Episodes

Queenstown is one of the world’s most iconic mountain biking destinations, but few people know the story behind its evolution. Today, we’re joined by Pang and Tim from Vertigo Bikes, the shop that’s at the very centre of Queenstown’s MTB scene. From shaping local trails, to influencing the evolution of the area and supporting local racing and racers, there’s a lot to thank them for. In this episode, we dive deep into the history, the culture, and the legacy of Vertigo Bikes, and what it means fo...

2026 is shaping up to be an exciting season. Long-standing rivalries are heating up, and a wave of young talent is stepping into the elite ranks, who knows how it will all play out? Joining us to break it down is Alan Milway, performance coach and team manager for the Norco Race Division. We’ll cover all the big team moves and explore what could make this season the best yet. So sit back, hit play and check out this episode with Alan Milway. You can also watch this episode on YouTube here. Yo...

Hardline has always been one of the most intimidating races in mountain biking, but at Hardline Wales in 2025, Lou Ferguson delivered a full top-to-bottom race run that showed just how far the women’s scene has progressed. But that run was only part of the story. Because Lou is also heading into a new chapter of her career, returning to Nukeproof bikes and RockShox for 2026, racing alongside teammate Millie Johnset and building towards what could be her biggest season yet. So today we’re catc...

This week I’m joined by Tahnée Seagrave. Tahnée has been one of the defining riders of modern downhill for more than a decade. A World Cup winner, a world championship medallist, and one of the riders who helped push the level of women’s racing to where it is today. But the last few seasons haven’t been straightforward. Injuries, recovery, rebuilding confidence, changing bike sponsor and trying to perform at the very top of the sport while the level of competition keeps rising. So in this epis...

While I was out in New Zealand, I caught up with Amaury Pierron to unpack the highs and lows of the past couple of seasons. From those incredible wet-weather wins at the Val di Sole and Les Gets World Cups, to breaking his collarbone in La Thuile and then coming back to take the win in Lenzerheide later that season. Then we’re joined by SRAM Race Tech Craig Miller and RockShox long-travel product manager Jason Blodgett to go deeper into how they work alongside Amaury and the Commencal Muc-Off T...

Thanks to Tourism Tasmania I recently travelled to Maydena where I got to sit down with the one and only, Ed Masters. Ed’s at a really interesting point in his career right now, so we get into what’s changed for him, why he’s moving away from a full Enduro World Cup schedule, and how his perspective on racing has evolved over the years. We talk a bit about the state of enduro,where the discipline sits right now, the challenges it’s facing, and why things feel quite different to a few years ago...

Alright, thanks to Tourism Tasmania I’ve been on the ground here in Maydena, bringing you some great conversations. This week, it’s Aaron Gwin. Five-time overall World Cup champion, but that’s history. This episode is about what’s next. We dive into the move to Frameworks, his plan to ‘go dark’ and get back to his very best, and what Hardline Tasmania was really like from inside the tape. We talk about sharing the pits with teammate and phenom, Asa Vermette, and how that dynamic is shaping up....

Thanks to Tourism Tasmania, I’ve been on the ground in Maydena for Hardline Tasmania week and got to have a catch up with Neko Mulally, as well as a ride on their brand new Frameworks enduro bike. Frameworks Racing is a team that’s making some serious waves in the world of downhill. From building his own bike 4 years ago, to having a race team made up of some of America’s most talented riders. They’ve got new bikes, new ideas, and a new superstar signing in Aaron Gwin. To give us the inside st...

Thanks to Tourism Tasmania, I’ve been on the ground in Maydena this week for Red Bull Hardline, a race that sits right on the limit of what’s possible. The course demanded full commitment all week, and when heavy rain hit on race day, any margin for error vanished. The course crew did everything they could, but it simply wasn’t safe for the riders. Even without a race, the riders pushed the limits throughout the week, testing their skills, on one of the most unforgiving tracks in the sport. A...

Thanks to Tourism Tasmania, I’m on the ground in Maydena this week, riding the trails, soaking up the atmosphere, and bringing you content straight from Red Bull Hardline. After day two of practice, I was invited to host a live show in front of a packed Maydena crowd, where I sat down with three riders taking on Hardline for the very first time, Mikayla Parton, Ryan Gilchrist, and Aaron Gwin. Different backgrounds, different careers, same task ahead of them. We talk honestly about the fear tha...

Thanks to Tourism Tasmania, I’m on the ground in Maydena this week to experience the incredible trail network and to bring you content from Red Bull Hardline. So, following our World Cup style approach, you’ll be getting a pre and a post-race show from the event. For today’s pre-race show, we’re joined by the man behind Maydena Bike Park and Hardline Tasmania, Simon French, alongside racer, local legend and last years rider of the week, Dan Booker. We’ll be hearing about changes to the course, ...

Jackson Goldstone’s first two elite seasons weren’t straight forward, but in 2025 we really saw what he is capable of. Coming back from injury, Jackson faced the pressure of expectation, the chaos of a packed race calendar, and the challenge of finding more speed while the rest of the field was doing the same. In this episode, he breaks down what actually went on behind the scenes, from mindset shifts and race-day decision making, to testing new bike parts mid-season and learning how to stay i...

