Downtime - The Mountain Bike Podcast

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. You can also watch this episode on YouTube here. You can follow Anna on Instagram @annanewkirk_ and find the team videos on YouTube here. Sponsoring Partners Exposure Lights Exposure Lights will transform your night riding experience and keep you coming back for more. I’m running the MaXx-D bar light and Diablo helmet light and have been blown away by their performance. Downtime listeners can get a very rare 10% discount until the end of November 2026 by using the code DOWNTIME10 at the checkout over at exposurelights.com. Term & Conditions: Please note the code applies to selected new lights only and cannot be used on mounts, accessories or alongside other promotions. Sometimes free items will be added to your basket, these will need to be removed for the discount to apply, or you may be charged for these items. Customers outside of the UK will not pay UK VAT at the point of purchase. Local taxes, duties, customs payments and tariffs may be applied on or before delivery, as determined by the destination country. We do all we can to minimise these costs, but we must act within the law and we have no control over such payments. Due to variations in rates by country/region, we are unable to estimate how much you will have to pay. This is calculated once the items have been despatched by us. Loam Pass Get access to 80 destinations at a reduced price today with your 2027 Loam Pass. Purchasing now will also get you a 2026 pass, valid until 31st Dec. So put it to work on a fall riding trip, then start mapping out 2027. Head to loampass.com and get your deal before it ends on 14th October 2026. Fox Racing This episode is a paid promotion with Fox Racing. Thanks for them for making this conversation possible. You can check out all they have to offer over at foxracing.com. 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 donations will really help me keep the podcast going and hopefully take it to the next level. To help out, head here. 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, and made with a supply chain that’s using renewable energy. We now also have local manufacture for most products in the US as well as the UK. So check it out now over at downtimepodcast.com/shop. Newsletter If you want a bit more Downtime in your life, then you can join my newsletter where I’ll provide you with a bit of behind the scenes info on the podcast, interesting bits and pieces from around the mountain bike world, some mini-reviews of products that I’ve been using and like, partner offers and more. You can do that over at downtimepodcast.com/newsletter. Follow Us Give us a follow on Instagram @downtimepodcast or Facebook @downtimepodcast to keep up to date and chat in the comments. For everything video, including riding videos, bike checks and more, subscribe over at youtube.com/downtimemountainbikepodcast. Are you enjoying the podcast? If so, then don’t forget to follow it. Episodes will get delivered to your device as soon as it’s available and it’s totally free. You’ll find all the links you need at downtimepodcast.com/follow. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google and most of the podcast apps out there. Our back catalogue of amazing episodes is available at downtimepodcast.com/episodes Photo – Nathan Hughes

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 pull it off. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Simon French. You can also watch this episode on YouTube here. You can find everything you need to know about the event here and follow the on Instagram @beyondgravityevent. 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 donations will really help me keep the podcast going and hopefully take it to the next level. To help out, head here. 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, and made with a supply chain that’s using renewable energy. We now also have local manufacture for most products in the US as well as the UK. So check it out now over at downtimepodcast.com/shop. Newsletter If you want a bit more Downtime in your life, then you can join my newsletter where I’ll provide you with a bit of behind the scenes info on the podcast, interesting bits and pieces from around the mountain bike world, some mini-reviews of products that I’ve been using and like, partner offers and more. You can do that over at downtimepodcast.com/newsletter. Follow Us Give us a follow on Instagram @downtimepodcast or Facebook @downtimepodcast to keep up to date and chat in the comments. For everything video, including riding videos, bike checks and more, subscribe over at youtube.com/downtimemountainbikepodcast. Are you enjoying the podcast? If so, then don’t forget to follow it. Episodes will get delivered to your device as soon as it’s available and it’s totally free. You’ll find all the links you need at downtimepodcast.com/follow. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google and most of the podcast apps out there. Our back catalogue of amazing episodes is available at downtimepodcast.com/episodes Photo – Beyond Gravity

