The Ride Companion
The mountain bike podcast that sometimes forgets to talk about mountain bikes... Hosted by Olly Wilkins and Davi Birks #theridecompanion
Episodes
What does it take to become a 4 time SuperEnduro world champion?
Billy Bolt makes his first ever appearance on The Ride Companion to chat with Olly Wilkins about his journey to becoming a 4 time SuperEnduro world champion. During the episode Billy opens up about his upbringing in Newcastle, injuries, Red Bull Tyne Ride, signing for Factory Husqvarna, races he wants to win, 2 stroke vs 4 stroke, vlogging, electric dirt bikes, train...
Rob Weaver has been a mountain bike journalist for over 18 years and has a deep expertise of bike testing and all things mountain bike tech. On this episode Rob talks about his path to working in the bike industry, what it takes to be an un-biased and thorough bike tester, milestones in bike design, the history of Mountain Biking UK and so much more....
This episode's sponsors & News
- We're about to drop new merch but you HAV...
Theo Erlangsen could be the most positive person in mountain biking and, with very good reason.
On this episode of The Ride Companion Theo Erlangsen joins Olly and Davi to talk about growing up in South Africa, discovering mountain biking and how DarkFest changed his entire career. Theo also talks about living in a van for most of the year, what it means to be a 'freeracer', the differences between Red Bull Hardline and World Cup ...
Martin and Anna Astley are two of the founders of Bikepark Wales. On this episode of The Ride Companion Martin and Anna break down the incredible story behind the bike park. The couple open up about the initial idea, finding a location, financing, trail building, implementing processes and culture, finding staff and much more... There's also some breaking news regarding the future of the park!
This episode's sponsors & News
The UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup Season kicks off this coming weekend in Fort William so, what better time to do some good ol' fashioned bench racing!
During this episode of The Ride Companion Olly Wilkins and Davi share their opinions on the biggest team changes and news, discuss wether Brendan Fairclough has retired, share their fantasy downhill picks and debate pre race practice ethics. Olly talks about his time buildin...
Mountain biking legend Nigel Page is in The Ride Companion studio for part two of the podcast! On this episode Nigel Page opens up about his career changing injury, working with Chris Kovarik, what it was really like to commentate on Freecaster with Rob Warner, how team budgets are handled, signing Sam Hill to the Nukeproof Chain Reaction Cycles team, explains why the team switched to enduro and opens up about the unfortunate end t...
Mountain biking legend Nigel Page is in studio for a two part epic! On the first of two episodes Nigel Page talks about the 80's BMX scene, discovering mountain biking, snapping mopeds, hilarious jobs, quitting jobs, the golden era of downhill, competing against Rob Warner, Steve Peat and Shaun Palmer, X-Games medals and so much more...
This episode's sponsors & News
Olly and Davi sit down to answer your BEST listener questions. An old school episode with topics like fear, Deathgrip 2, the impact of the growth of the podcast, Crankworx rider boycott and much more...
This episode's sponsors & News
- With all these pro rider insights you're going to want to recover like a pro too! Get 20% off with code ‘THERIDECOMPANION’ at https://www.compex.com/uk/
- - Every mountain biker needs ...
Olly returns from the Red Bull Guanajuato Cerro Abajo street race in Mexico a little tired, but ready to break down his trip with insights and stories. During the episode, the lads talk about what it takes to build the course, how he first got the street race jobs, course changes, discuss why the South American riders are so fast, will there ever be a UK version? Plus, there's a failed hot sauce game, listener questions, and loads ...
Our favourite moments from The Ride Companion podcast 2024 (so far). Featuring Rob Warner, Bernard Kerr, Jono Jones, Sam Reynolds, Preston Williams, Hans Rey and Joel Anderson.
This episode's sponsors & News
- Feel optimised, cover your nutritional bases and probably ride better with AG1. Get a FREE 1-year supply of Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs at https://drinkag1.com/RIDECOMPANION
- Peak Supps: We want to make supplement...
Alan Milway is arguably the most respected strength and conditioning coach in mountain biking.
On this episode of The Ride Companion Alan walks us through exactly how he works with the worlds most elite athletes like Greg Minnaar, Danny Hart, Gee Atherton, Charlie Hatton and how he asseses performance to ensure he gets the most out of all his athletes.
Alan also discusses the current state of downhill, the data he’s acquired on a...
On this episode of The Ride Companion Tom Isted talks about his journey from gymnastics to BMX park through to MTB slopestyle and big air. Tom breaks down what it takes to make the podium at a Crankworx event, what the judges really look for and why Emil Johansson is so hard to compete against. Tom also opens up about the 'best year of his life' in 2023, record breaking 120ft backflips, DarkFest 2024 insights and highlights plus lo...
Olly and Davi are joined by the legendary Chris Akrigg!
From his humble motorcycle trials beginnings to becoming a household name in mountain biking, during this episode Chris shares his journey of self-filming, honing his skills, and turning his passion into a profession.
Chris also opens up about why he stepped away from competitive riding, the Danny MacAskill effect on trials, riding brakeless, what happened to the watercycles ...
We sat down with mountain biking legend, Hans Rey!
In this episode of The Ride Companion, Hans dives into the unforgettable moments of his career, reminiscing about the iconic SWATCH ad campaign and reflecting on the pivotal German TV show that changed everything. We also delve into the golden era of 90s mountain biking, where Hans competed at the first ever X-Games, the Laguna Rads crew...
We've waited over 6 months to share this news!!
On this episode of The Ride Companion Olly and Davi sit down for an old school general catch up. During the episode the lads reflect on the Rob Warner episode, make an announcement, have some HEAVY bike chat, answer listener questions plus, much more...
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Preston Williams is a former British motocross champion turned downhill racer. On this episode Preston talks about his illustrious but strict motocross career and why he made the switch to racing downhill. Preston talks about winning his first ever National race, almost beating Jackson Goldstone and breaks down his first couple of years in the elite category.
Preston is currently living the full privateer life and we hope the compa...
Sam Reynolds is back in studio with Olly for a pre DarkFest chat! During the episode Sam talks about how much money it actually costs to host the event, his heavily contrasting life as a Dad and big air bike rider, his recently ankle injury, how he compiles the rider invite list, how to flip huge jumps and much more.
There's also a HUGE teaser at the end of the episode!
Follow all the DarkFest action on Sam's YouTube channel http...
Joel Anderson dropped by The Ride Companion studio to record his first-ever podcast! On this episode, Joel talks about building a riding scene in Triscombe, filming edits with Tommy C, and riding downhill bikes where most people wouldn't. Joel also opens up about his almost career-ending injury and what it's really like to ride huge jumps.
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Rob Warner is back on the podcast for the most open, honest and unfiltered conversation we've ever released. During the episode Rob talks about the struggles he faced after losing his job as the world cup commentator and what it was really like going back to the races. Rob also opens up about a topic he's wanted to share with the world for over six years and much much more...
Rather than write a long description we'll let this ep...
The lads are back in studio for their first podcast of 2024. During the episode Olly talks about his recent injury he sustained while shooting a video with Brendan Fairclough. The lads discuss dream guests, petrol station merch, skin suits, Anaheim 1, T-Pain's album and loads more...
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