The Downtime Podcast

This weekend Val di Sole hosted the third round of the UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup. As ever, the Black Snake didn't disappoint and the racing was wild. So sit back, hit play and listen to this Val di Sole post-race show with Neko Mulally and Olly Morris. Supported By Maxxis Tyres Maxxis is synonymous with performance and racing and is the winningest brand in the history of World Cup and EWS racing. No matter where or how you ride, Maxxis has the tyres for you with a wide range of tread patterns, casing and compound options. You can check out the entire range of Maxxis tyres over at Maxxis.com, and find the tyres at your local Maxxis dealer. You can also give them a follow on instagram where they are @maxxisbike. Podcast Stuff Patreon I would love it if you were able to support the podcast via a regular Patreon donation. Donations start from as little as £3 per month. That’s less than £1 per episode and less than the price of a take away coffee. Every little counts and these donation

Race week is back and this time we are in Val di Sole for the third round of the UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup. I'm joined by Chris Kilmurray to get his thoughts on the season so far, the impact some new dirt will have on the track and plenty more. So sit back, hit play and listen to this Val di Sole pre-race show with Chris Kilmurray. Supported By Maxxis Tyres Maxxis is synonymous with performance and racing and is the winningest brand in the history of World Cup and EWS racing. No matter where or how you ride, Maxxis has the tyres for you with a wide range of tread patterns, casing and compound options. You can check out the entire range of Maxxis tyres over at Maxxis.com, and find the tyres at your local Maxxis dealer. You can also give them a follow on instagram where they are @maxxisbike. Podcast Stuff Patreon I would love it if you were able to support the podcast via a regular Patreon donation. Donations start from as little as £3 per month. That’s less than £1 per episode and

Brook Macdonald is a mountain bike rider who’s been on the scene for a long time. Not only is he an incredible rider, but he’s worked his way back to the top of the sport after suffering a horrible back injury in Canada in 2019. We sat down to catch up with Brook as we head into the 2023 season. Brook shares how he contemplated leaving the sport, how a new bike has helped rekindle his love for the sport and much more. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Brook Macdonald. You’ll find Brook on Instagram @brookmacdonald6. You can also watch this episode on my YouTube channel here. Supporting Partners iXS Thanks to iXS for supporting the talent pathway in Downhill racing via the iXS Downhill Cup which has been the training ground for many of the racers who’s names we are now familiar with at the top of the World Cup circuit. Without brands like iXS, we wouldn’t have the incredible depth of racing talent that we have. Find out more or get involved at ixsdownhillcup.com and check out

Roger Vieira is a mountain bike rider who personifies the privateer spirit. Moving from Brazil to the UK in 2014, Roger has done everything in his power to become the best racer he can be. With many ups and downs along the way, this season Roger has had some great recognition. Becoming the first supported privateer by Wyn Masters' privateer project and with riders like Greg Minnaar saying that Roger is the one to look to for the best lines on track. So we sat down to find out all about Roger’s racing career so far. This guy puts in the work and shows just what it takes to succeed as a privateer. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Roger Vieira. You'll find Roger on Instagram @rogervieira8. You can also watch this episode on my YouTube channel here. Supporting Partners iXS Thanks to iXS for supporting the talent pathway in Downhill racing via the iXS Downhill Cup which has been the training ground for many of the racers who’s names we are now familiar with at the top of the W

The 2023 Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup is hotting up. Leogang provided wild racing and I'm joined by Neko Mulally and Olly Morris to find out all about what went on. How was the track, how much impact did the weather have, how's the overall battle developing and plenty more. So sit back, hit play and listen to this Leogang post-race show with Neko Mulally and Olly Morris. Supported By Maxxis Tyres Maxxis is synonymous with performance and racing and is the winningest brand in the history of World Cup and EWS racing. No matter where or how you ride, Maxxis has the tyres for you with a wide range of tread patterns, casing and compound options. You can check out the entire range of Maxxis tyres over at Maxxis.com, and find the tyres at your local Maxxis dealer. You can also give them a follow on instagram where they are @maxxisbike. Podcast Stuff Patreon I would love it if you were able to support the podcast via a regular Patreon donation. Donations start from as little as £3 per month. Tha

