The Ride Companion

In this episode of The Ride Companion, mountain bike legend Martyn Ashton joins us for one of our most honest, funny and important conversations yet. We talk about Martyn's latest project, Rideable Now and why he believes mountain bikers need to show up for mountain biking. During the episode Martyn gives the usual dose of self deprecation to powerful reflections on injury, identity and access. Ri...

Red Bull Hardline Tasmania is just days away. Let's go bench racing and make some fun predictions! Olly and Davi break down the full rider list including Jackson Goldstone, Asa Vermette, Bernard Kerr, Troy Brosnan, Sam Hill, Aaron Gwin, Roger Vieira, Gracey Hemstreet and more plus, who's missing, who's under the most pressure and, why Hardline might be changing. The lads also make Hardline Tasmani...

The first Ride Companion catch up of 2026… and we're straight back into it! We kick things off talking winter illnesses, whether 'man flu' is actually a thing, and why the placebo effect might be more powerful than people think, along with a few honest Christmas confessions (including why we're both useless at gifts). Lunch & Learn is back and we look at motorway lane rules what the rules actually...

Matt Jones and Jono Jones join The Ride Companion to break down MAVRIX ahead of console release on January 22nd. During this episode Matt and Jono give Davi and Olly a tour of the virtual world they've help create, the boys explain how it was built, what makes it feel so real and why it could bring a whole new wave of riders into mountain biking. Matt and Jono also share the future plans for the g...

Blake Samson (aka Zimblake) is back on The Ride Companion to talk about what happens after you take the leap. In this episode, Blake breaks down launching his new YouTube channel, building his first major project from scratch, why he's choosing the slow, proper route, and how trust, planning, and passion are shaping what comes next. We also dive into burnout, long-form content, attention spans, bu...

Jono Jones is back for the first Ride Companion episode of 2026 and, Matt Jones joins the chat too! On this episode Jono talks about his return to Saracen Bikes, his early World Cup years, racing as a junior, learning to manage pressure and why stepping away from results chasing has changed how he rides. Jono also shares insights on his role at MAVRIX, what he actually does, why he left banking to...

Companionship, THANK YOU you for an incredible year!  Join Olly and Davi as they look back at their personal favorite moments from The Ride Companion in 2025 plus, all the top moments as voted for by you.  Episode Sponsors:- - For a limited time, our listeners get 60% off FOR LIFE AND 2 Free Gifts at Mars Men when you use RIDE at https://mengotomars.com/ Get early access & ad-free episodes → https...

In this episode, I (Davi) reflect on the lessons I've learned this year through building the podcast and business, navigating burnout, deepening friendships, saying no more often, and learning when to slow down. I talk about why community doesn't have to be wide but it does have to be deep, why you can't outwork your nervous system, how guilt shows up when we rest and why giving yourself permissio...

HOLY what a year Companionship! Davi and Olly sit down to chat about the recent TRC Christmas Ride at BikePark Wales and how unreal it was. The lads also chat about Davi's new hobby, Travis Pastrana's RMZILLA video, Lando Norris becoming F1 champion, breaking into events, Wyn Masters responding to haters, a discussion about the importance of community plus much more... Thanks so much for your supp...

Roger Vieira is back on The Ride Companion and this time it's a completely different chapter! Roger Vieira & Pivot Factory Racing was one of the best stories to come out of the 2025 season. Last time Roger sat in the studio he was questioning whether a factory ride would ever happen, then just weeks later he found himself in Poland racing a brand new bike with barely any testing and suddenly livin...

This week's episode is a quick-fire catch up with Davi and Olly as they race the clock, talking winter riding, long johns, sauna chats, Facebook Marketplace rabbit holes and getting properly hyped for The Ride Companion Christmas Ride at BikePark Wales.  The Ride Companion Christmas Ride at BikePark Wales! Episode Sponsors:-  - For a limited time, our listeners get 60% off FOR LIFE AND 2 Free Gift...

Lando Steezy (Leo Smith) has one of the rawest and most inspiring stories we've ever had on The Ride Companion. From growing up homeless, losing family members, watching friends fall into crime and addiction and nearly going down the same path himself, to discovering BMX and eventually becoming one of the most recognisable and influential riders in UK mountain biking, his journey is unreal. In thi...

We're back for a long overdue catch up episode folks! We're back with a long overdue catch-up episode! Olly and Davi dive into the current state of the podcast, what the future might look like, and the chaos that's been happening behind the scenes. Olly breaks down his recent injury and how his foot photos somehow blew up on Instagram, while Davi reveals the wild rabbit hole of TikTok led Amazon p...

