Downtime - The Mountain Bike Podcast

Ever wondered what it would be like to race the Trans-Provence? How hard is it? How do I get entered? What sort of training do I need to do? What should I expect when I get there? Is it as good as everyone says? Well wonder no longer, we sat down with friend of the podcast, Jonathan Matthews who raced the Trans-Provence as a privateer this year. The episode is split into two parts. The first part covers the entry to the race, and Jonathan’s preparation, the second covers the race itself. Jonathan is not someone to do things by halves, so he really got stuck into this, and did a lot of research and experimentation in order to optimise himself and his performance for the race. I certainly learned a lot, I hope you do to! To subscribe to our podcast and newsletter head to www.downtimepodcast.com/subscribe/ There is a lot of information in this episode, so here are the links to the main things that Jonathan mentioned: Trans-Provence link Compede Blister Plasters link High5 Electrolyte Tabs link Tim Ferris Podcast link Gymnastic Bodies training programme link Wim Hof and his breathing techniques link Our episode with Jonathan’s trainer, Ben Plenge link Also, you can follow Jonathan on instagram @its_not_ideal Photo: Sam Needham

Ever wondered what it would be like to race the Trans-Provence? How hard is it? How do I get entered? What sort of training do I need to do? What should I expect when I get there? Is it as good as everyone says? Well wonder no longer, we sat down with friend of the podcast, Jonathan Matthews who raced the Trans-Provence as a privateer this year. The episode is split into two parts. The first part covers the entry to the race, and Jonathan’s preparation, the second covers the race itself. Jonathan is not someone to do things by halves, so he really got stuck into this, and did a lot of research and experimentation in order to optimise himself and his performance for the race. I certainly learned a lot, I hope you do to! To subscribe to our podcast and newsletter head to www.downtimepodcast.com/subscribe/ There is a lot of information in this episode, so here are the links to the main things that Jonathan mentioned: Trans-Provence link Compede Blister Plasters link High5 Electrolyte Tabs link Tim Ferris Podcast link Gymnastic Bodies training programme link Wim Hof and his breathing techniques link Our episode with Jonathan’s trainer, Ben Plenge link Also, you can follow Jonathan on instagram @its_not_ideal Photo: Duncan Philpott

Ben Plenge from MTB Strength Factory joins us to talk about all things strength and conditioning. We cover training specifics for different age groups, when and how to rest and recover, how to taper for a race event, the importance of upper body strength, and much much more. To be in with the chance to win one of Ben’s online programmes, all you have to do is comment on one of the social media posts for the episode, and tag a friend in that comment who you think will like the podcast. A winner will be picked on Friday 7th July 2017. To subscribe to our podcast and newsletter head to www.downtimepodcast.com/subscribe/ If you want to find out more about Ben, then you can find him here: http://mtbstrengthfactory.com/ Instagram @mtb_strength_factory Facebook @mtbstrengthfactory

Head mechanic for Canyon Factory Racing, Nigel Reeve, joins us for episode 11. Nigel is responsible for Mark Wallace’s bike, as well as generally looking after the Canyon pit set up at the World Cup downhill events. We sat down with Nigel just after the Lourdes World Cup round, where Mark had taken 2nd place. With the Canyon team only being formed over the winter, it was the first event for the new team. We talk to Nigel about how he got into the job, what it takes to be a good mechanic, some tips and tricks that you can try, and much much more. I really hope you enjoy the episode, if you do, please leave us a review on iTunes, or get in touch on our social media. To subscribe to our podcast and newsletter head to www.downtimepodcast.com/subscribe/ If you want to find out more about Canyon Factory Racing, then you can find them at the links below, Instagram @canyon_factoryracing Facebook @CanyonFactoryRacing

For our 10th episode we were really lucky to be able to get some time with Greg Minnaar of the Santa Cruz Syndicate. We sat down with Greg on the morning of Friday practice at the Fort William World Cup, where he went on take his 7th Fort William win, and his 20th World Cup win, extending his status as the greatest of all time! We talked about the new Syndicate, 29ers, the importance of training, and much more. There is also the chance to win an O’Neal race jersey signed by Greg himself, just listen to the episode to find out how. Please let us know what you think with an iTunes review, or get in touch on our social media… Photo Punkt/O’Neal To subscribe to our podcast and newsletter head to www.downtimepodcast.com/subscribe/

We spent this weekend in Scotland, at the Fort William round of the UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup. While we were there, we managed to chat to a number of the top riders to bring you some further insight into the world of elite mountain biking. In part two, we talk to Tracy Moseley, Steve Peat, Claudio Caluori, Gee Atherton, Mark Wallace, Neko Mulally, George Brannigan, Laurie Greenland, Loris Vergier, Joe Smith, Matt Walker and Tracey Hannah. To subscribe to our podcast and newsletter head to www.downtimepodcast.com/subscribe/

We spent this weekend in Scotland, at the Fort William round of the UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup. While we were there, we managed to chat to a number of the top riders to bring you some further insight into the world of elite mountain biking. In part one, we talk to expert trainer, Chris Kilmurray, about the demands of the track, and we discuss the first day of practice with Neko Mulally, Eddie Masters, Mick Hannah, Sam Hill, Sam Dale and Finn Iles. To subscribe to our podcast and newsletter head to www.downtimepodcast.com/subscribe/

Tahnée Seagrave joined us just after the Lourdes round of the downhill world cup, to talk about how that race weekend went, her use of journalling and mini goals, Fox testing, Fort William, how to warm up for a world cup race, and much more. It was really interesting to talk to someone who is clearly on the verge of their first elite world cup victory, and to hear about the drive and determination that it takes to get there. To subscribe to our podcast and newsletter head to www.downtimepodcast.com/subscribe/ If you want to find out more about Tahnée then you can follow her on social media here, Instagram @tahneeseagrave Facebook @TahneeSeagraveAthlete Twitter @tahneeseagrave Photo @moonhead_media

In episode 8, Trek Factory Racing’s Katy Winton joins us for a chat. Katy is currently sitting in 3rd place in the Enduro World Series, and shares her story of how she got there. We talk about her transition from XC to Enduro, and the pain and suffering that were part of that journey, what she learned through those tough times, and how she turns it to her advantage now. If you enjoy the episode, then we’d really love it if you leave us a review on iTunes, and share our podcast with a friend, thanks! To subscribe to our podcast and newsletter head to www.downtimepodcast.com/subscribe/ If you want to follow Katy on social media then you can find her at the following links, Instagram @misswinton Facebook @KatyWinton Twitter @KatyWinton Or check out the Trek Race Shop here   Photo Matt DeLorme

Jordi Cortes, the head bike suspension tuner from Fox, joins us for Episode 7. Jordi is in the thick of it at downhill and enduro races, looking after lots of the pros, as well as running pre-season test sessions with many of the top teams. He explains some of the basic suspension terminology and what it means, talks us through suspension testing with the pros and what we can learn from that, feel vs time vs data, and how to set up your suspension from scratch, along with a lot of other great stuff. To subscribe to our podcast and newsletter head to www.downtimepodcast.com/subscribe/ If you’d like to find out more about Jordi, then you can find him on social media here, Instagram @cordijortes If you’re enjoying the podcast, then please let us know by leaving a review on iTunes, or by commenting on any of our social media posts. We’d love to hear your feedback and suggestions for improvements and future guests! Photo Isac Paddock

Multiple world champion Tracy Moseley joins us for episode 6 of the Downtime Podcast. We talk about some of the changes in the sport over her 20 year career, her transition from downhill to enduro, the details of some specific training sessions, race day nutrition and lots more. Don’t forget you can listen to the episode on our website, or on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play and TuneIn Radio. To subscribe to our podcast and newsletter head to www.downtimepodcast.com/subscribe/ If you want to find out more about Tracy, then you can follow her on social media here, Instragram @tracy_moseley Facebook @tracymoseleyuk Twitter @tracy_moseley Or on her website… www.tracymoseley.com  

In this episode, we talk to John Hall, mechanic to Aaron Gwin from the YT Mob. John tells us what it takes to make sure that Aaron has the fastest bike on the planet, and we cover topics like the importance of consistency, how OCD can be helpful, how they work together over a race weekend, and the sorts of small tweaks they make to the bikes in order to make them really special! To subscribe to our podcast and newsletter head to www.downtimepodcast.com/subscribe/ If you want to find John on social media, then head to Instagram and look for @juanhall Here are some links to the tools and parts that we discussed in the episode, https://www.abbeybiketools.com https://www.endurobearings.com/home/ http://www.ti-springs.com https://www.knipex.com http://www.sks-germany.com/en/products/airchecker/ Photo Credit – @isacpaddock

In this episode we chat to enduro privateer and podium hopeful, Bex Baraona. Bex talks to us about all sorts, including how she funds her season, her training, the importance of core strength, race nutrition, her approach to a race weekend, and much much more. We also have our first ever competition thanks to O’Neal, to win an O’Neal Element FR jersey, a pair of their awesome Rockstacker shorts, and a pair of Matrix gloves. Listen to the episode to find out how to enter. To subscribe to our podcast and newsletter head to www.downtimepodcast.com/subscribe/ Here are all the links that you need, Instagram @bex_baraona @onealracing @downtimepodcast Facebook @bexbaraona @oneal @thedowntimepodcast Photo Credit @matt_wragg

Our guest for this episode is Canyon Factory Racing’s Justin Leov. We talk to Justin about how to read and learn trails, tips he’s received from Fabien Barel, how to approach a sighting lap, the recent Canyon training camp, the importance of goal setting, and how having children has impacted his riding. You can find more of Justin here, Instagram @teamleov Facebook @justinleovathlete Twitter @justinleov Also, don’t forget to keep an eye out for his blogs once the season gets going. Photo – Matt Wragg

Photo @calliehorwath Our guest for this episode is the YT Mob’s newest recruit, Neko Mulally. We talk about getting his new bike set up, having Aaron Gwin as a team mate, chainless world cup runs, beer sponsors, having your own bike park, and 29er downhill bikes! To subscribe to our podcast and newsletter head to www.downtimepodcast.com/subscribe/ If you want to find out more about Neko, you can find him here… Instagram @nekomulally Facebook @neko.mulally