PODCAST · sports
The OTB Podcast
by Kieran Bennett
World Cup Downhill, Enduro and everything mountain bike racing - Interviews, race reviews and industry insights. Hosted by former World Cup Downhill racers Kieran Bennett and James Rennie.
Episodes
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#90 - Let it burn. Lake Placid World Cup and more
Lake Placid World Cup, Rampage, Gravel Worlds (?), Hardline and more, plenty of low level chat and side quests to keep you entertained this week!
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#89 - Whistler finally has a World Cup!
It's been years of rumours but the Whistler World Cup finally hits the series and goes off with a bang, big name DNQ's, big drama DSQ's, spectator injuries and Canadian fans who were too polite to properly storm the key hole at the end of the race! Join us for the usual unfiltered take on what…
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#88 - Sorry we're late, we didn't want to be here | World Champs edition
Annnnnnd were back! After a long hiatus, a missed race and even this episode being touch and go, we made it back into the recording studio and pumped out another excellent episode full of insight and many many side quests.
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#87 - Andorra World Cup with Sammie G
The dusts of Andorra delivered another absolutely wild World Cup Downhill this past weekend, Jordan Williams wins again, the Gates Belted Purse comes up just short, Lachie Stevens-McNab has a score to settle with the top of the course, Sacha Earnest gets another podium and Jonty Williamson makes…
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#86 - The La Thuile World Cup Alternative recap
Red Dog, Chris and KB all in one place!? Join the boys as we watch the elite mens final with live takes, hot takes and as always a number of tangents! Another fantastic DH World Cup is in the books, Jordan Williams took his second win, Sacha Earnest gets a podium and much much more as La Thuile...
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#85 - "Thats how she goes" The Lenzerheide World Cup recap
We're four rounds into the Downhill World Cup and it continues to deliver with an action packed Lenzerheide! 15 Kiwis made it through qualifying and into finals which has to be some sort of record in itself, Jonty Williamson dominates once again, Lachie Stevens-Mcnab was back and looking back to...
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#84 - I can't believe I f**king won!
WHAT A RACE! Leogang may not be the most exciting stop of the World Cup circuit, but boy did it deliver! From Jonty Williamson destroying the junior field (and a kiwi 1-2 with Malik Boatwright in 2nd), Finn Isles taking his second ever win, the elite mens points leader failing to qualify and for...
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#83 - Loudenville World Cup wrap up
We're a bit late on delivering, but hey better late than never right? The boys catch up on Loudenville with a deep dive into Lesters age group gravel World Championships campaign, because what would The OTB Podcast be without a tangent? Brought to you by: Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's tyre of...
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#82 - Korea World Cup wrap up with special guest Brook MacDonald
The World Cup season is back and it couldn't have come soon enough! Join us this week with special guest Brook MacDonald to break down all that happened in South Korea over the weekend! Alloy bikes, debut winners, kiwi podiums, hardtails and more! Brought to you by: Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's...
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#81 - Greg Minnaar (Re-issue)
This episode with Greg Minnaar is actually one we recorded about two years in when the podcast was still in its infancy, but last week got pulled down because apparently we had some copyrighted music in it... Anyway, long story short, I figured it was a good time to put it back out there into the...
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#80 - Ed Masters and 2026 predictions
Always a fan favourite, Ed Masters joins the OTB Podcast this week to discuss the upcoming World Cup Downhill season, team changes, the rise of the insanely fast juniors who are moving into elite for 2026, Ed’s beer league ice hockey career and even a mystery voice mail from a man known as...
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#79 - Who needs a topic?
Unfiltered, uncut and full of the usual yarns - The OTB Podcast is back after a bit of a hiatus and we come in hot with no plan except for an episode loosely based on mountain bike chat!
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#78 - Sven Martin: The GOAT of World Cup DH photography
If you follow World Cup DH racing then Sven Martin shouldn't need any introduction, a former professional skateboarder who has ended up becoming one of the most recognisable photographers on the World Cup circuit. Sven was even a regular qualifier at World Cups through the mid 2000's with top 30s...
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#77 - Wellington MTB Festival with Paddy Gower, Brook MacDonald and Brett Rheeder
What a line up and what an epic weekend at the Wellington MTB Festival! Brook MacDonald joins us for a very candid chat about what he's been up to since wrapping his career on the World Cup circuit, his highs and lows from racing and then Paddy Gower pops in for a surprise guest appearance! Paddy...
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#76 - And we're back!