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 time to help out by signing up from as little as £3 a month over at patreon.com/downtimepodcast. To say thank you, we’ve got race jerseys from Tahnée Seagrave, Danny Hart, Andy Kolb, Anna Newkirk, Gracey Hemstreet and Martin Maes to give away to lucky Patreon supporters once the season ends, so get signed up now. Whistler delivered and we saw some of the biggest time gaps all season long. With a three day drive to deal with, Neko hit the road (or possibly the bar), so Chris Kilmurray joins me and Olly to delve into the details of what went on. With the challenging travel schedule for all involved this week, we decided to hit the Lake Placid pre-race chat at the same time. So sit back, hit play and listen to this Whistler post-race show and Lake Placid pre-race show combined with Olly Morris and Chris Kilmurray. 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 donations will really help me keep the podcast going and hopefully take it to the next level. To help out, head here. 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, and made with a supply chain that’s using renewable energy. We now also have local manufacture for most products in the US as well as the UK. So check it out now over at downtimepodcast.com/shop. Newsletter If you want a bit more Downtime in your life, then you can join my newsletter where I’ll provide you with a bit of behind the scenes info on the podcast, interesting bits and pieces from around the mountain bike world, some mini-reviews of products that I’ve been using and like, partner offers and more. You can do that over at downtimepodcast.com/newsletter. Follow Us Give us a follow on Instagram @downtimepodcast or Facebook @downtimepodcast to keep up to date and chat in the comments. For everything video, including riding videos, bike checks and more, subscribe over at youtube.com/downtimemountainbikepodcast. Are you enjoying the podcast? If so, then don’t forget to follow it. Episodes will get delivered to your device as soon as it’s available and it’s totally free. You’ll find all the links you need at downtimepodcast.com/follow. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google and most of the podcast apps out there. Our back catalogue of amazing episodes is available at downtimepodcast.com/episodes Photo – Nathan Hughes

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 only works because of you. Last season, a few hundred of you stepped up and made it happen and we’ve stoked that more of you have been helping out this season too. It’s not too late to get involved and to say thank you, we’ve got race jerseys from Tahnée Seagrave, Danny Hart, Andy Kolb, Anna Newkirk, Gracey Hemstreet and Martin Maes to give away to lucky Patreon supporters very soon. So if you’re into World Cup downhill and want the best insight going, head to patreon.com/downtimepodcast and support from as little as £3 a month. It genuinely makes a difference. The final races of the 2026 season are here and for the first time, World Cup racing heads to Whistler. Join me and Chris Kilmurray as we dig into the challenges of this unique 1199 track, what it really means for World Cup mountain bike racing to be taking place in Whistler, the championship battles to watch and much more. So sit back, hit play and listen to this Whistler pre-race show with Chris Kilmurray. 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 donations will really help me keep the podcast going and hopefully take it to the next level. To help out, head here. 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, and made with a supply chain that’s using renewable energy. We now also have local manufacture for most products in the US as well as the UK. So check it out now over at downtimepodcast.com/shop. Newsletter If you want a bit more Downtime in your life, then you can join my newsletter where I’ll provide you with a bit of behind the scenes info on the podcast, interesting bits and pieces from around the mountain bike world, some mini-reviews of products that I’ve been using and like, partner offers and more. You can do that over at downtimepodcast.com/newsletter. Follow Us Give us a follow on Instagram @downtimepodcast or Facebook @downtimepodcast to keep up to date and chat in the comments. For everything video, including riding videos, bike checks and more, subscribe over at youtube.com/downtimemountainbikepodcast. Are you enjoying the podcast? If so, then don’t forget to follow it. Episodes will get delivered to your device as soon as it’s available and it’s totally free. You’ll find all the links you need at downtimepodcast.com/follow. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google and most of the podcast apps out there. Our back catalogue of amazing episodes is available at downtimepodcast.com/episodes Photo – Clint Trahan / Crankworx

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 real possibility. One quick thing before we get into this discussion: when we talk about 'crashing more', what we're really talking about is safely exploring your limits in appropriate environments, not taking unnecessary risks. I think that becomes clear in the conversation, but in this modern world, it's worth saying up front. This one really got me thinking, so sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with me, Ben and Jonny. You can also watch this episode on YouTube here. As always a huge thank you to Fox Racing, One Up Components, Wahoo and Sprung Suspension for making this series possible. Sponsoring Partners Downtime Goes Downhill is proudly sponsored by Fox Racing, One Up Components, Wahoo and Sprung Suspension. 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 donations will really help me keep the podcast going and hopefully take it to the next level. To help out, head here. 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, and made with a supply chain that’s using renewable energy. We now also have local manufacture for most products in the US as well as the UK. So check it out now over at downtimepodcast.com/shop. Newsletter If you want a bit more Downtime in your life, then you can join my newsletter where I’ll provide you with a bit of behind the scenes info on the podcast, interesting bits and pieces from around the mountain bike world, some mini-reviews of products that I’ve been using and like, partner offers and more. You can do that over at downtimepodcast.com/newsletter. Follow Us Give us a follow on Instagram @downtimepodcast or Facebook @downtimepodcast to keep up to date and chat in the comments. For everything video, including riding videos, bike checks and more, subscribe over at youtube.com/downtimemountainbikepodcast. Are you enjoying the podcast? If so, then don’t forget to follow it. Episodes will get delivered to your device as soon as it’s available and it’s totally free. You’ll find all the links you need at downtimepodcast.com/follow. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google and most of the podcast apps out there. Our back catalogue of amazing episodes is available at downtimepodcast.com/episodes Photo - FStop Media