Today’s Guest: Keith Leinster – Founder and owner of TerraVenture
On episode #126 we are chatting with Keith Leinster about running his own MTB distribution company called TerraVenture. Keith is based in Scotland but started playing around on his BMX and racing mountain bikes in Northern Ireland where he is original from in and around the mid 90’s. Keith got into the mountain biking scene really out of accident when his dad took him along to a local race event because he was a keen photographer and wanted to try shooting something that little bit different. It wasn’t long until Keith was caught by the bug and was entering as many races as he could (does that sound familiar?).
A number of years later Keith moved to Scotland to study at university and fell in love with the Scottish landscape and the wilds of the mountains. This quickly turned into a love for the outdoors and Keith started working at a number of outdoor pursuits including rock climbing, canoeing and skiing. However, his passion for mountain biking never died and because he wasn’t allowed to keep his bike in the student accommodation, he came up with the idea to take off the wardrobe doors, pop it in there from prying eyes, and hide it from the cleaner or anybody else who might dob him in. The crazy things we do for love!
After university and working in the outdoor industry for a number of years Keith joined the emergency services and moved to flatter ground or the ‘Lowland Life’, as he calls it. But the mountain bike never left his side and when the timing was right he decided to chase after his passions and do something he was really interested in, and that of course would involve mountain bikes. After a chance meeting and a very long tandem bike ride (I will let Keith explain that on the show) this change came in the form of mountain bike brand distribution. A couple of flights and brand meetings later Keith had started his own distribution company and has never looked back.
We chat to Keith about how the idea came about, where the TerraVenture name came from, how distribution works, why his ambassadors mean so much to his business, what brands he carries and where you can get your hands on some great product, plus much much more.
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From MTB Tribe Podcast
It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or advanced rider, male or female, racer, cruiser or just like the lifestyle, you will find great conversations and information relevant to you and your love of mountain biking, helping you enjoy this great sport to its fullest. Our aim is to talk to the best people in the industry and to delve into their minds in order to provide you with a unique take on the world of mountain biking. We’ll be bringing you fresh insights into the industry by examining the sport literally from the ground up- from the trails and the tech, to the tribe of riders who make this such an awesome sport to be involved in.