Your favourite band of podcast misfits are back! Join KB, Red Dog and Chris as we break down whats new in the world of mountain biking and beyond, highlights include Chris looping out his 20" at the BMX track, KB racing downhill still at 38 years old, Red Dog's love of bike packing, Gwin's move…
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#75 - Oli Clark
Its 2026 and we're back! Kicking things off this year, I sat down with the newest member of Mondraker Factory Racing, Oli Clark! I first met Oli when he was a grom at a local Nelson race, riding a Liv trail bike so its very cool to sit down with him now as a factory supported elite downhill racer...
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#74 - Sam Shaw on his new FKT & the OTB listener awards
Sam Shaw joins us this week to discuss his incredible ride from Auckland to Wellington on Monday where he shattered the fastest known time record by over an hour! Its a deep dive into why, how, who and what went into making this a reality, plus an extra deep dive into the technique of not having…
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#73 - The OTB Christmas party
It was supposed to be the final episode of the year, but would you believe we got far too side tracked and now we need to do another one next week? We promised the OTB listener awards and look we'll be honest, we just didn't get there... Lester and Red Dog rode an ungodly amount of KM's and slept...
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#72 - Matt Whitaker from Wide Open
This week we are joined by Matt Whitaker, the founder of Wide Open Distributors here in New Zealand. A low key legend of the scene who not only wrenched for John Kirkcaldie and Nathan Rankin back in the Foes Racing days, but has also supported so many of New Zealand's top racers over the years,...
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#71 - What the Whaka!
The Whaka100 is done and dusted and boy is that a brutal race. Join us to relive the pain and suffering we went through just to provide you more entertaining content! Spoiler alert, no DNF's this year though. Brought to you by: Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's tyre of choice! To see the full line up...
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#70 - Its Whaka time
If you've been a listener for a while, you'll know its time for the boys annual pilgrimage to the Whaka 100! 100km of premium Rotorua forest, but also 100km of suffering is on the cards, join us as we preview what we think we might (but will likely be wildly wrong). Brought to you by: Maxxis…
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#69 - Where the hell is Bruni?
Bruni, where are you!? Maybe the most anticipated battle in World Cup history that never eventuated, the stars had aligned but Loic was no where to be found! Well, it made for good podcast content at least. The boys are back to wrap up what was still an epic finale to the World Cup Downhill…
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#68 - Dust and bomb holes in the USA
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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#67 - Lenzerheide delivers a banger
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...
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#66 - Behind enemy lines with Ed Masters
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....
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#65 - Les Gets World Cup madness with Wyn Masters
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.
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#64 - John Hall
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…
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#63 - Ellie Hulsebosch
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...
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#62 - Lachie Stevens-Mcnab
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...
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#61 - Sacha Earnest
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…
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Hardline post race interviews
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...
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#60 - Andorra World Cup: Apologies if you heard any swearing
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...
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#59 - La Thuile recap with Wyn Masters
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…
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#58 - Explosive chains in VDS
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…
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#57 - Leogang review with special guest Oli Clark
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…
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#56 - The Loudenvielle recap!
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…
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#55 - Aaron Peltarri: A decade on the wrenches
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…
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#54 - Poland World Cup recap with Wyn Masters
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…
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#53 - Carbon neutral podcasting
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…
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#52 - Mic Williams from WRP
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…
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#51 - USDH: Tennessee National & Pro Downhill Series Round 1
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,...
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#50 - Syd and Macky: Riding, racing & adventure
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...
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#49 - USDH is back!
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...
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#48 - Eddie Masters
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…
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#47 - Hardline review with Wyn Masters
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…
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#46 - World Cup team changes, NZ Racing and belt drives are on trend!
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...
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#45 - Erice Van Leuven
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...
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Lachie Stevens-Mcnabb joins Trek Factory Racing!
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.
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Ellie Hulsebosch - In The Hot Seat
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...
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#44 - Team rumours, listener questions and power rankings are back!
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...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
World Cup Downhill, Enduro and everything mountain bike racing - Interviews, race reviews and industry insights. Hosted by former World Cup Downhill racers Kieran Bennett and James Rennie.
HOSTED BY
Kieran Bennett
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The OTB Podcast have?
The OTB Podcast currently has 117 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The OTB Podcast about?
World Cup Downhill, Enduro and everything mountain bike racing - Interviews, race reviews and industry insights. Hosted by former World Cup Downhill racers Kieran Bennett and James Rennie.
How often does The OTB Podcast release new episodes?
The OTB Podcast publishes regularly with 117 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to The OTB Podcast?
You can listen to The OTB Podcast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The OTB Podcast?
The OTB Podcast is created and hosted by Kieran Bennett.
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