Podcast Round Up: All Kinds of Progression in Racing & Freeride
Here are some of the best podcasts that have been filling our earbuds, well, these last several months since we've published one of these.
No Ordinary Life Podcast - Episode 1: Eyes on the Prize with Magnus Manson
Words: Dharco
We launched a podcast. Yep, you read that right.
Why? What could a clothing company possibly tell you that you don’t know? Let alone what you want to hear? Well, it’s not a podcast about us. We're interviewing some pretty interesting people.
Just like an arena concert, the audience sees a next-level performance from a band. The light show is perfectly coordinated, the sound is perfect, and the band themselves are playing their parts with surgical precision and charisma. What the audience doesn’t see, is the unimaginable level of dedication, sacrifice, discipline and vision undertaken by the band to get to that arena show.
This is the exact same for pro athletes in the MTB world, as well as for industry professionals and other influential figures that grace our screens and absorb us into the world we know and love.
Pro athletes, influential figures and industry professionals aren’t just that. They’re people with decades of experiences behind them, and stories worth hearing.
Join us as we pull back the curtain on the lives of these personalities. Episode one features Canadian World Cup DH athlete, Magnus Manson. Along with the host of the show, Josh Muncke, Magnus lets us in, shining a little light into his world and how it was turned upside down recently.
Welcome to ‘No Ordinary Life’, a podcast by DHaRCO. Available now via all streaming platforms.
Downtime Podcast - Several Post-Race Chats with Eliot Jackson & Neko Mulally, Catching Up on Frameworks Racing, Sustainability, & Thibaut Daprela's 2021 Season
![Photo - Nathan Hughes]()
Words Chris Hall / Photo Nathan Hughes
The third round of the 2022 Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup took place this weekend in Leogang. The racing was insane, and I’m joined by Eliot Jackson and Neko Mulally to chat all about it. We’ll find out about the track, the conditions and discuss some of the incredible performances. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Eliot Jackson and Neko Mulally.
The second round of the 2022 Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup took place this weekend in Fort William. That means it’s time to sit down with Eliot Jackson and Neko Mulally to hear all about it. We chat about the support for UK riders, the crowd, the demands of the track, wind, rain and plenty more. I also chat to some of the winners. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Eliot Jackson and Neko Mulally.
The first round of the 2022 Mountain Bike World Cup took place in Lourdes this weekend and it was an incredible season opener. A wild track, great conditions and some seriously committed riding from the Worlds best. It’s time to dig into the detail and find out what went on. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Eliot Jackson and Neko Mulally.
Sustainability is a word that we hear often these days and for good reason, but how is mountain biking doing? The release of the first sustainability report by Trek last year really started to shine a light on the scale of the challenge that we face, so I thought it would be a good idea to sit down with an expert and find out more. Mike Bascombe is a mountain biker and a consultant who specialises in sustainability. We chat about what sustainability means and the benefits that it can bring to the sport, the brands and the individuals involved, as well as to the planet in general. We look at how the mountain bike industry is doing and focus on areas where both brands and us as individuals can work to make the biggest improvements. While this may be an uncomfortable topic in many ways, I think it’s super important that we start to tackle it. This is something that isn’t going to go away and we need to start making improvements and moving in a positive direction, together, as a whole sport. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Mike Bascombe.
It’s time to catch up with possibly the most exciting project in mountain biking. I’m joined by Neko and Logan Mulally from Frameworks Racing. As you probably know, Neko has developed his own bike to race this season and built his own team, including his brother Logan as his videographer. We sat down at Logan’s place in Tennessee to chat all things Frameworks. Find out what the response to the project has been like. Hear how testing of the high pivot bike has gone and what Neko’s planning to race in Lourdes. We chat about Neko’s finger injury, choosing a mechanic, putting the bike into production and much more. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Neko and Logan.
