Episodes

Welcome back to Downtime Goes Downhill. On this episode, a well known bike designer joins us for his first downhill race in 25 years. Ben and Jonny finish the season separated by 0.14 of a second. We talk about spending your risk wisely, dealing with a mudder, semi-slick tyres, and why we choose to go racing when we could just ride bikes. Oh, and Jonny invents a new type of goggles. Plenty to go at here, so sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with me, Ben, Jonny and our very special gu...

Anna Newkirk won her first elite World Cup in Lenzerheide this season. She qualified first, dropped last, and says the run never felt fast. Anna talks us through that day, how she got there after a broken hand a year before, and why the approach that won that race didn’t work at the next round. Anna gives us some insight into just how hard World Cup downhill really is right now and how the winning recipe is constantly evolving. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Anna Newkirk. ...

I’m Chris Hall, this is the Downtime Podcast, and you’re tuned into your Lake Placid post-race show with Neko Mulally and Olly Morris. It’s the end of the World Cup downhill season, which means I’ll have invoices to pay from our awesome experts, Neko, Olly and Chris, for the time they’ve given us all over the year. This World Cup coverage doesn’t have any brand backing, so it’s your Patreon support that helps me pay those invoices and to make this coverage for you all season long. Just because ...

If you could redesign how a downhill event pays its riders, what would you do? Simon French has done exactly that. He’s the man behind Maydena Bike Park and the team that runs Hardline Tasmania, and now he’s launching his own race: Beyond Gravity. Pay-per-view, around forty cameras, with the return of 5 person podiums, Rob Warner and thirty percent of the live broadcast money going to the riders. I caught up with him to find out how it works, who’s coming, and what it’s going to take to actually...

The new Norco Team DH is finally here. After some laps on the new bike in Val di Sole, I sat down with Greg Minnaar and the engineers behind it, Colin Ryan and Kirk McDowall, to get the full story behind the new bike. A six-link suspension platform built for total independent tunability, developed through secret test sessions and years of racing feedback. We get into how Greg ended up signing after a covert test in Spain, how the team solved early stiffness issues, and why Greg reckons the level...

I’m Chris Hall, this is the Downtime Podcast, and you’re tuned into your Whistler post-race show with Olly Morris and Chris Kilmurray. It’s nearly the end of the season, which means I’ll have invoices to pay from our awesome experts, Neko, Olly and Chris, for the time they’ve given us all over the year. This World Cup coverage doesn’t have any brand backing, so it’s your Patreon support that helps me pay those invoices and to keep this coverage coming your way all season long. There’s still tim...

Loïc Bruni is back on Downtime. It’s been seven years since we last sat down with Loïc, and a lot has changed in that time. He’s won World Championships, World Cups, battled some of the best riders the sport has ever produced, and continued to establish himself as one of the defining riders of the sport’s history. But this year has been a really difficult one. Loïc had a complicated crash in Loudenvielle, which caused a serious wrist injury and multiple surgeries, and at the time of recording...

I’m Chris Hall, this is the Downtime Podcast, and you’re tuned into your Whistler pre-race show with Chris Kilmurray. Don’t forget, if you enjoy these shows and want to support us in making them until the end of the season, we’d really appreciate your support. This series is fully independent, we don’t have brand backing. Putting it together means paying Chris, Neko and Olly for their time, and getting to races where possible to bring you the best coverage we can. It’s a big commitment, and it...

Henri Kiefer has already shown that he has the speed to race at the sharp end, finishing second at the 2025 Elite World Championships and standing on multiple Elite World Cup podiums, but getting there consistently has been a very different challenge. In this conversation, Henri talks openly about confidence, expectation and the pressure he’s put on himself, and how learning to manage that has changed the way he approaches racing. We also get into his journey from riding bikes with his Dad, th...

Lachie Stevens-McNab knows he can win a World Cup. He’s shown he has the speed, been on the podium, qualified fastest and he’s come so close to that top step. This year, Lachie has also had to deal with a concussion, but has fought his way right back to the sharp end. Now, with that first World Cup win still just out of reach, it’s natural to ask the question, what’s missing? In this episode, I sit down with Lachie Stevens-McNab to talk about what it takes to make that final step, what he’s l...

This week, I’m joined by Angel Suarez, who is taking a very different approach to racing the World Cup in 2026. After leaving Frameworks, Angel decided to build his own privateer programme, testing bikes, suspension and setups to figure out exactly what he needs to be fast. We talk about how that project came together, his season so far, his time with Frameworks, what he makes of Asa Vermette, and his experience as one of downhill’s most interesting riders when it comes to testing and developmen...

I’m Chris Hall, this is the Downtime Podcast, and you’re tuned into your World Champs post-race show with Neko Mulally and Olly Morris. Before we get into it, a quick ask… if you enjoy these shows and want to help us continue them until the end of the season, we’d really appreciate your support. This series is fully independent, we don’t have brand backing. Putting it together means paying Chris, Neko and Olly for their time, and getting to races where possible to bring you the best coverage w...

