The Downtime Podcast

There has been some big news in the past week around some of the rule changes to both the Downhill and Enduro Mountain Bike World Cup for 2023, so I thought it would be a good idea to get on a couple of people who live and breathe this to help us understand the changes and how they might impact things. So I’m joined by Downtime’s first and second ever guests, Chris Kilmurray and Neko Mulally to dig into the changes in the rule book and what they actually mean. How will a semi-final work, who will have protected status and how does the points structure impact the riders. Will skin suits return? Is live radio communication to riders likely to happen and plenty more. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Chris and Neko. You can find Chris on Instagram @point1athletic and Neko @nekomulally. Supporting Partners 7mesh Do you want some incredible quality riding kit from the awesome 7mesh? Well, they are offering Downtime listeners a 20% discount using the code 'DOWNTIME7MESH20' over at

Vali Höll had a pretty much perfect junior mountain bike World Cup career, so there were huge expectations piled on her arrival in the elite ranks. An injury at World Champs in 2020 put her out of contention, but a rollercoaster couple of years followed with crashes, frustration and tears, alongside an overall title and a World Champs win. We sat down to chat all about the last few years and find out how it’s been from Vali’s perspective. Vali openly shares the ups and downs of being a young world class athlete. Hear what Vali has learned, what turned around her performance on the bike and what it was like becoming World Champ. Vali’s story shows just how hard it can be, to be the best. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Vali Höll. You can follow Vali on Instagram @valihoell and you can get a copy of Hurly Burly, with Vali on the front cover, at misspentsummers.com. Supporting Partners 7mesh Do you want some incredible quality riding kit from the awesome 7mesh? Well, they are of

Charlie Hatton is a mountain bike rider who’s shown serious promise for a few years now, but it hadn’t quite all come together for him. 2022 was a breakthrough season for Charlie where he showed just what he was capable of, taking incredible results even through adversity. We sat down to chat about his career so far and to find out what it’s taken for Charlie to put in the results we’ve seen this year. Hear how he works to tune the bike with the huge amount of options available to him and what it’s been like working alongside Andreas Kolb as he also had his breakthrough season. Having just signed another 3 years with Continental Atherton, there’s a bright future ahead for Charlie. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Charlie Hatton. You can follow Charlie on Instagram @charlie_hatton1. Supporting Partners 7mesh Do you want some incredible quality riding kit from the awesome 7mesh? Well, they are offering Downtime listeners a 20% discount using the code 'DOWNTIME7MESH20' over at 7m

Amaury Pierron is easily one of the most exciting mountain bike riders on the planet. Amaury has an insane desire to win, which on occasion has taken him to some dark places. We chat about his progression from the junior ranks as a privateer, into the elite field and ultimately joining a factory team. Find out what went on behind the scenes to help that 2018 overall win. Hear about Amaury’s battles on the track and away from it, dealing with some serious injuries. From the highest highs to the lowest lows, Amaury has always had incredible determination and drive. Add to that a professionalism and some serious attention to detail and you have a rider that is hard to beat. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Amaury Pierron. You can follow Amaury on Instagram @amaurypierron4, on TikTok @amaurypierron and on YouTube here. Supporting Partners 7mesh Do you want some incredible quality riding kit from the awesome 7mesh? Well, they are offering Downtime listeners a 20% discount using the

Join me for a chat with Santa Cruz CEO, Joe Graney. Joe talks about his background and how he’s worked his way up from joining Santa Cruz as a contract engineer to now being CEO of the entire business. Hear Joe talk about the importance of the Syndicate to their marketing efforts and how they made carbon a legitimate option for gravity mountain biking. How does Joe feel engineering translates to running a business? We also chat about Santa Cruz’s insane drive to develop bikes and how even Covid didn’t slow that down, why they build their bikes in-house and plenty more. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Joe Graney. You can check out all that Santa Cruz have to offer over at santacruzbicycles.com. Supporting Partners 7mesh Do you want some incredible quality riding kit from the awesome 7mesh? Well, they are offering Downtime listeners a 20% discount using the code 'DOWNTIME7MESH20' over at 7mesh.com. Head over now and check them out and what’s even better is that the ship globall