This week I’m joined by one of the most exciting riders on the planet, Thibaut Dapréla. Thibaut made the jump up from junior to elite look pretty easy and right from the start has been a serious podium threat. After getting off to a great start in the 2021 overall, Thibaut had an incredible rollercoaster ride through the season which involved nearly biting off the end of his tongue, and arriving on the final podium of the season on crutches, fresh from the hospital. We sat down last week to find out more about this talented young rider. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Thibaut Dapréla.
You can also listen by searching for ‘Downtime Podcast’ on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts, by asking Alexa, or over on our website www.downtimepodcast.com and you can follow us on Instagram @downtimepodcast
Making Up the Numbers - Danny Hart on Not Really Feeling It In Fort William, Dakotah Norton on Life on Intense Factory Racing, Loic Bruni on Mental Strength, & Dean Lucas on Mindset
![photo]()
The Making Up The Numbers Podcast is available on Spotify or any podcast app, or visit https://pod.co/making-up-the-numbers.
The Ride Companion - Sam Reynolds Talks Women Hitting the Huge Jumps at Darkfest & Future Plans, Sam Pilgrim Talks YouTube Fame & Career Progression
Olly Wilkins interviews Sam Reynolds about DarkFest 2022 in the back of a van on the way to Vanta Jam. During this episode Olly and Davi also talk about X-Games Japan, The Cycle Show, The World's best FPV drone shot, The Red Bull plane swap fail, a lunch n learn plus more...
The Sam Pilgrim story. Olly and Davi sit down with Sam Pilgrim to chat about growing up in a flat town, early riding memories and how he began competing/winning competitions at just 14 years of age. Sam also talks about why he went from Slopestyle world champion to content creator, dealing with YouTube fame, concussions, slope style progression, single-handedly changing other pro athletes contracts and the major event he has his eyes on competing at this year plus, much more!
All Ride Companion episodes are available on iTunes, Spotify, Soundcloud, Stitcher and Youtube. You can even shout at your smart home device and it'll do all the work for you. Don't forget to hit subscribe so you don't miss an episode.
The entire back catalogue can be found on our website and, don't forget to follow us on social media too, it's @theridecompanion & @odub_23 on everything.
More Ride Companion
Feeding Off Each Other - Peter Chao on Youtubing, Seabus Memes on Instagram Celebrityhood, Dan Gaud on Movies & Brandon Semenuk, & the Podcast Creators Themselves
Words: IFHT
Welcome to Feeding Off Each Other, the weekly podcast where we talk to interesting people in the hopes that some of their talent rubs off on us. Hosted by Matt Dennison, Jason Lucas, and David Wiggins from IFHT Films and Mahalo my Dude.
Skids & Giggles - MTB Lifestyle, BMX Athlete Development, Swiss Freeracer Domi Widmer, & Abigail Hogie
Words: Pascal Pensa
We sat down with Dave Spielmann to talk #allaboutmtb. By all accounts, Dave was living the dream of a professional fun haver. Working as a mountain bike guide for over a decade, he spent his time touring some of the best riding spots with guests, media projects and press camps. If he wasn’t riding, he was running a bike school and IMBA Switzerland, or providing expertise for industry bodies. However, like for many others, the Covid pandemic also brought to light some of the limitations of his business model and it all came to a head last year. Looking for a more balanced approach to his life, his own riding and his career, Dave has recently embarked on a new journey with Specialized and with the backing of the Big S, he is now directing his energy and passion for the sport towards furthering industry partnerships, events and infrastructure projects. We thank Dave for the open and honest conversation and look forward to finding out what he can achieve next!
We sat down with Jo Dovat to talk about all things BMX, bringing more kids into the sport and, all things going well, all the way to the Olympics. Jo is the current Swiss national BMX coach looking after the youth categories, managing around 40 riders between the age of 10 all the way up to the junior ranks. Naturally, he has a great perspective on talent development, progression and how to keep BMX racing fun, despite all the hard training. Of course, since the inclusion of BMX in the Olympics, the sport as well as the athletes have found themselves on the “big stage” a lot more and it was interesting to hear Jo’s take on the opportunities, challenges and the road ahead for the different disciplines. We wrap up the episode with Jo’s own long history with bikes, his view on pump tracks and our infamous close-out questions.
