The Ride Companion

Red Bull Hardline 2025 is just around the corner and we're finally heading to Wales to be there in person and bring behind the scenes (back door?) content! In this episode, we run through the rider list, speculate on who's racing (and who might not be), and try to figure out whether Jackson Goldstone will show up or sit it out to protect the World Cup overall. We talk track changes, legendary mome...

What does it take to race almost every Enduro World Series round since 2013, survive a life threatening brain aneurysm and then keep racing? In this episode of The Ride Companion we sat down with Iago Garay to hear about his journey from early Mega Avalanche races to the modern EDR World Cup. We cover everything from how Enduro racing has evolved, the training demands, nutrition, memorising tracks...

What does it take to become the 2025 Enduro World Cup overall champion... without a factory team and without ever planning to go pro? In this episode, we sit down with Ella Conolly, the 2025 EDR World Cup overall winner, to hear about her incredible journey. Ella opens up about growing up in Inverness and leaving British Cycling's Olympic program, to discovering enduro (thanks to a knock on the do...

Massive thanks to YOU for helping us get to 200 episodes of The Ride Companion! In this episode Olly and Davi sit down in a Welsh mountain lodge for a general catch up and to answer your listener questions. In this episode Olly and Davi dive into the origins of the podcast, Olly's epic Bikepark Wales challenge, Travis Pastrana ghosting Davi, Robot Wars, Deaks' weird feet, bucket list guests, favou...

What does it really take to manage a World Cup downhill team in 2025? In this episode, Alan Milway, team manager of Norco Factory Racing and long-time performance coach joins Olly and Davi to unpack the chaos, structure, and behind-the-scenes secrets of running a top-tier MTB team. We dive into the logistics of back to back race weekends, what it's like managing huge personalities like Danny Hart...

Tom Fuller is the co-founder of Image Design Custom and, the man behind the paint on some of the most iconic helmets in two-wheel sports. From Red Bull Rampage and the UCI World Cup, to motocross legends and movie stars like Tom Cruise and Henry Cavill, his work has quietly shaped the visual identity of action sports for decades. In this episode, Tom joins us to share his journey from painting hel...

Kaos Seagrave joins Olly and Davi for one of the rawest and most inspiring episodes of The Ride Companion yet. From racing World Cups as a junior to flipping 90-foot jumps at Darkfest, Kaos opens up about the exact moment he walked away from downhill racing, the mental battles behind the scenes, and what it really takes to go full freeride.  He shares what it was like growing up alongside his sist...

In this honest and emotional clip from the Red Bull Just Ride podcast, Rob Warner shares why The Ride Companion was the place he chose to open up about his autism diagnosis for the first time. He reflects on the powerful moment he called Olly and said, "I need to do it, mate — I'm going to lay it all out there." That episode became a major turning point, not just for Rob, but for listeners who res...

DJ Zesty (Andy Lehmann) is in studio! Olly and Davi sit down with DJ Zesty to hear how a jump bike and a patch of woods in Swinley led him to building world class freeride courses in Queenstown. Andy shares his journey through the UK trails scene, competing in Dirt Wars, digging for Natural Selection, living out of a van, surviving medical trials to fund trips and now, signing to the DMR Pro Team...

Ben Smith is the co-founder of HipLok. Ben joins Olly & Davi in studio for a deep-dive into his journey from working at Troy Lee Designs in California to launching one of the most innovative bike security brands in the world. During the episode Ben opens up about how the idea for HipLok was born, the early struggles of building a brand from scratch, the reality of product development and manufactu...

This episode has serious old school TRC vibes! In this episode of The Ride Companion, Olly and Davi discuss everything you need to know heading into the 2025 downhill World Cup season. Including team moves, breakout picks, fantasy tips, and some insights from the inside. We also announce ourselves as the unofficial World Cup podium sponsor... we're Increasing World Cup Prize Money by 30% by giving...

Roger Vieira is in studio to share his incredible story! In this episode of The Ride Companion, Roger joins us in the studio to talk about his journey from growing up in Brazil to chasing the World Cup Downhill dream as a full on privateer. He opens up about the financial realities of racing, why his first ever World Cup at Fort William lead him to take a year off, and whether it's even possible t...

Sam Reynolds is back in studio for a full DarkFest 2025 debrief! Sam shares behind the scenes stories about building the biggest freeride course on the planet, like the massive new Quarterpipe and the mind blowing progression of riders from this years event. We also talk about why DarkFest is the ultimate mountain bike safe space, how it stays true to the roots of freeride, what it's like coming h...

