Photo Kris Magenheim via PinkBike.com

Rich Houseman knows a thing or two about what it takes to get sponsored. As the youngest ever factory-sponsored BMX rider, aged 6, he went on to become BMX World Champion and have a successful DH and 4X career. Rich moved into the world of sponsorship in 2004 when he started at hookit.com. He went on to manage the one and only Aaron Gwin, and has been behind the scenes for much of his career.

We sat down to find out about his background in the sport, and what it was like racing in the 90s. We cover how he met Aaron and what it’s like being involved in the sponsorship of one of the highest value athletes in our sport. Then we get onto the mountain bike sponsorship environment in 2021. How important is social media, is racing enough, how do influencers and YouTubers fit into the picture and much more. So hit play below and listen to this episode with Rich Houseman.

Listen to the podcast here.