We sat down with Domi Widmer to talk about his love for bikes and his riding career, pandas and, of course, his new business, Bam Bike. After coming up on the traditional path of cross country racing, Domi was an early member of the Biroma Team, one of the very few slopestyle teams with the specific goal of providing young talents a platform to develop. Domi maintains a diverse bike habit in combining dirt jumping, trail riding and looking after Bikepark Rüti with racing downhill and enduro in the Masters categories. Most recently, Domi started Bam Bike and we talk quite a bit about his mobile work shop, his plans and what he wants to achieve with his own business. Unfortunately, Domi also had to deal with his fair share of injuries throughout the years and he talks us through his mindset and approach that has brought him back to riding bikes again.
We sat down with Abby Hogie to talk about her journey with bikes and the ups and downs of racing downhill world cups so far, about inspiration and women in the sport, about her pre-race play list as well as her stance on the controversial cats vs dogs issue. Together with Anna Newkirk, Abby forms the recently launched Beyond Racing team and we got to hear all about their plans on and off the track, their partners and how Eliot Jackson and the Grow Cycling Foundation helped in bringing their dream of a UCI MTB team alive. We are looking forward to following Abby and Anna in ’22 and are equally stoked that we are able to help share their story!
Skids & Giggles episodes are also available on all major podcast platforms and on YouTube.
Trail EAffect - Mark Hayes of Highland Bike Park
![Mark Hayes Owner Founder of Highland Bike Park]()
Words: Josh Blum
For Episode 55 we have Mark Hayes, the owner and Founder of Highland Bike Park in Northfield NH. Mark decided to double down on lift accessed mountain biking when he opened Highland Bike Park 16 years ago (2022 will be season 17 for Highland Bike Park).
Mark goes into all aspects of bike parks, and how bike parks serve as an avenue to get new people into mountain biking. As you’ll learn in this episode Highland has grown into much more than a bike park. Take a listen for the insider knowledge that Mark shares on these topics and the business side of bike parks.
Trail EAffect is hosted through the Mountain Bike Radio Network via The Outdoor Route
This podcast can be found by searching "Mountain Bike Radio" on your favorite podcast player/app such as Apple Podcast, Spotify, ect...
The Drop In - Jamie Edmonson On His Breakout Season & Negotiating Pro Contracts
This week Duncan sits down with young Downhill MTB Racer Jamie Edmonson and chat about everything from Jamie's breakout season in 2020 all the way to the nitty gritty of pro contract negotiations.
Not A Straight Line to the Top - Dean Lucas Interviews Amaury Pierron
Words: Dean Lucas
When it comes to all out speed on a mountain bike who is the first person that comes to mind? Would it be Sam Hill? The man that could crash and still find himself on a World Cup and World Championship podium. Maybe it’s Aaron Gwin who seemed to do the impossible more than once by winning a World Cup without a chain and winning in horrendously wet conditions while the person in second (myself) came down in much more favorable conditions.
Even Danny Hart could have his name thrown in that hat, with him winning a World Championship by almost 12 seconds! He’s shown when he’s on he’s on.
I think five years ago, these would have been the clear choices for all out speed, but now I think there’s a new kid on the block that is hard to look past and has made a real claim to get his name firmly cemented alongside some of the best to ever have done it, his name is Amaury Pierron.
The young Frenchman first busted onto the sense back in 2013 where he started his World Cup campaign as a junior, he didn’t come out of the start blocks firing on all cylinders but instead slowly built into the season with a string of mid place results, he stayed consistent but didn’t set the world on fire like he does in the present day.
I really think this is a good example of, “just because you’re not winning now doesn’t mean you won’t be winning later, so don’t give up.”
Heading into the second year in juniors Amaury knew he had a good chance to be right at the pointy end of the field and that just what he was, securing his first junior World Cup podium at the first round in South Africa. Along with that, he was also was able to sand on top of the box at Leogang and take out his first World Cup win as a junior.