On this episode of The Ride Companion, Davi talks about his recent Trans Pennine Trail adventure. He shares what it's really like riding across the UK, the accidental insane setup, the kit he took, and advice for anyone wanting to attempt the ride. The lads also chat about Katy Perry going to space, being featured by Red Bull, Olly riding the new BikePark Wales trail with Rob Warner, Tai Woffinden...

It's a full house in the new studio! Jono Jones and Ben Deakin join Olly and Davi after a long day of filming the new Melon Optics photochromic lens launch video. During the episode the lads talk about the hilarious days filming at Rogate Bike Park, Jono talks about racing the Red Bull Cero Abajo in Mexico, his boxing career, quitting banking to help build the Mavrix video game with brother Matt J...

We're back...and in a brand new studio! (building site) Olly and Davi sit down for a long overdue catch up. Olly shares stories from his Red Bull Cerro Abajo Guanajuato street race build trip, trail adventures in Madeira, and the shock of receiving a ridiculous water bill while he was away. The lads also chat about the new studio space, ancient pyramids, the Telepathy Tapes, Davi's holiday, saving...

Hang out with Davi live on YouTube to discuss downhill broadcast changes, AI, DarkFest and much more... - Get 15% off OneSkin with the code RIDECOMPANION at https://www.oneskin.co/ - Do you get hangry? Want an easy way to tick your daily nutritional needs? Support the show and get 15% OFF HUEL products with code 'RIDE' at huel.com/ Unlock a healthier, easier way to eat with Huel—nutritionally comp...

In this episode Olly sits down with John Fernandes, co-founder of Freeride Madeira. John takes us through the wild journey of turning a passion for trail building into a global MTB hotspot, hosting the Enduro World Series, Trans Madeira, and welcoming some of the biggest names in the sport. The lads discuss how Jacob Gibbins' iconic photos and Brendan Fairclough's first visit helped put Madeira on...

Tahnée Seagrave is on the podcast! In this episode of The Ride Companion, Tahnée Seagrave reflects on the highs and lows of her career, from five years of injuries and nearly stepping away from racing to rediscovering her love for the sport. She opens up about the mental challenges of recovery, the impact of concussions and burnout, and how self-talk and mindset shifts helped her return to the top...

Scott "Boom Boom" Beaumont is on the podcast! In this episode of The Ride Companion Olly and Davi sit down with the BMX, downhill, and 4X legend to take a deep dive into his wild 30 year career. From growing up in a motorsport racing family to pioneering 4X and fighting to keep it alive, Scott's got some unbelievable stories. We chat about why 4X got mysteriously dropped from the World Cup calenda...

Reece Wilson is in studio for a well overdue podcast! Former Downhill World Champion Reece Wilson joins the podcast for a deep dive into his career so far, from his switch from motocross to downhill to the highs and lows of racing at the elite level. We discuss his decision to leave a secure factory contract to build his own team, Aon Racing. Reece opens up becoming a part owner of GAMUX, the chal...

Ben Plenge is in studio for a hard hitting banger of a podcast! On this episode of The Ride Companion Ben Plenge opens up about his past in the British Army, sharing intense war stories from his time in Iraq and Afghanistan, including the Battle of Danny Boy, one of the most brutal British military engagements in recent history and the war crimes inquiry that followed years later. Beyond his milit...

EXCLUSIVE: Sam Reynolds drops into the studio to announce he's signed for Reece Wilson's AON Racing team! In this episode of The Ride Companion, we dive into why he made the move, his custom GAMUX bike with a Gates belt drive, Pinion gearbox, and Manitou Dorado forks, and whether it's ready to tackle DarkFest's massive jumps. Sam also talks about the state of freeride, industry struggles, and whet...

Tom Pinchard is a coach who helps people and businesses figure out what really matters, get clear on their goals, and create a solid plan to build the future they want. On this episode of The Ride Companion, Olly and Davi sit down with Tom to tackle some of life's biggest questions: Do we get more uncertain as we age? How can we figure out what we really want in life? Why are men struggling with i...

Olly and Davi are back in the studio for their first podcast of 2025! In this episode of The Ride Companion, Davi chats about his new bike sponsor, talks about losing his best mate, Jay the dog, and comes up with a new term: "Christmas guilt." Olly gives an update on his Sicilian flat project, talks about checking out UK Arenacross, and the lads introduce a fun new game called TRC Swap Shop. BIG t...