The Incredible Cycling Talent Coming out of Durango Devo
The list of world-class cyclists that have come out of the Durango Devo junior cycling program is astounding. Christopher Blevins is on a tear and is currently leading the UCI XCO overall. Riley Amos crushed the XC U23s last year. Sepp Kuss made a name for himself shepherding Jonas Vingegaard through the mountains and then went on to win a Grand Tour himself, and Quinn Simmons’ aggressive attacks made headlines during this year's Tour de France. So today, we catch up with Durango Devo co-founder Chad Cheeney to find out what the secret is to consistently turning out some of the best bike riders in the world.RELATED LINKS:Durango DevoBlister Mountain Bike Buyer’s GuideGet Our Free Newsletter & Gear GiveawaysBLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredTOPICS & TIMES:Culture & Passion (1:43)Paying Attention to Kids (3:15)OG Durango XC History (3:35)Athletes Having Kids (5:50)What is Durango Devo? (9:30)Finding Coachable Moments (12:05)Raising Money as a Non Profit (13:34)Super Athletes of Durango Devo (15:52)Little & Scrawny Christopher Blevins (17:41)Sepp Kuss’s La Vuelta España Win (21:44)Life as a Fort Lewis Cycling Coach (36:40)Up and Coming Talent (38:56)What bike are you riding? (44:08)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDGEAR:30Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino & Simon Stewart (August, 2025)
For this month's Reviewing the News Episode, Mike and I start with a topic that hits close to home: we both know extremely fit people who have passed away recently while riding their bikes. So, today we talk about how it's common for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease to go undiagnosed, especially in athletes, and what you can do, and should do, to protect yourself. Plus, we just had a fantastic, wet, and muddy weekend of racing in Les Gets, France, which gives us plenty to go on about, like the amazing Alran brothers, Gracy Hemstreet looking unbeatable, Ronan Dunne’s comeback, and road superstar Mathieu van der Poel getting back on the mountain bike for another crack at World Cup XCO, and more.RELATED LINKS:The Grimy HandshakeBlister Mountain Bike Buyer’s GuideGet Our Free Newsletter & Gear GiveawaysBLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredTOPICS & TIMES:Mike’s Grimy Handshake (3:26)Heart Disease in Athletes (13:52)Les Gets Mud Bath (26:29)You Need Skills to Win (33:54)The Amazing Alran Brothers (39:24)Can Durango Kid Asa Veremette Ride in Mud (41:15)Ronan Dunne Didn’t Leave in a Helicopter (43:57)Specialized’s Most Expensive Bike Ever (49:42)What We’re Reading & Watching (56:43)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDGEAR:30Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Reviewer Reports: Revel’s First eMTB, Tons of Suspension, Big Brakes, & More
Fox’s new Podium inverted fork has understandably garnered a lot of attention, and we’ve got an update on how our testing of it is going, along with the updated Float X2 and DHX2 shocks. But it’s not all gravity suspension on the docket, as we weigh in on the very good and very light Fox 34 SL fork; the ultra-versatile Trek Fuel EX; Revel’s first eMTB, the ReRun; and a bunch of brakes from brands large and small.RELATED LINKS:Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s GuideGet Our Free Newsletter & Gear GiveawaysBLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredCasey Brown on the Inaugural Women’s Red Bull Rampage (Ep.246)TOPICS & TIMES:Revel ReRun (1:13)Trek Fuel EX (9:34)Fox 34 SL (17:37)Fox Podium (27:47)Fox Float & DHX2 Update (34:46)SRAM Motive Ultimate (37:47)HEL Advocate (43:01)Trickstuff Maxima (47:30)Magura Gustav Pro (51:43)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDGEAR:30Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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GEAR THERAPY: Flat vs Clipless Pedals w/ Jonathan Ellsworth, Sascha Anastas, Simon Stewart, & Zach Henderson
For today’s Gear Therapy episode, the team gets together to try to solve Jonathan’s pedal dilemma. Like many riders out there, Jonathan is questioning his current pedal choice, and not surprisingly, he’s considering ditching his clipless pedals and replacing them with flats. Sascha and Zack bring a valuable mountain bike coaching perspective to the conversation, and together with Simon’s years of experience in the industry and bike shops, they look at the advantages and disadvantages of both styles of pedals and do our best to guide Jonathan’s decision. They know he’s not alone, and anyone in a similar pedal conundrum will benefit from tuning in.RELATED LINKS:Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s GuideGet Our Free Newsletter & Gear GiveawaysBLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredTOPICS & TIMES:Pedal Horror Stories (1:24)Why the Hell are They Called “Clipless”? (13:29)Jonathan’s Pedal Issues (18:49)Clips are Jonathan’s Security Blankie (24:39)Pros & cons of flats (27:25)Clipless Pedals Promoting & Masking Bad Habits (35:50)Cornering Technique & Flat Pedals (36:40)Sascha Calls Simon Out (40:15)New Flat Pedal and Shoe Design (42:18)Jonathan’s Pedal Prescription (47:21)Uphill Technical & Pedal Strikes (1:02:36)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDGEAR:30Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Casey Brown on Dark Horse, Rampage, Women’s Protective Gear, & More
Last year, we sat down with Casey Brown right after the first iteration of Red Bull Rampage to feature a women’s category to chat about what it meant to finally break that particular glass ceiling, what it took to do it, and how the event went.Casey is, once again, among a stacked roster of women who will be dropping in for this year’s competition, but she’s been up to a whole lot more than just preparing for Rampage — from bringing back Dark Horse, now on her own property; working with D3O to develop better women’s protective gear; and putting together a bunch of other projects in between. So we brought her back on the podcast to talk about all of it, the state of women’s freeride & the generation of riders following in her footsteps, and a whole lot more.RELATED LINKS:Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s GuideGet Our Free Newsletter & Gear GiveawaysBLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredCasey Brown on the Inaugural Women’s Red Bull Rampage (Ep.246)TOPICS & TIMES:The return of Dark Horse (2:51)The new venue(7:12)What’s next for Dark Horse? (14:50)Louise Ferguson at Hardline (16:11)The state of women’s freeride & Casey’s role in shaping it (18:32)Planning for Rampage (21:38)Opportunities to help women’s freeride grow (30:41)Working with D3O & making better women’s protective gear (36:47)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDGEAR:30Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Bikes & Big Ideas is the weekly podcast from BLISTER that's dedicated to the most interesting conversations and ideas from the bike world — and beyond. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
España