Tom Walker came to my attention when 50to01 posted a video about his Pemberton train gap crash back in 2020. For anyone who’s seen this gap in videos or photos, or in person, you’ll know it’s not something you’d want to fall off of, which is exactly what Tom did. His road to recovery hasn’t been straight forward, but Tom is back riding and more importantly happy. We sat down to hear all about his experience over the last few years as he’s grafted and dug deep physically and mentally to overcome the hand he was dealt. I personally find this one super inspiring and I hope you do too. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Tom Walker. You'll find Tom on Instagram @tomwalker92. The most recent 50to01 video about Tom is here. You can also watch this episode on my YouTube channel here. Supporting Partners iXS Thanks to iXS for supporting the talent pathway in Downhill racing via the iXS Downhill Cup which has been the training ground for many of the racers who’s names we are now famil

We waited a long time for the 2023 mountain bike downhill race season to start, but now it's going and we are already onto round 2 in Leogang. I'm joined by Chris Kilmurray to get his thoughts on the track, the weather, how the riders are coping with the new schedule and plenty more. So sit back, hit play and listen to this Leogang pre-race show with Chris Kilmurray. Supported By Maxxis Tyres Maxxis is synonymous with performance and racing and is the winningest brand in the history of World Cup and EWS racing. No matter where or how you ride, Maxxis has the tyres for you with a wide range of tread patterns, casing and compound options. You can check out the entire range of Maxxis tyres over at Maxxis.com, and find the tyres at your local Maxxis dealer. You can also give them a follow on instagram where they are @maxxisbike. Podcast Stuff Patreon I would love it if you were able to support the podcast via a regular Patreon donation. Donations start from as little as £3 per month. That’s less

The 2023 Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup kicked off this weekend in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. The racing was wild and I'm joined by Neko Mulally and Olly Morris to find out all about what went on. How was the track, what was it like for the riders dealing with the new format, how incredible is the sport right now and plenty more. So sit back, hit play and listen to this Lenzerheide post-race show with Neko Mulally and Olly Morris. Supported By Maxxis Tyres Maxxis is synonymous with performance and racing and is the winningest brand in the history of World Cup and EWS racing. No matter where or how you ride, Maxxis has the tyres for you with a wide range of tread patterns, casing and compound options. You can check out the entire range of Maxxis tyres over at Maxxis.com, and find the tyres at your local Maxxis dealer. You can also give them a follow on instagram where they are @maxxisbike. Podcast Stuff Patreon I would love it if you were able to support the podcast via a regular Patreon don

Matt Fairbrother is a young New Zealand born mountain biker with a sense of adventure. Arriving on the shores of the UK for the Innerleithen EWS and very few plans, Matthew ended up setting off on an adventure to ride between the rounds of the Enduro World Series last year. We sat down to find out all about it, as well as hearing about his recent attempt at the super tough Highland Trail 550. Matt tells us about bears, being attacked by a goose, unintentional single speed bike packing and plenty more. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Matt Fairbrother. You'll find Matt Fairbrother on Instagram @matthewfmtb. You can also watch this episode on my YouTube channel here. To be in with a chance of winning one of 3 sets of Magura MT7 Pro brakes, fill out our short listener survey here. Supporting Partners iXS Thanks to iXS for supporting the talent pathway in Downhill racing via the iXS Downhill Cup which has been the training ground for many of the racers who’s names we are no

The 2023 Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup is finally here and we are kicking off in Lenzerheide, Switzerland this weekend. So let's start race week by chatting with coach to the stars, Chris Kilmurray aka PointOne Athletic. We'll find out about the unique nature of the Lenzerheide track, the significance of the format changes, new technology, returning riders and plenty more. So sit back, hit play and listen to this Lenzerheide pre-race show with Chris Kilmurray. Supported By Maxxis Tyres Maxxis is synonymous with performance and racing and is the winningest brand in the history of World Cup and EWS racing. No matter where or how you ride, Maxxis has the tyres for you with a wide range of tread patterns, casing and compound options. You can check out the entire range of Maxxis tyres over at Maxxis.com, and find the tyres at your local Maxxis dealer. You can also give them a follow on instagram where they are @maxxisbike. Podcast Stuff Patreon I would love it if you were able to support the p