As Amaury entered the elite category, again, like in the junior field, he didn’t set the world alight, but instead dished out a solid tally of consistent results that saw him land himself on Commencal 100%.
From here, the consistency continued until he was able to have his break out ride at the end of 2017 where he saw himself come away with 2nd just behind one of the greatest of all time, Aaron Gwin in first. This got a few heads turning, including the Commencal factory team which decided to put Amaury on for the up coming 2018 season.
Going onto the first round in Croatia Amaury was setting himself up for success riding off the confidence from the past season and joining the top team, it all looked like it was going the right way. Amaury looked like he was on for a sure podium until an unfortunate flat tire deflated his goal of being back on the podium just before the finish, he was sitting 3rd up until that point.
I seemed like this would be the only real set back from the season though as after that race Amaury was able to show is all out speed and take out his first ever win at Fort William in 2018, after this he was able to string together another two wins and along with more podiums that saw him wrap up the overall with a race to go. An impressing feat for someone that started the season out with a flat tire.
Think it shows you, it doesn’t matter how you start, what matters is how you finish.
Moving the Needle - Clemens Kaudela on Pushing Limits in Freeride
Words: Andrew Neethling
Clemens Kaudela known as C dog is becoming one of the biggest names in freeride mountain biking. The humble Austrian started out as a DJ and slopestyle rider but has moved onto the big bike. He is one of the top riders at events like Darkfest and Audi Nines. These events push what is possible on a MTB. C dog is also one of the best MTB builders at the moment putting his name to trails and events like Darkfest.
Also available on Apple Podcasts / Spotify
Brett Tippie Podcast - Jerome Clementz on His Biking History, Working with Cannondale, & More
Words: Brett Tippie
Jerome Clementz is one of the greatest Enduro riders of all time. He won the first EWS overall championship in addition to many other races and events. We met up in Italy at Riva del Garda to talk about how cross country skiing got him into biking, his enjoyment riding with his young family, his long time partnership with Cannondale and much more!
No Ordinary Life Podcast - Episode 1: Eyes on the Prize with Magnus Manson
Words: Dharco
We launched a podcast. Yep, you read that right.
Why? What could a clothing company possibly tell you that you don’t know? Let alone what you want to hear? Well, it’s not a podcast about us. We're interviewing some pretty interesting people.
Just like an arena concert, the audience sees a next-level performance from a band. The light show is perfectly coordinated, the sound is perfect, and the band themselves are playing their parts with surgical precision and charisma. What the audience doesn’t see, is the unimaginable level of dedication, sacrifice, discipline and vision undertaken by the band to get to that arena show.
This is the exact same for pro athletes in the MTB world, as well as for industry professionals and other influential figures that grace our screens and absorb us into the world we know and love.
Pro athletes, influential figures and industry professionals aren’t just that. They’re people with decades of experiences behind them, and stories worth hearing.
Join us as we pull back the curtain on the lives of these personalities. Episode one features Canadian World Cup DH athlete, Magnus Manson. Along with the host of the show, Josh Muncke, Magnus lets us in, shining a little light into his world and how it was turned upside down recently.
Welcome to ‘No Ordinary Life’, a podcast by DHaRCO. Available now via all streaming platforms.
Downtime Podcast - Several Post-Race Chats with Eliot Jackson & Neko Mulally, Catching Up on Frameworks Racing, Sustainability, & Thibaut Daprela's 2021 Season
Words Chris Hall / Photo Nathan Hughes
The third round of the 2022 Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup took place this weekend in Leogang. The racing was insane, and I’m joined by Eliot Jackson and Neko Mulally to chat all about it. We’ll find out about the track, the conditions and discuss some of the incredible performances. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Eliot Jackson and Neko Mulally.