For Axess Intense Factory Racing, the 2025 season was full of high highs, and some really low lows. Injury. Uncertainty. Financial pressure. And moments behind the scenes that most race programmes never talk about publicly. But those lows are exactly what pushed Joe Breeden and Olly Morris forward with new partners, a bigger budget, and an exciting new setup for 2026 as the Nukeproof Axess Racing team is born. This is a conversation about pressure, vulnerability, and what it actually takes to...

Mountain bike media has always been shaped by the riders, the bikes, and the culture around them. But right now, that landscape is changing faster than ever. Today’s guest has seen that shift from the inside. Drew Rohde started his career at Decline, right at the heart of print media, before going on to found the independent mountain bike platform, Loam Wolf. In this episode, Drew and I talk about how he made that jump, what it takes to build sustainable MTB media today, and whether the rise o...

For the last three months, I’ve been working on my nutrition with Chris Lowe, to do what a lot of us want to do… lose fat and build muscle. But I was very clear that this couldn’t come at the expense of not having enough energy to work, train and live life in general. Honestly, the biggest surprise hasn’t been the results, it’s been how easy it’s been and the other benefits that have come alongside the fat loss. In this episode, Chris will be sharing the methodology that we’ve been following, t...

Today we’re joined by Kriss Kyle. Kriss found his fame in BMX and more recently has brought that style and creativity onto the mountain bike. From living in a skatepark, to jumping over a moving formula one car, Kriss has been on quite the journey. We talk about the crossover from BMX to MTB, how skills, style, and fearless thinking translate from ramps to trails. We dig into the pressure of performing, the risks of big projects, and the process behind turning wild ideas into reality. Kriss is...

To round out the year, we’re joined by Chris Kilmurray to get behind the results and into the data of the 2025 downhill season. Winning margins. Track difficulty. Rider consistency. Junior depth. Elite pressure. Chris Kilmurray is a coach, an analyst, a man who lives in the numbers. So, together, we’re breaking down the 2025 season, statistically, objectively, and honestly. What the juniors told us about the future. Why some tracks separated the field… and others didn’t. Which riders redefined...

Welcome to the final episode of Downtime Debrief for 2025 and our last episode before Christmas. As many of you will know, this is 3 friends and fans of the sport, chatting about what we love. In this episode, we talk about our World Cup withdrawal, our favourite 2026 team rumours and our own plans to return to downhill racing next year. Ben and Jonny then turn the tables and grill me about the podcast. There’s heaps to talk about, so sit back, hit play and listen to this final episode of Downt...

Today on the Downtime Podcast, we’re sitting down with a Oli Zwar, a rider who’s lived the full spectrum of what downhill racing can throw at you. From the spark of motocross as a kid in Australia, to finding his feet on the World Cup stage, to battling injuries that almost took the joy out of riding altogether. Oli Zwar’s journey is about grit, growth, and the people who kept him going. We get into how Zwar Brothers Racing came to be, the highs and lows of life on The Union, and that breakthro...

Today on the Downtime Podcast, I’m joined by the one and only, Wyn Masters. Wyn’s got a unique view of the sport, from racing to reporting, and in this episode he brings the full picture. We sit down to hear Wyn’s thoughts on the state of World Cup enduro and we discuss some of the stand out moments from the 2025 World Cup downhill season. Does Wyn think privateers can still make it at World Cup level? What does Wyn think about the widely rumoured end of the junior category at World Cup level i...

Today on the Downtime Podcast, we’re diving into one of the most talked-about stories in mountain biking this year. YT went into insolvency, the internet blew up with rumours and frustration… and then, founder Markus Flossmann bought the brand back. In this episode, Markus sits down with me for an open conversation to set the record straight. We dig into the questions riders have been asking and the things they’ve been angry about. The pre-insolvency fire sale. The downhill team’s very public i...

Today I’m joined by Matt Jones for a really honest and reflective conversation about what it takes to build a life around mountain biking. You may have seen his latest Red Bull video, where he jumps through two autonomous moving trucks, but I wanted to go beyond the spectacle and understand the process behind it. We talk about fear, pressure, and the uncertainty that comes with taking on ideas that don’t have a clear path to the finish line. We also get into the business side of what he does: t...

Glenn MacArthur grew up in a tiny village high in the French Alps, where riding bikes and exploring mountains was just part of everyday life. He’s taken that foundation and built a really interesting path in mountain biking, one that doesn’t follow traditional racing norms. From blind racing to setting fastest known times on crazy routes. From navigating the privateer world to landing a standout result at Epic Enduro, Glenn’s approach is all about curiosity, commitment and finding what actually...

There’s been a lot of discussion around wether or not it’s getting harder for the smaller teams to survive in World Cup downhill. This week I’m joined by Team High Country’s Chris Higgs to find out how they are making it work. Chris has poured everything into creating opportunities for the next generation of downhill racers. We chat about what it really costs to compete at the highest level, how he and his wife self-fund the team, the challenges of working with sponsors, and what it takes to lo...