Asa Vermette Interview - The #USDH Prodigy Reflects on His 2024 Season

The Inside Line Podcast - Vital MTB

Did you believe the hype? Coming into the 2024 World Cup season, Asa Vermette was an obvious favorite in the Junior Men's category. He'd been fast domestically for a few years, and with the support of Frameworks and guidance from Neko Mulally and Angel Suarez, he seemed poised to have a successful debut on the international stage. Then, at the first round in Fort William, Asa waxed everyone by 6 seconds. You tack on the fact that he won after sitting on the couch for weeks prior healing a broken hip, and the hype became simple facts. The next generation is always faster than the last, and Asa is leading the latest charge.
Fast forward to now, and we've been lucky to watch Asa and Max Alran exchange blows all year. Each has three wins, and Mont Sainte Anne was teeing up to be an epic final round between the two. Unfortunately, Asa's crash in Loudenvielle left him more battered and bruised than initially suspected, putting an end to his first World Cup season. A bittersweet conclusion to an otherwise successful year, we wanted to know how Asa felt about his season—the highs, the lows, the lessons learned, and the goals for 2025. We talked about a whole lot more, so enjoy getting to know more about the calm kid from Durango who's damn fast on a bike.
0:00 - Intro
1:37 - Why Asa isn't racing MSA
4:24 - Injuries collected throughout the season
5:19 - The balance of pushing and crashing
8:06 - Did he feel the pressure going into the season?
12:00 - Key takeaways from his first World Cup season
13:38 - Why keeping racing fun is key
14:51 - Asa's pump-up music of choice
15:51 - Advice from Neko and Angel
17:05 - How Asa gets up to speed and breaks down tracks
21:10 - Favorite country he visited this year
22:50 - Favorite track of the year
23:33 - Getting used to riding in the mud
25:32 - Injury updates going into the offseason
28:05 - How Asa passes the time when he's hurt
29:46 - Favorite Elite racer
30:55 - Asa explains his nasty whips
31:56 - Doing a flip in a race run??
36:17 - Who's got the best whips?
38:29 - Things to improve on this offseason
40:22 - Training program chit-chat
42:21 - What Asa rides day-to-day
42:04 - Asa's perfect riding day
43:36 - Freestyle Asa
44:52 - Winter riding plans
45:48 - 2025 Goals
46:49 - 5 Years from now, where will Asa be…