In 2022, Andreas Kolb was podium guy, taking 5 podiums and 4th in the overall standings. However, Andreas’ success hasn’t come overnight. We chat about his early racing career where he took big risks and as a result had a lot of injuries. Hear how surrounding himself with the right people has helped him find consistency and ultimately make the move to a top team like Atherton Racing. We chat about his incredible 2022 season, what it’s going to take to win, Hardline and plenty more. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Andreas Kolb. You'll find Andreas Kolb on Instagram @andreas.kolb66. You can also watch this episode on my YouTube channel here. To be in with a chance of winning one of 3 sets of Magura MT7 Pro brakes, fill out our short listener survey here. Supporting Partners Canyon If you fancy one of Canyon’s awesome eBikes, then as a Downtime listener you can get free bike guard on your ebike order until midnight CET on 3rd June 2023 by using the code 'CANYON-FULLY-CHAR

Welcome to Downtime Goes Downhill, a podcast mini-series that’s going to take you with us as we have a go at racing downhill at both a regional and national level. Chris, Jonathan and Ben are three different riders, with different abilities, strengths, weaknesses, goals and fears. We’ll share our preparation, training and setup. You’ll hear all about our experiences at the races, good and bad. We’ll also be bringing in some of the best in the world to help us improve throughout the year, so hopefully there will be heaps to learn too. Downtime Goes Downhill wouldn’t be happening without the support of some incredible brands. So a massive thanks to Canyon bikes, Fox suspension, Wahoo Fitness, Fox clothing and protection, Maxxis tyres, Magura brakes and We Are One Composites wheels. This is episode three and we’re going racing! We sit down for a chat after practice and also after race day to debrief on how it all went. Hear about our different approaches to the weekend, our results, how we feel about th

Eddie Masters is an incredible mountain bike racer, character and also a huge fan of the sport. We sat down to catch up on his 2022 season of enduro and downhill racing. We also get Eddie’s thoughts on the upcoming World Cup season, the Jackson vs Jordan battle and plenty more. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Eddie Masters. You'll find Eddie Masters on Instagram @edmasters. You can also watch this episode on my YouTube channel here. To be in with a chance of winning one of 3 sets of Magura MT7 Pro brakes, fill out our short listener survey here. Supporting Partners Canyon If you fancy one of Canyon’s awesome eBikes, then as a Downtime listener you can get free bike guard on your ebike order until midnight CET on 3rd June 2023 by using the code 'CANYON-FULLY-CHARGED-2023' at the checkout on canyon.com. Terms & Conditions: *This voucher code is valid online between 9 May 2023, 09:30 CET, and 3 June 2023, 23:59 CET. The code applies a free Bike Guard to bike and frames

Welcome to Downtime Goes Downhill, a podcast mini-series that’s going to take you with us as we have a go at racing downhill at both a regional and national level. Chris, Jonathan and Ben are three different riders, with different abilities, strengths, weaknesses, goals and fears. We’ll share our preparation, training and setup. You’ll hear all about our experiences at the races, good and bad. We’ll also be bringing in some of the best in the world to help us improve throughout the year, so hopefully there will be heaps to learn too. Downtime Goes Downhill wouldn’t be happening without the support of some incredible brands. So a massive thanks to Canyon bikes, Fox suspension, Wahoo Fitness, Fox clothing and protection, Maxxis tyres, Magura brakes and We Are One Composites wheels. This is episode two where we will be chatting about our training progress and even more importantly our bike setup ahead of the first race of the season. We’ve all taken different approaches and gone down different rabbit ho

Neko Mulally is responsible for one of the most exciting projects in mountain biking at the moment and we’re sitting down for a catch up. Here about Neko’s injury and how his recovery is going. We chat about his carbon rear end, the steel front end that he’s been developing with Cotic and how he’s going about testing those. We also chat a bit the riders union, the upcoming season and plenty more. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Neko Mulally. You can also watch this episode on my YouTube channel here. To be in with a chance of winning one of 3 sets of Magura MT7 Pro brakes, fill out our short listener survey here. Supporting Partners Canyon If you fancy one of Canyon’s awesome eBikes, then as a Downtime listener you can get free bike guard on your ebike order until midnight CET on 3rd June 2023 by using the code 'CANYON-FULLY-CHARGED-2023' at the checkout on canyon.com. Terms & Conditions: *This voucher code is valid online between 9 May 2023, 09:30 CET, and 3 June 2023

