory, including Return to Earth, Unreal, and Strength in Numbers. I ask Darcy what is it about mountain biking that he finds interesting, and how all the movie pieces of a major film like Return to Earth comes together. We talk about the challenges and the most exciting moments of making a mountain bike movie, and how much risk athletes take to nail their tricks. What are some tricks of the trade? What make a mountain bike film a success? What other projects is Anthill working on this year? Listen in to find out!  To learn more, go to Anthillfilms.com. Look for Return to Earth on AppleTV, Google Play, and Amazon.com. Sponsored by TripOutside.com which makes finding, comparing, and booking rental gear quick and easy. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Sonya Looney is a four time, national collegiate 24 hour racing champion, and was crowned the 24 hour world champion in 2015. She’s also notched wins at big endurance races like the Breck Epic (twice), Trans Andes, Brasil Ride, and La Leyenda Del Dorado in Columbia. She hosts her own podcast, called the Sonya Looney Show, where she talks about psychology, nutrition, and physiology. We talk about how Sonya got into mountain biking and how she was able to make time to train for ultra endurance races as a student and later as an engineer working full time. Sonya gives tips for gaining confidence and taking risks, and discusses what she’s learned about nutrition and plant-based diets over the past few years. Sponsored by TripOutside.com which makes finding, comparing, and booking rental gear quick and easy. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

In this episode of the Singletracks podcast, we share our experiences and tips for choosing your next (or your first) mountain bike. Where do you start? How do you know when it’s time for a new mountain bike? Is buying a used bike a good idea? Is it better to buy an expensive bike, or a cheap one to upgrade down the line? How do you decide to pull the trigger? Sponsored by TripOutside.com which makes finding, comparing, and booking rental gear quick and easy. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Greg Jacob is a self-described “regular” guy who decided to attempt the Navad 1000, a 621-mile, single-stage mountain bike race across Switzerland with more than 100,000ft. of climbing along the way. He’s here to talk about how he went from basically zero mountain bike experience to completing a grueling race in just a short time. In this episode, Greg shares: His background in terms of fitness and spending time outdoors His inspiration for signing up for the Navad 1000  How he prepared himself for the race. The biggest challenges he faced in his training. What surprised him about mountain biking relative to other sports he’s more familiar with, like road cycling. How turning 40 this year puts him at a disadvantage for adventures like this, but also gives him some advantages. Plans for mountain bike adventures in the future. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Matt, Gerow, and Jeff talk about the link between mental wellness and mountain biking. Mountain bikers are using the sport to deal with depression, PTSD, learning disabilities, anxiety, seasonal affective disorder, and lack of confidence in inspiring ways, and we look at how this might work. We also discuss some specific programs that use mountain biking to address learning disabilities and improve mental wellness. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Gerow, Matt, and Jeff share updates and impressions from recent and upcoming mountain bike tests, from gravel and XC to trail and enduro bikes. Plus, we preview other bikes we’ll be testing and reviewing later this year. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

James Wilson has been helping mountain bikers all around the world get strong and fit since 2005 through his online training programs and podcast. He’s also designed his own flat mountain biking pedal called the Catalyst to help riders improve both power and comfort on the bike. In this episode, we ask James for mountain bike training tips, and talk about why flat pedals are better than clipless for many riders. Connect with James at bikejames.com. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks