Just Ride

We’ve mentioned Race Tapes on Just Ride before, and after the producer, Romain Dompnier, sat down with Chris Hall of the Downtime Podcast we thought we’d treat our listeners to a little snippet of their fascinating chat.Race Tapes provides unparalleled insight into the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, and seasons one and two of the show are available to watch on Red Bull TV now.Made by Boombox, the series delves deeper into the stars of mountain biking than ever before.To listen to the full episode, visit Downtime Podcast. Downtime is the most in-depth mountain bike podcast out there and delves deep into the world of downhill and enduro.  Host Chris Hall chats to world champions, future stars, the teams who help riders perform, the brands who design the products we ride, and so, so much more – including this episode, with Romain from Boombox.Enjoy!

There aren’t many more famous bike riders in the world than Mariana Pajón.A two-time Olympic Gold medallist and a household name in her native Colombia, Mariana is an icon in her sport of BMX. Since day one of Just Ride she has been a dream guest for us, so it was a true pleasure to finally welcome her to the studio. With Rob away, it was Eliot who spoke to the queen of BMX all about her upbringing, plus the highs and lows of her remarkable career, and picked up a fascinating insight into the sport of BMX itself.You are going to love Eliot’s chat with Mariana, a warrior on the bike and a champion off it.In other news, we had an incredible email from listener Adam, which touched both Rob and Eliot. If you want to get in touch with the guys, then please email podcast@redbull.com.We’ll see you again soon.

Sofiane Sehili, an ultra-endurance legend, transitioned from a traveler to a competitive cyclist after realizing buses weren't for him. He discusses his extraordinary journey, including his unconventional training and the intense grit required for races like the Tour Divide and Silk Road Mountain. Sofiane emphasizes the surprisingly joyful experiences mixed with the rigors of sleep deprivation and shares insights into mental resilience. His fascinating tales of pushing boundaries will inspire anyone looking to understand the spirit of extreme cycling.

Here on Just Ride, we love bikes. All of them. So we thought it was about time we devoted an episode to them – and their future.Rob and Eliot are joined by lifelong bike designer and founder of RIDE Studio, Craig Dent, to chat about the evolution of bikes and what types of bikes we could be riding in five, 10, 50 years from now. How much of a role will electrics play? Will everything be designed by AI? Are we going to see the shape change?Rob, Eliot and Craig got stuck into all of that, while marvelling at the development we’ve seen since Rob started racing downhill in the 90s. We could have kept Craig in front of the microphone for hours – but there’s still so much fascinating insight squeezed into this hour with Craig. Enjoy.What do you reckon the future of bikes looks like? Let Rob and Eliot know by emailing podcast@redbull.com – and we’ll see you in two weeks.

Aged 14, Finn Iles took the world of mountain biking by storm. He won the famous Whistler Whip-off after a social media campaign (#letfinnin) swept through the community. That was the start of a Hollywood-style journey that saw him destined to reach the top of mountain biking. Winning almost everything before him in the junior ranks, his ascension to the top of downhill seemed assured. But not all Hollywood stories run smoothly.It took Finn four years on the pro circuit to win his first Downhill World Cup, but boy did he do it in style, on home turf at Monte-Saint-Anne in Canada, matched by iconic commentary from Rob Warner and Eliot Jackson.Ever since, Finn has demonstrated his consistency at the top level, coming within tenths of a second of that elusive next win.He sat down with Eliot and Rob to reflect on his whirlwind career to date, his progression as a rider, the intricacies of a downhill season and what the future holds for the darling of Canadian mountain biking. As you can imagine, the guys had a lot of fun with Finn.Enjoying Just Ride? Let Rob and Eliot know by emailing podcast@redbull.com – and we’ll see you in two weeks.

In this engaging discussion, Eliot Jackson, a celebrated bike racer and founder of the Grow Cycling Foundation, delves into his mission of making mountain biking accessible in Los Angeles. He shares the inspiring success of the newly opened pump track in Inglewood, designed to empower local youth. Eliot and Rob reminisce about their early biking experiences and explore the transformative power of cycling in fostering community connections. They also share bold predictions for the upcoming cycling season, making the conversation lively and insightful.

Mani Lettenbichler is one of the greatest Hard Enduro riders of all time – and, remarkably, he’s only 26. In 2023 he completed a feat that sportspeople from all disciplines dream of: a perfect season, the first-ever in the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship. Also a three-time Red Bull Erzbergrodeo winner, Mani is a phenomenon. Racing at the very top level since he turned pro – in fact, at just 16 he competed in and finished Erzbergrodeo – the German has done it all in his discipline. Rob and Eliot are huge fans of Mani, having started their respective cycling journeys on motorbikes, and have been keen to welcome Mani to Just Ride since episode one. So, as you can imagine, this episode was a lot of fun!Mani is also an incredible cyclist, so there’s a whole host of bike chat too. In fact, if he’d taken a different path in life, Mani could well have been a pro downhiller… Lots of our Just Ride listeners emailed in to suggest Mani as a guest, so if there’s someone you’d love Rob and Eliot to chat to, let us know: podcast@redbull.com.Just Ride will be back in two weeks.

In 2014, Christian Meier got the call from his road cycling team he’d always dreamed of: “You’re racing the Tour de France.” It was the culmination of the years of riding, sacrifices and dreams that so many young cyclists have, yet so few achieve. He’d made it to the summit of his sport. Ten years later, having hung up his competitive wheels at the end of 2016 to pursue other interests, Christian stands at the top of another sport. Having stumbled upon his love for trail running during the Covid lockdown, the Canadian became good. Very, very good. So good that in 2023 he won the legendary TDS race around the foothills of Mont Blanc: 145km, with over 9,000m of elevation. He won the race in a staggering 19 hours. Rob and Eliot couldn’t quite believe what they were hearing. This week’s chat with Christian is a fascinating exploration of what it takes to peak in two elite endurance sports, and how sporting journeys can be so changeable. Christian even started out as a downhiller! Are you a cyclist and a runner? Let us know by emailing podcast@redbull.com, or hit Rob and Eliot up on their socials and encourage them to get out there for a jog! It’s not currently their favourite pastime, as you’ll hear. We’ll be back in two weeks.

Gee Atherton is one of the most decorated, all-round downhill riders the sport of mountain biking has ever seen. He’s also one of the most committed, hardest bike riders that cycling has ever seen. Full stop. His list of achievements goes on, and on, and on: two-time world champion, eight-time UCI World Cup winner, Red Bull Hardline winner, six-tie national champion… but his list of difficult moments and brutal crashes is also a long one. Sadly, it goes with the territory of pushing the boundaries. Here on Just Ride, for the first time, Gee speaks in detail to Rob and Eliot about his awful crash while filming his Ridgeline series in North Wales in 2021. Gee was airlifted to hospital and had to fight for his life. Yet he returned to the saddle, as he has done numerous times before. His love of the bike shines through and for more than an hour the guys recapped a magical career while discussing that fateful day shooting Ridgeline, his subsequent return and crash at Red Bull Rampage in 2023, and what’s next for one of the greatest of all time. Filmed in front of a live studio audience in Salzburg, Austria, this is a fascinating chat with a mountain bike icon. Did you catch Red Bull Hardline in early June? You can watch a replay on Red Bull TV.We want to hear from you, so drop us a line! Hit us up at podcast@redbull.com. Rob and Eliot will be back soon.

Rob and Eliot caught up in Salzburg last week for some very exciting Just Ride records that we’ll bring to you very soon – including a fascinating chat with Mr Red Bull Hardline himself, Gee Atherton. That will be live next week as we build up to Red Bull Hardline but before then, Eliot and Rob chatted through some brilliant listener emails, discussed Red Bull’s upcoming mountain bike film ANYTIME, previewed Hardline and much, much more. See you next week for the guys’ incredible chat with Gee.