We are getting pretty close to the 2023 Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup kicking off and recently ESO held a test event in Lourdes, France. Chris Kilmurray was there, so we had a catch-up to find out what went on. Who was looking fast and can we read anything into the results? What were ESO testing and how were the changes received by the riders? Also, we chat about some of the team changes and what ‘world class’ looks like as we head rapidly into the 2023 season. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Chris Kilmurray. You can also watch this episode on my YouTube channel here. To be in with a chance of winning one of 3 sets of Magura MT7 Pro brakes, fill out our short listener survey here. Supporting Partners Canyon If you fancy one of Canyon’s awesome eBikes, then as a Downtime listener you can get free bike guard on your ebike order until midnight CET on 3rd June 2023 by using the code 'CANYON-FULLY-CHARGED-2023' at the checkout on canyon.com. Terms & Conditions: *This vou

Welcome to Downtime Goes Downhill, a podcast mini-series that’s going to take you with us as we have a go at racing downhill at both a regional and national level. Chris, Jonathan and Ben are three different riders, with different abilities, strengths, weaknesses, goals and fears. We’ll share our preparation, training and setup. You’ll hear all about our experiences at the races, good and bad. We’ll also be bringing in some of the best in the world to help us improve throughout the year, so hopefully there will be heaps to learn too. Downtime Goes Downhill wouldn’t be happening without the support of some incredible brands. So a massive thanks to Canyon bikes, Fox suspension, Wahoo Fitness, Fox clothing and protection, Maxxis tyres, Magura brakes and We Are One Composites wheels. This is episode one, where you’ll meet the riders and find out a bit about who we are and where we are at with our riding and fitness. We’ll talk about our preparation so far and chat a bit about the bikes and kit that we ar

Evan Turpen is a successful mountain bike racer and shop mechanic who decided that he wanted to build his own bike. Not content with what was on offer, Evan set out to build a high-pivot steel bike that he felt would out perform the competition. We talk about how he approached the task of building his own bike. Hear how he used YouTube to learn the necessary skills and how the development has progressed from the first prototype to today. We also chat about Evan supporting the Beyond Racing team this year with prototype downhill bikes from his brand, Contra Bikes. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Evan Turpen. You can see Contra Bikes on their website here or on Instagram @contrabikes. To be in with a chance of winning one of 3 sets of Magura MT7 Pro brakes, fill out our short listener survey here. Supporting Partners We Are One Composites We Are One are generously offering Downtime listeners 15% off wheelsets, rims and their Da Package bar and stem. So wether you want their

Every now and again, you see someone ride a bike who just looks like they were born to do it. Alex Storr is one of those riders. Not only is Alex an incredibly stylish young rider, but he’s also working his way up the ranks in the Enduro World Cup. We chat about how Alex discovered mountain biking through his school club and hear how he got into enduro racing. Find out how Facebook market place ultimately led to Alex getting a factory ride. We also chat about balancing racing and content creation, finding the fastest lines and much more. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Alex Storr. You can follow Alex on Instagram @alex_storr01. His VitalRAW edit is here and an edit from Llangollen here. Supporting Partners Magura The Magura MT7 Pro is my go-to brake for a number of reasons. The power is incredible and very usable, it's easy to look after and you can customise it perfectly to you. I use the HC-Wide Reach levers which were designed for World Champion, Loic Bruni. If the MT7 Pr

I think it’s fair to say that a lot of us would like to perform better on the bike. However, how many of us have looked at how our mental health links with our performance? Well this week I’m joined by Sarah Broadhead, who has written a book on the subject. Sarah is an experienced sports psychologist who has worked with olympic athletes as well as supporting Matt Walker, Ella Conolly, Greg Williamson and Hattie Harnden. We chat about how good mental health can support performance. How can we use this to improve our ability to get into a flow state? How do our relationships impact on our riding and what can we do to improve them? There’s heaps to learn here and apply to your own riding. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Sarah Broadhead. You can watch this episode here. Find Sarah's book 'Perform and Thrive: A Sportsperson's Guide to Mental Health and Wellbeing' here and her Instagram is @sarahbpsych. You can find 'The Chimp Paradox' by Steve Peters here. To be in with a chance