088 – Glyn O’Brien Chats Vitus First Tracks Enduro, Trail Closures and More

by Gareth Beckett April 25, 2023

Todays Guest

The Legend & Master – Glyn O’Brien

On episode 88 we are chatting to the Legend and Master himself, Mr Glyn O’Brien. Glyn was a supporter of the podcast from the very beginning and was kind enough to come on the show way back on episode 10 (listen here). Glyn is super keen to help and support the Irish race scene anyway he can and has been doing just that for a number of years. So it was great to get him back on the show for another chat.

On that first chat with Glyn we talked about how he got started in mountain biking, what the scene was like then, racing, rampage and a load more. So for this chat I wanted to know more about the race scene in Ireland and Northern Ireland, how it has been growing, the changes that have been made over the last couple of years, how the Vitus First Track Enduro series has been received so far this year and how the new Vitus First Tracks Enduro team is working out.

We also touch on the recent trail closures effecting Northern Ireland, what this means, why this has happened and how we as forest loving mountain bikers can help. There is a good positive outcome here so please tune in and have a listen.

We all need to play our part and help however we can. We also get into the Vitus bike range, plans for Whistler and other races Glyn has planned for later in the year, how he still enjoys racing and is still super competitive. However in saying that, I think Glyn is just so stoked to see the Irish race and mountain bike scene grow and be healthy. If people are getting on bikes and getting healthy, both mentally and physically, Glyn has a smile on his face.

Enjoy the show!

Find Out:

How Glyn’s trip to the Portuguese Downhill European Champs went
The new Vitus First Tracks Team line up
How Jack and Drew help each other win
Why Glyn thinks the U21 dudes are ripping
Why we haven’t seen much of Nathan McComb this season
How the Vitus First Tracks Enduro Series has been going so far
The number of competitor’s each round is seeing and why this is growing
Why Round 3 has been moved to Ravensdale
How the stages have been changed a little from Round 1
Why Glyn thinks Round 3 will be amazing
What bikes Glyn and the Vitus team are riding this season
What Glyn thinks of the Vitus downhill bike
Why Glyn rides both enduro and downhill
Trail closures in Northern Ireland
Why Glyn is heading to Whistler
What Glyn has planned for the near future
How to best keep up to date with Glyn and the Vitus First Tracks Enduro Series

Its always great chatting to Glyn. He has so much knowledge in the mountain bike scene in Ireland and further afield. Glyn is also straight up and tells it how it is. You know you are not going to get any rubbish and lies about what is going on when chatting with Glyn. So it was great to hear his thoughts and perspective regarding the resent problems we are seeing with trails closures etc. Glyn is very optimistic that we will come to a agreement that works for all parties involved and I tend to agree with him.

Glyn has been having a blast with the Vitus First Tracks Enduro series so far this season and it just seems to get better. With numbers well over 250 for each of the first two rounds, Glyn and his crew are defiantly doing something right. The trails looked to be in great condition and everybody involved seemed to have a blast. The craic was great, as they would say. We all know that it is a year round job organising such events and Glyn never seems to be off the hook with any of it. The man goes 100% all the time. We chat about how Glyn even manages to race in the Vitus series considering everything else he has to deal with on the run up and during the event. He tells us how he manages to switch off and simply focus on his run, forgetting everything else that is going on around him until the end of his ride. Glyn has always been able to rise to the occasion and pull out his best when he has to. The man can work under intense heat and pressure, so I suppose his day job in the fire service is a perfect training ground.

We also chat about how Glyn still gets great enjoyment out of downhill racing and his resent result at the Portuguese Downhill European Champs missing the podium by half a 27.5 wheel. It was a great result and shows us how fast Glyn still is. I asked Glyn what kind of training he does to stay at such a high level, just so I know what we (I) need to be doing to keep up! And it is a lot. Glyn has such a huge passion for mountain biking and this shows with everything he does, from racing, to helping with the current trail closures, the guy has a lot going on. We have so much to thank Glyn for. If it was not for people like Glyn we would not have anyway close to such a great MTB scene here in Ireland and Northern Ireland. So tune in and have a listen to what the Master has to say and if you get a chance when you next see the man, just say hi and thank him for the great work he and his crew do for all us mountain bikers. Thanks bud.

To Connect with Glyn and the Vitus First Tracks Enduro:

Web: firsttracksmtb.com

Email: ride@firsttracksmtb.com

Facebook: FirstTracksMTB

Facebook: VitusFirstTracksEnduroCup

Facebook: VitusFirstTracksRaceDivision

Twitter: FirstTracksMTB

Instagram: glynobrien

YouTube: FirstTracksMTB

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