The second round of the 2022 Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup took place this weekend in Fort William. That means it’s time to sit down with Eliot Jackson and Neko Mulally to hear all about it. We chat about the support for UK riders, the crowd, the demands of the track, wind, rain and plenty more. I also chat to some of the winners. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Eliot Jackson and Neko Mulally.
The first round of the 2022 Mountain Bike World Cup took place in Lourdes this weekend and it was an incredible season opener. A wild track, great conditions and some seriously committed riding from the Worlds best. It’s time to dig into the detail and find out what went on. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Eliot Jackson and Neko Mulally.
Sustainability is a word that we hear often these days and for good reason, but how is mountain biking doing? The release of the first sustainability report by Trek last year really started to shine a light on the scale of the challenge that we face, so I thought it would be a good idea to sit down with an expert and find out more. Mike Bascombe is a mountain biker and a consultant who specialises in sustainability. We chat about what sustainability means and the benefits that it can bring to the sport, the brands and the individuals involved, as well as to the planet in general. We look at how the mountain bike industry is doing and focus on areas where both brands and us as individuals can work to make the biggest improvements. While this may be an uncomfortable topic in many ways, I think it’s super important that we start to tackle it. This is something that isn’t going to go away and we need to start making improvements and moving in a positive direction, together, as a whole sport. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Mike Bascombe.
It’s time to catch up with possibly the most exciting project in mountain biking. I’m joined by Neko and Logan Mulally from Frameworks Racing. As you probably know, Neko has developed his own bike to race this season and built his own team, including his brother Logan as his videographer. We sat down at Logan’s place in Tennessee to chat all things Frameworks. Find out what the response to the project has been like. Hear how testing of the high pivot bike has gone and what Neko’s planning to race in Lourdes. We chat about Neko’s finger injury, choosing a mechanic, putting the bike into production and much more. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Neko and Logan.
This week I’m joined by one of the most exciting riders on the planet, Thibaut Dapréla. Thibaut made the jump up from junior to elite look pretty easy and right from the start has been a serious podium threat. After getting off to a great start in the 2021 overall, Thibaut had an incredible rollercoaster ride through the season which involved nearly biting off the end of his tongue, and arriving on the final podium of the season on crutches, fresh from the hospital. We sat down last week to find out more about this talented young rider. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Thibaut Dapréla.
You can also listen by searching for ‘Downtime Podcast’ on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts, by asking Alexa, or over on our website www.downtimepodcast.com and you can follow us on Instagram @downtimepodcast
Making Up the Numbers - Danny Hart on Not Really Feeling It In Fort William, Dakotah Norton on Life on Intense Factory Racing, Loic Bruni on Mental Strength, & Dean Lucas on Mindset
The Making Up The Numbers Podcast is available on Spotify or any podcast app, or visit https://pod.co/making-up-the-numbers.
The Ride Companion - Sam Reynolds Talks Women Hitting the Huge Jumps at Darkfest & Future Plans, Sam Pilgrim Talks YouTube Fame & Career Progression
Olly Wilkins interviews Sam Reynolds about DarkFest 2022 in the back of a van on the way to Vanta Jam. During this episode Olly and Davi also talk about X-Games Japan, The Cycle Show, The World's best FPV drone shot, The Red Bull plane swap fail, a lunch n learn plus more...
The Sam Pilgrim story. Olly and Davi sit down with Sam Pilgrim to chat about growing up in a flat town, early riding memories and how he began competing/winning competitions at just 14 years of age. Sam also talks about why he went from Slopestyle world champion to content creator, dealing with YouTube fame, concussions, slope style progression, single-handedly changing other pro athletes contracts and the major event he has his eyes on competing at this year plus, much more!
All Ride Companion episodes are available on iTunes, Spotify, Soundcloud, Stitcher and Youtube. You can even shout at your smart home device and it'll do all the work for you. Don't forget to hit subscribe so you don't miss an episode.
The entire back catalogue can be found on our website and, don't forget to follow us on social media too, it's @theridecompanion & @odub_23 on everything.