Tom Isted is back on The Ride Companion! Fresh from Red Bull Rampage 2025, Tom stops by the studio to break down every detail of his time in the Utah desert — from building his line and flipping flat drops, to navigating event politics and dealing with the fallout from Adolf Silva's crash. Tom shares how he manages risk, his honest take on judging, and what it really takes to earn respect at freer...

Rob Warner is back on The Ride Companion! In this episode, Rob joins Olly and Davi to talk about his first ever trip to Red Bull Rampage, what it was like to finally see the venue in person, the true scale you can't capture on TV and what it feels like watching riders hit massive freeride lines for the very first time. The lads also dig into the harsh realities of athletes pushing big-mountain fre...

The legend, Gee Atherton is on the podcast! In this episode Gee opens up like never before. From bottling fear and the brutal lessons of the Knife Edge crash, to the mindset shift that's carried him from World Cup Downhill racing into big mountain freeride projects. We get into the story of Atherton Bikes and why the family had to start their own brand, why having a World Cup race team was non-neg...

Trail boss Duncan Ferris is on the podcast! Duncan Ferris has lived two MTB lives: from 4X racer and World Cup track builder to shaping the UK's most ridden bike park trails at BikePark Wales. In this episode, Duncan takes us from the Bristol BSX scene, to building World Cup 4X tracks like Schladming, Vigo and Villingen and finally chasing down the National Champs jersey after 20 years. We dive de...

Phil Atwill is on The Ride Companion Podcast! In this episode, Phil joins Olly and Davi to talk about his incredible career (so far), from making riding fun at Aston Hill and earning his first pay cheque as a pro, to dealing with injuries, pressure, and the infamous 2017 hardtail World Cup protest run. He talks about his long-standing relationship with Propain Bikes and how it inspired the creatio...

Join Brendan Fairclough, Olly Wilkins and Davi Birks as they preview the Red Bull Rampage 2025 mens rider list.  You're not going crazy either, this is an excerpt from our recent episode with Brendan Fairclough. WIN a Troy Lee Designs D4 by playing fantasy Red Bull Rampage at theracecompanion.com for free! Get early access & ad-free episodes → https://www.patreon.com/theridecompanion You can also...

Adventure photographer Dan Milner has spent three decades turning a bike into a passport. From North Korea to Afghanistan, from camping among polar bears in Svalbard to being buried by a 10-day Alaskan blizzard, his career has been about chasing risk, chasing stories, and suffering for the photo. During this episode we get into the infamous 1994 MBUK self-timer 'selfie' that started it all, smuggl...

Swedish mountain bike royalty Anton Thelander is on the podcast! On this episode of The Ride Companion Anton talks about going from local skateparks and Sweden's MTB school to Red Bull Phenom, a 4th place at Joyride and a Rampage debut before suffering the effects of burnout. In this brutally honest conversation Anton opens up about Martin Söderström's mentorship, Canyon signing, that first Red Bu...

Brendan Fairclough is back in the studio to reveal his gnarliest build ever and give us an exclusive first look at his wildest project yet, a 9m treehouse to under ground tunnel build we've (temporarily) named MTB OBLIVION. We cover why Bren's sitting out Rampage this year, the mental game of competing in Utah, who he's tipping for the win (Godziek, TVS, Emil, Zink?), and the chaos of creating a v...

Loam hunting, superbikes, and downhill! This week Olly and Davi discuss why riders are obsessed with loam, World Superbike vs MTB, BMC's possibly secret XC dropper tech, Olly talks about his trip to Les Gets to discover a new hobby, Ronan Dunne's insane run and Theo Erlangsen winning the internet. We also talk Cerro Abajo in Italy, Billy Bolt's Red Bull Tyne Ride, the future of urban racing, answe...

Blake Samson (aka Zimblake) is on the podcast!! After nine years at GMBN, Blake opens up for the first time about what it was really like to be part of one of the world's biggest MTB YouTube channels. He takes us inside the "gold rush" early days, the reality of filming 365 videos a year, the sunshine shoots, idea sessions, thumbnail battles, and the relentless pace that nearly broke him. Blake al...

Flying solo this week companionship! During this episode I decided to talk about anxiety (amongst other things). I wanted to share how my anxiety presents it's self, where I think it comes from, why so many of us feel it and what's actually helped me manage it. I also take some time to answer some listener questions around MTB origins, riding with pros, running in a new bike, ebikes, Billy Bolt's...