The Downtime Podcast

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

So it appears that a lot of you enjoyed my little pre-season Enduro World Cup chat with Katy Winton and you wanted to hear more from Katy. So here it is. We sat down to chat about the first two Enduro World Cup races of the season. Find out what it was like riding at Maydena and Derby. How did it feel to be back racing after nearly a year away from the circuit? How does the new points system work and how does that impact the results? Who performed well and who struggled in these two opening rounds. As you’ll know if you listened to the pre-season episode, Katy isn’t just a rider but also a massive fan of the sport with a great insight into what goes on. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Katy Winton. You can watch this episode on my YouTube channel here. You can follow Katy on Instagram @misswinton and find Dr Stacy Sims here. Supporting Partners Cotic Cotic founder, Cy Turner, makes dream bikes. The RocketMAX was his dream bike for riding in his new home of the Peak District

Today I’m joined by Leo Smith, aka Lando Steezy. I first saw Leo on Instagram a year or so ago and was blown away by his style on the bike. Fast forward to now and he’s making waves in the bike industry, especially after signing for Nukeproof and his recent film for Shimano. Leo is providing a role model for many people who up until now, didn’t see mountain biking as somewhere that they fit in. We chat about the responsibility that comes with that and find out more about Leo and how he got to where he is now. Hear about where he grew up and how bikes, music and photography came to be some important to him. Leo is part of an exciting group of riders who are bringing new styles, techniques and approaches to everything mountain bike and I’m super excited to see where it all goes. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Lando Steezy. You can watch this episode on my YouTube channel here. You can follow Leo on Instagram @landosteezy or his photography account @landosteeezy. Check out his Shi

Today I'm joined by the Founder of Rider Resilience, Nils Amleinckx. 5 and a half years ago, Nils was diagnosed with cancer and given 5 years to live. Nils firmly believes that mountain bikes have not only helped improve the quality of his life, but have also helped him extend it. We chat about his journey over the last 5 years and how important mountain biking has been to him. Hear how a film project was the catalyst for Rider Resilience,  a community interest company which aims to amplify the benefits that the humble bicycle can have for anyone dealing with hardship, in whatever form.  I was personally inspired by Nils' positivity and drive and I hope this episode can help spread that inspiration and show just how powerful mountain biking can be. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Nils Amelinckx. You can watch this episode on my YouTube channel here. You can follow Rider Resilience on YouTube here and on Instagram @riderresilience. Nils' Instagram profile is @nilslinckx. Their websi

So it turns out that Katy Winton is a mountain bike super fan. A couple of weeks back, Katy got in touch to say that she'd love to come on the show to help build the hype for the 2023 Enduro World Cup racing season, which kicks off this weekend in Tasmania. So we sat down to chat about the team moves and what they might mean for race success. We chat about the move to enduro being an official world cup and what that means for the sport. Katy shares who she thinks we should be keeping and eye on in 2023 and we chat about some of the venues. It's awesome to have the knowledge of one of the worlds top racers to help us get excited for the season ahead and as always Katy brings the stoke. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Katy Winton. You can watch this episode on my YouTube channel here. If you want to help out with a Patreon donation, then you can do that here. You can find Katy on Instagram @misswinton and on YouTube here. Podcast Stuff Patreon I would love it if you were

Nick Lester is a data acquisition and telemetry specialist who has worked at Commencal bicycles and been a mechanic and data acquisition guy for the Commencal 100% team. We sat down to hear how Nick got involved in the data side of downhill riding and racing. Hear how Nick works with data systems and what he’s learnt from his time working with some of the top riders. Nick loves a puzzle so we dig into bike and cockpit setup and the impact it can have on how the bike rides. We talk about suspension set up, what the different adjustments do and what feelings on the bike might lead to us wanting to change certain settings. There's lots to learn here, so sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Nick Lester. You can watch this episode on my YouTube channel here. You can find Nick on Instagram @downamics or at downamics.com. Podcast Stuff Merch If you want to support the podcast, and represent, then my webstore is the place to head. All products are 100% organic, shipped without plastics, a

Thibaut Ruffin runs possibly the most successful downhill race team on the planet right now, Commencal Muc-Off. With riders like Myriam Nicole, Thibaut Dapréla and Amaury Pierron, Thibaut and the team have gone on to take 4 team overall wins in the last 5 years. Hear how Thibaut started his own race career and how his team, Riding Addiction began. We chat about what it’s taken to grow the team over the years to go from a privateer setup to the biggest team in the paddock. I ask Thibaut his thoughts on concussion, the ESO takeover for 2023, the growing importance of testing and much more. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Thibaut Ruffin. You can follow the team throughout the season on Instagram @commencal_mucoff. You can watch the episode on YouTube here. Podcast Stuff Downtime EP Downtime EP issue 2 is now available at downtimepodcast.com/ep. EP takes inspiration from the guests and topics of the podcast. It expands on them, and takes them into a stunning print-only format.

This week I’m joined by Si Paton. Si is a 4X National Champion and downhill racer who’s grafted this way to working full time in the sport he loves. We hear Si’s story of how he ended up becoming the organiser for the British National Downhill series for 11 years. What drove Si away from that role and how did he end up reviving the awesome Malverns Festival? We hear Si’s thoughts on how the Discovery take over will impact racing on both a world and national stage along with that it will take to make national level downhill racing great again. Si has a huge amount of experience and a unique perspective from his time as a race organiser, commentator, commissaire and racer. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Si Paton. You can watch this episode on my YouTube channel here. You can find out more about the Malverns at malvernsclassic.com and on Instagram @malvernsclassic and Facebook @malvernsclassic. Supporting Partners Canyon If you want to get yourself a new rig for the upcoming