More Ride Companion
Feeding Off Each Other - Peter Chao on Youtubing, Seabus Memes on Instagram Celebrityhood, Dan Gaud on Movies & Brandon Semenuk, & the Podcast Creators Themselves
Words: IFHT
Welcome to Feeding Off Each Other, the weekly podcast where we talk to interesting people in the hopes that some of their talent rubs off on us. Hosted by Matt Dennison, Jason Lucas, and David Wiggins from IFHT Films and Mahalo my Dude.
Skids & Giggles - MTB Lifestyle, BMX Athlete Development, Swiss Freeracer Domi Widmer, & Abigail Hogie
Words: Pascal Pensa
We sat down with Dave Spielmann to talk #allaboutmtb. By all accounts, Dave was living the dream of a professional fun haver. Working as a mountain bike guide for over a decade, he spent his time touring some of the best riding spots with guests, media projects and press camps. If he wasn’t riding, he was running a bike school and IMBA Switzerland, or providing expertise for industry bodies. However, like for many others, the Covid pandemic also brought to light some of the limitations of his business model and it all came to a head last year. Looking for a more balanced approach to his life, his own riding and his career, Dave has recently embarked on a new journey with Specialized and with the backing of the Big S, he is now directing his energy and passion for the sport towards furthering industry partnerships, events and infrastructure projects. We thank Dave for the open and honest conversation and look forward to finding out what he can achieve next!
We sat down with Jo Dovat to talk about all things BMX, bringing more kids into the sport and, all things going well, all the way to the Olympics. Jo is the current Swiss national BMX coach looking after the youth categories, managing around 40 riders between the age of 10 all the way up to the junior ranks. Naturally, he has a great perspective on talent development, progression and how to keep BMX racing fun, despite all the hard training. Of course, since the inclusion of BMX in the Olympics, the sport as well as the athletes have found themselves on the “big stage” a lot more and it was interesting to hear Jo’s take on the opportunities, challenges and the road ahead for the different disciplines. We wrap up the episode with Jo’s own long history with bikes, his view on pump tracks and our infamous close-out questions.
We sat down with Domi Widmer to talk about his love for bikes and his riding career, pandas and, of course, his new business, Bam Bike. After coming up on the traditional path of cross country racing, Domi was an early member of the Biroma Team, one of the very few slopestyle teams with the specific goal of providing young talents a platform to develop. Domi maintains a diverse bike habit in combining dirt jumping, trail riding and looking after Bikepark Rüti with racing downhill and enduro in the Masters categories. Most recently, Domi started Bam Bike and we talk quite a bit about his mobile work shop, his plans and what he wants to achieve with his own business. Unfortunately, Domi also had to deal with his fair share of injuries throughout the years and he talks us through his mindset and approach that has brought him back to riding bikes again.
We sat down with Abby Hogie to talk about her journey with bikes and the ups and downs of racing downhill world cups so far, about inspiration and women in the sport, about her pre-race play list as well as her stance on the controversial cats vs dogs issue. Together with Anna Newkirk, Abby forms the recently launched Beyond Racing team and we got to hear all about their plans on and off the track, their partners and how Eliot Jackson and the Grow Cycling Foundation helped in bringing their dream of a UCI MTB team alive. We are looking forward to following Abby and Anna in ’22 and are equally stoked that we are able to help share their story!
Skids & Giggles episodes are also available on all major podcast platforms and on YouTube.
Trail EAffect - Mark Hayes of Highland Bike Park
Mark Hayes - Founder / Owner of Highland Bike Park
Words: Josh Blum
For Episode 55 we have Mark Hayes, the owner and Founder of Highland Bike Park in Northfield NH. Mark decided to double down on lift accessed mountain biking when he opened Highland Bike Park 16 years ago (2022 will be season 17 for Highland Bike Park).
Mark goes into all aspects of bike parks, and how bike parks serve as an avenue to get new people into mountain biking. As you’ll learn in this episode Highland has grown into much more than a bike park. Take a listen for the insider knowledge that Mark shares on these topics and the business side of bike parks.