I’m Chris Hall, this is the Downtime Podcast, and you’re tuned into your World Champs pre-race show with Chris Kilmurray. Before we get into it, a quick ask… if you enjoy these shows and want to help us continue them until the end of the season, we’d really appreciate your support. This series is fully independent, we don’t have brand backing. Putting it together means paying Chris, Neko and Olly for their time, and getting to races where possible to bring you the best coverage we can. It’s a ...

Less than 48 hours before we were due to record our final Enduro World Cup roundup of the season, Warner Brothers dropped the bombshell that they would not be running a series in 2027. So in this episode with Morgane and Greg, we dig into that, as well as catching up on the last two rounds. Hear their take on what the future of enduro will look like. There’s a lot of positive energy and it feels like this could be the re-birth of enduro that we’ve all been waiting for. So sit back, hit play and ...

I’m Chris Hall, this is the Downtime Podcast, and you’re tuned into your World Cup post-race show with Neko Mulally and Olly Morris. Before we get into it, a quick ask… if you enjoy these shows and want to help us continue them until the end of the season, we’d really appreciate your support. This series is fully independent, we don’t have brand backing. Putting it together means paying Chris, Neko and Olly for their time, and getting to races where possible to bring you the best coverage we c...

Every rider’s path to the top looks different. For Will Brodie, it meant balancing work as a window cleaner while chasing the dream of racing at the highest level. That journey took him all the way to the Downhill World Cup, but along the way he realised his future might lie somewhere else. In this episode, Will takes us through his story so far, from discovering bikes and progressing through downhill, to making the switch to enduro and committing to life as a full-time Enduro World Cup athlete...

I’m Chris Hall, this is the Downtime Podcast, and you’re tuned into your World Cup pre-race warm-up show with the one and only Chris Kilmurray. Before we get into it, a quick ask… if you enjoy these shows and want to help us continue them until the end of the season, we’d really appreciate your support. This series is fully independent, we don’t have brand backing. Putting it together means paying Chris, Neko and Olly for their time, and getting to races where possible to bring you the best co...

Every racer’s journey is built on failures as much as victories. The crashes, the setbacks, the missed opportunities and the hard lessons all shape who you become. Shawn Neer’s career has taken him through all of those moments, from chasing results as a racer, to failed businesses and learning what it takes to create lasting change in the sport he loves. Now he’s going all in on a new challenge: building the future of American downhill racing through the Mountain States Cup. In this episode, ...

Rosa Zierl is a name you’re going to be hearing a lot more of in the world of downhill mountain biking. After an incredible first World Cup season, Rosa became junior World Champion and took the overall title, showing that she has the speed and mindset to challenge at the highest level. This is Rosa’s first ever podcast, and we dive into her journey so far, from getting into riding, to her breakthrough season, winning the World Champs and overall, and how she’s dealing with the challenge of rec...

This week we’re diving into the second round of the Pearce DH Series, where Jonny and Ben were both back between the tapes. We break down how their weekends went, what worked, what didn’t, and the changes they’ve been making to their bike setup, training and approach to racing. We also get into one of the more interesting ideas we’ve talked about on the show for a while: why, if you really want to get faster, you probably need to be willing to push yourself to the point where crashing becomes a...

Markus Stöckl has spent decades at the sharp end of downhill racing. As the founder of MS Racing he’s worked with some of the sport’s biggest names, helped develop World Cup-winning riders and watched the sport evolve through multiple generations. Alongside that, he’s become one of mountain biking’s biggest advocates for pure speed, pushing the limits of what’s possible with record-breaking runs and a relentless fascination with going faster. In this episode we dive into everything he’s learned...

Over the last few years, Enduro has had a lot of questions to answer. But after Val Di Fassa and La Thuile it feels like on some levels, it’s in a better place than ever before. With a stand alone two day event in Val Di Fassa, amazing stages all round, the return of La Thuile’s night stage and new media channels and presenters bringing the stoke, things are definitely on the up. Now we just need the fans, the industry and the established media to catch up. As ever, I’m joined by Morgane and Gre...

I’m Chris Hall, this is the Downtime Podcast, and you’re tuned into your World Cup post-race show with Neko Mulally and Olly Morris Before we get into it, a quick ask… if you enjoy these shows and want them to keep happening, we really need your support. This series is fully independent, we don’t have brand backing. Putting it together means paying Chris, Neko and Olly for their time, and getting to races where possible to bring you the best coverage we can. It’s a big commitment, and it only ...

I’m Chris Hall, this is the Downtime Podcast, and you’re tuned into your World Cup pre-race warm-up show with the one and only Chris Kilmurray. Before we get into it, a quick ask… if you enjoy these shows and want them to keep happening, we really need your support. This series is fully independent, we don’t have brand backing. Putting it together means paying Chris, Neko and Olly for their time, and getting to races where possible to bring you the best coverage we can. It’s a big commitment, ...