Today I’m joined by mountain bike tester, Paul Aston. Paul is going about things a little differently to most with a completely independent bike review channel. We sat down to catch up on progress over the last year. Hear about his experiences of designing his own bike, riding the Starling Spur and hear how the industry has been responding to his approach. Paul and I chat about his incredible Sunn Radical Plus restoration project, the technology on the World Cup downhill circuit, Sur-Ron electric motorbikes and plenty more. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Paul Aston. You can check follow Paul on Instagram @astonmtb, watch his YouTube videos here and find his website at astonmtb.com. Supporting Partners Earshots Earshots were designed with mountain biking in mind. So, if you want headphones that are the perfect fit for riding, running or training, or just for listening to your favourite podcasts, then look no further than Earshots.  As a Downtime listener, Earshots are offe

Jess Blewitt is a rapidly rising star in both the downhill and freeride scenes. Jess isn't far into her mountain bike career, but has already stood on World Cup podiums and ridden the infamous Red Bull Hardline. We hear how Jess discovered downhill and why she shifted her focus from skiing to mountain biking. Jess shares her thoughts on her two World Cup seasons so far and takes us through the huge injury she suffered in Snowshoe and how she approached recovery. Jess is an incredible talent and definitely one to watch for the future. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Jess Blewitt. You can check follow Jess on Instagram @jessblewitt_. Jess' DnB playlist is here. Supporting Partners Earshots Earshots were designed with mountain biking in mind. So, if you want headphones that are the perfect fit for riding, running or training, or just for listening to your favourite podcasts, then look no further than Earshots.  As a Downtime listener, Earshots are offering you 10% off. All yo

I recently had a great opportunity to sit down for a chat with YT Industries Founder and Chief Visionary Officer, Markus Flossmann and CEO, Sam Nicols. Markus shares the story of how YT began and how he grew it over the 12 years that he was in charge. We chat about the origin of some of the product names and those incredible launch videos. Markus also shares the reasons that he decided to step down as CEO and how they found Sam to come onboard. Sam tells us about his time at YT so far and how his experience at Amazon is helping make YT a better company for everyone. It was a pleasure to get the chance to have such an open and honest conversation with two of the industries big players. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Markus Flossmann and Sam Nicols. You can check out all that YT have to offer over at yt-industries.com, you'll find them on Instagram @yt-industries on on YouTube here. Supporting Partners YT Industries YT's bikes already represent great value for money, but a

Today, I'm joined by Tom Place from Outbound Lighting to chat all things night riding. Hear what attracted Tom to night riding and what he feels the benefits are. Tom shares some insight into how to choose the perfect night riding setup for you and how to optimise the setup once you have it. I learned a lot here that's definitely going to help me get the most out of the lights I have and I hope it helps you too. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Tom Place. You can see everything that Outbound Lighting have to offer over at outboundlighting.com and you can follow them on Instagram @outboundlighting. Tom is also giving away two sets of their awesome EVO downhill package of lights. You can enter by heading to the competition post on my Instagram @downtimepodcast. Supporting Partners YT Industries YT's bikes already represent great value for money, but as a downtime listener, you can get an extra £100 or dollars or euros, depending on where you are, off of their entire range. 

Today, I'm joined by Ben Plenge from the Strength Factory to help you create your perfect winter training plan. In this episode we look at three different types of rider, based on their goals, health, available time and energy, and current fitness level. For each of those three riders, we discuss how you should approach putting together your winter training. Hopefully you’ll be able to identify with one of the three riders in some way or interpolate a bit between two of them, to help you approach your offseason in the best possible way. We’ll be talking about strength work, aerobic base rides, metrics, fuelling and plenty more. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Ben Plenge. You can check out all of Ben's programmes over at thestrengthfactory.uk, find him on Instagram @strengthfactory_coach and on YouTube here. You can get 20% off the Complete MTB Programme using the code DOWNTIMEPODCAST and 20% off the Over 40's MTB Programme using the code DOWNTIMEPODCAST40 until the 6th November 202