The NSMB Podcast

Whistler just hosted its first-ever UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup, and a few hours after the final runs, Pete Roggeman, Mike Ferrentino, Uncle Dave, and Deniz Merdano sat down to unpack the weekend.
We talk about how the new track actually rode, the roots and line choices that punished small mistakes, the huge gaps in the results, and the pressure of racing a World Cup on home soil. We also get into Asa Vermette’s win, Vali Holl’s continued run of form, some spectacular crashes, the junior racing, and the people and machinery behind a modern World Cup team.
Recorded immediately after finals, this is the NSMB crew’s first take on Whistler’s first World Cup downhill.

Your kid wins a World Championship, and the whole world sees the highlights. What they don’t see is what happens behind the scenes: the nerves, the travel, the quiet moments between the races, and the reality of watching your child take risks at the highest level of the sport.
For this episode of the NSMB Podcast, I’m joined by Ron Goldstone, father of two-time Elite Men’s Downhill World Champion Jackson Goldstone, just days before Jackson races the first-ever World Cup Downhill race where he grew up riding.
Ron takes us back to Jackson’s early years on a bike, from BMX racing and learning to race gates to thousands of laps at Whistler, Squamish, and beyond. We talk about the value of simply spending time on a bike, riding different disciplines, and developing the confidence to make split-second decisions when the consequences are high.
But this conversation goes beyond racing. Ron talks openly about watching Jackson grow from a kid riding bikes in Squamish into a two-time World Champion, what it’s like seeing your son on billboards, and how life changes when what started as a passion becomes the centre of your family’s calendar.
We also get into some of the harder parts of that journey, including a devastating house fire that destroyed much of the family home and irreplaceable memorabilia, what comes with being one of the sport’s most recognizable riders, and the challenge of balancing Jackson’s growing profile with the things that made riding bikes special in the first place.
With the World Cup finally coming to Whistler, Ron offers a unique perspective on what it means to watch your kid take on the sport’s biggest stages, and to realize that the life you’re living now looks very different from the one you imagined 25 years ago.

A World Cup downhill track looks like pure speed on race day, but the real story is the years of scouting, digging, carrying rock, and second-guessing every corner so the world’s fastest riders can push the pace and the sport forward. I connected with Marty Gautry, Whistler Blackcomb’s bike park trail crew manager, to unpack how Whistler’s trails evolved from early, make-it-work machine builds into the modern “science” of jump shaping, landings, and high-traffic maintenance. Along the way, we get into what riders rarely see: how often A-Line gets rebuilt, why irrigation both helps and hurts, and what it takes to keep iconic lines running from spring through late fall. 

Then we go deep on Creekside and the long build toward the 1199 World Cup downhill track. Marty explains why the line was so hard to “connect,” how the rock garden demanded thousands of hours of armouring, and shares that access roads for patrol and emergency response can cost as much as the trail itself. We also talk about the pressure of building for the speed of elite racers, where top riders may take sections with no brakes, forcing late changes to corners, landings, and compressions to keep things fast but safe. 

We close with the big questions: should the 1199 World Cup track be open to the public, how do you manage that without destroying it, and what does it mean to showcase a race line that cuts through one of the most beautiful forests in British Columbia? 
If you care about trail building, downhill mountain bike racing, Whistler Bike Park history, or the behind-the-scenes work that makes progression possible, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with a mate, and leave a review along with your thoughts on whether anyone else should get to ride it.

A World Cup downhill doesn’t land in your backyard by accident. Wendy Robinson of Whistler Blackcomb joins us to share how Whistler’s first UCI Mountain Bike World Cup came together, from the earliest rumours to the decisions that made it real.

We talk through how the 1199 Stevie Smith Tribute Track came together over the years: scouting an alignment in the Creekside zone, inviting elite athletes for track walks, and adjusting features, transitions, and line options based on pro rider feedback. Wendy also explains why this isn’t only about one marquee race weekend. A true World Cup-level downhill track becomes a training ground that helps Canadian riders and juniors build skills on terrain that matches the pace, pressure, and technical demands of modern downhill mountain biking.

Then we get into the less-visible work that makes the show run: safety systems like World Cup-grade alpine netting and deflection fencing, start-ramp adjustments, paddock and expo planning, and how Whistler approaches crowd energy without risking the kind of finish-line chaos we’ve seen elsewhere. We also share spectator tips, including why qualifying day can be the best time to support local talent before finals and to see intense racing as the entry list is cut back for Sunday.

If you care about Whistler, racing, or what it takes to host a global mountain bike event, hit play. Subscribe, share this with your friends, and leave a review with your prediction: who thrives on 1199?

What if the trail that scares you most is the one that finally sets you free? We sit down with illustrator and writer Cy Whitling to chart a life that moved from a Christian nationalist upbringing in northern Idaho to the loamy corners of Bellingham, where bikes, art, and community remapped everything. Cy shares how a humble hardtail, a generous shop mentor, and a dog-eared Kona catalog cracked open a worldview built on fear. College layered in skiing, search and rescue, and daily contact with people whose empathy outshone dogma, leading to the hard choice to cut ties and build a chosen family.

From there, the conversation digs into identity and inclusion. Cy explains why he came out as bi while releasing a Pride poster, the backlash that followed, and the deeper connections that made it worth it. We explore queerness in mountain biking—how pronouns and representation signal safety, why bisexuality is often misunderstood, and where the industry quietly leads with real people doing real work. His art choices are purpose-built: animal characters to widen identification, a notes-app pipeline to capture trailhead truths, and weekly comics that make riders feel seen. We talk creative process, deadlines, and how to balance integrity with sustainability without turning art into merch purgatory.

Finally, we ride west. A solo road trip to Seattle and Bellingham becomes a revelation: steep loam, rock rolls, and a birthday party reached by bike, not car. Cy’s skills jump by necessity, pulled forward by friends who ride the impossible and a community that makes fast feel safe. He contrasts mountain biking’s professionalism with skiing’s precarity, reflects on avalanche fatalities that changed his risk tolerance, and shares why he’s still hungry to make work that gives more than it takes. Hit play for a story about leaving control, choosing compassion, and finding home on two wheels.

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