Trail EAffect is hosted through the Mountain Bike Radio Network via The Outdoor Route
This podcast can be found by searching "Mountain Bike Radio" on your favorite podcast player/app such as Apple Podcast, Spotify, ect...
The Drop In - Jamie Edmonson On His Breakout Season & Negotiating Pro Contracts
This week Duncan sits down with young Downhill MTB Racer Jamie Edmonson and chat about everything from Jamie's breakout season in 2020 all the way to the nitty gritty of pro contract negotiations.
Not A Straight Line to the Top - Dean Lucas Interviews Amaury Pierron
Words: Dean Lucas
When it comes to all out speed on a mountain bike who is the first person that comes to mind? Would it be Sam Hill? The man that could crash and still find himself on a World Cup and World Championship podium. Maybe it’s Aaron Gwin who seemed to do the impossible more than once by winning a World Cup without a chain and winning in horrendously wet conditions while the person in second (myself) came down in much more favorable conditions.
Even Danny Hart could have his name thrown in that hat, with him winning a World Championship by almost 12 seconds! He’s shown when he’s on he’s on.
I think five years ago, these would have been the clear choices for all out speed, but now I think there’s a new kid on the block that is hard to look past and has made a real claim to get his name firmly cemented alongside some of the best to ever have done it, his name is Amaury Pierron.
The young Frenchman first busted onto the sense back in 2013 where he started his World Cup campaign as a junior, he didn’t come out of the start blocks firing on all cylinders but instead slowly built into the season with a string of mid place results, he stayed consistent but didn’t set the world on fire like he does in the present day.
I really think this is a good example of, “just because you’re not winning now doesn’t mean you won’t be winning later, so don’t give up.”
Heading into the second year in juniors Amaury knew he had a good chance to be right at the pointy end of the field and that just what he was, securing his first junior World Cup podium at the first round in South Africa. Along with that, he was also was able to sand on top of the box at Leogang and take out his first World Cup win as a junior.
As Amaury entered the elite category, again, like in the junior field, he didn’t set the world alight, but instead dished out a solid tally of consistent results that saw him land himself on Commencal 100%.
From here, the consistency continued until he was able to have his break out ride at the end of 2017 where he saw himself come away with 2nd just behind one of the greatest of all time, Aaron Gwin in first. This got a few heads turning, including the Commencal factory team which decided to put Amaury on for the up coming 2018 season.
Going onto the first round in Croatia Amaury was setting himself up for success riding off the confidence from the past season and joining the top team, it all looked like it was going the right way. Amaury looked like he was on for a sure podium until an unfortunate flat tire deflated his goal of being back on the podium just before the finish, he was sitting 3rd up until that point.
I seemed like this would be the only real set back from the season though as after that race Amaury was able to show is all out speed and take out his first ever win at Fort William in 2018, after this he was able to string together another two wins and along with more podiums that saw him wrap up the overall with a race to go. An impressing feat for someone that started the season out with a flat tire.
Think it shows you, it doesn’t matter how you start, what matters is how you finish.
Moving the Needle - Clemens Kaudela on Pushing Limits in Freeride
Words: Andrew Neethling
Clemens Kaudela known as C dog is becoming one of the biggest names in freeride mountain biking. The humble Austrian started out as a DJ and slopestyle rider but has moved onto the big bike. He is one of the top riders at events like Darkfest and Audi Nines. These events push what is possible on a MTB. C dog is also one of the best MTB builders at the moment putting his name to trails and events like Darkfest.
Also available on Apple Podcasts / Spotify
Brett Tippie Podcast - Jerome Clementz on His Biking History, Working with Cannondale, & More
Words: Brett Tippie
Jerome Clementz is one of the greatest Enduro riders of all time. He won the first EWS overall championship in addition to many other races and events. We met up in Italy at Riva del Garda to talk about how cross country skiing got him into biking, his enjoyment riding with his young family, his long time partnership with Cannondale and much more!
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