No Ordinary Life, A Podcast By DHaRCO

Myriam Nicole is one of the greatest downhill mountain bike racers in the history of the sport. Since winning her first world cup in 2011, she has been consistently dominating the womens' field, winning 15 world cup races, 2 world championships, and over 80 podium appearances.Earlier this year, Myriam sustained a concussion, leaving her unable to compete this season. I sat down with Myriam and discussed what this year has been like for her. We also spoke about her observations regarding the way this race season has been handled since the takeover by Discovery from Red Bull, and a number of other things.

Isabeau Courdurier is one of the household names of mountain biking as we know it today. Winning all nine rounds to take home the 2019 EWS Championship title, and taking it back once again in 2022, it's safe to say that Isabeau knows a thing or two about what it takes to stay at the top spot.Isabeau is a crowd favourite, due to her infectiously positive energy and her authenticity. In this conversation, we dove into her upbringing, her transition from XC to Enduro racing, her experience as a woman in the male-dominated world of mountain biking, and much much more.Sensitive content note: we speak about body image and eating disorders in this conversation, so please keep this in mind as you move through the chat with us.This is a conversation with Isabeau Courdurier. Enjoy!

For this episode, we've done things a little differently. The Crankworx Innsbruck Mountain Bike Festival took place at the end of last month, and we a number of amazing riders showing off their talent there, in their finest DHaRCO gear of course. Two of these riders were Luke Parker & Tom Isted.Luke is an Australian slopestyle athlete who has been touring the northern hemisphere this summer competing in various FMB events, such as iXS Dirtmasters in Germany, Iron Town in Czech Republic and also, of course, Crankworx Innsbruck.For Tom, it almost feels like he needs no introduction after pulling off the world's biggest backflip recently (120ft for those of you who were not yet informed of the distance). Tom is one of the top slope riders in the world, with his best result being third place at Crankworx Rotorua earlier this year.I invited Tom to join myself and Luke at DHaRCO's cozy accommodation in Innsbruck to have a chat about everything Crankworx, and to dive a little more into what their career journeys have looked like. We discussed setbacks, navigating the very different worlds of BMX and Mountain Bike, and also what they've been most grateful for along the way.Also, this is DHaRCO's first-ever live podcast, so I'd like to thank Luke and Tom for being so easy to chat with and so approachable.

[Some strong language used during this episode]When someone develops a passion for mountain biking, their life inherently changes. The lifestyle associated with this sport is one that puts emphasis on community, mindset, experience and maybe a bit of escapism if we include getting away from the daily grind to do what we love.Joanna Yates is a mountain bike coach based in Sedona, Arizona, and her passion for the sport, as well as her approach to people within it, is exactly why people are flocking to her to not only improve themselves on the bike, but also within their own heads.In this conversation, we talk about how riding and improving our skills is connected to the way we move through life in general, building up our resilience, our self confidence, and our overall mental health.We talk about community, and what it means to be actively involved in your local group. We touch on gatekeeping and accessibility to the sport, and we also focus on womens experiences in the mountain biking world. Women are feeling more comfortable and included in the sport nowadays, but we have a long way to go still.

Alan Mandel might be best known for his incredible freeriding talent. However, as we go through this discussion, we learn that not only does he have an incredible amount of ambition in all of his exploits, but also a passion to match.Whether it be hitting insanely huge gaps, organising freeride events in South America, turning his trail building passion into a company and so much more, there is no question that there is a bright and blazing fire in his belly.Alan takes us through his journey through South America, including spending time with a Peruvian tribe in the jungle and effectively selling everything he had to make the trip there. He also gives us an insight into Todo o Nada, his freeride festival based in Chile where his goal is to bridge the gap between stardom and grassroots riders, whilst providing world-class oversized free ride lines. We also get a glimpse of what he does in his spare time, as well as what his goals and dreams are with his company, Trail Co.Go and follow Alan!https://www.instagram.com/alanmandel__/

This season, we’re starting off big. Our first conversation for 2023 is with none other than the man himself, Amaury Pierron.The French downhill racer has been at the apex of the sport for the past five years, securing himself as a formidable competitor amongst the world’s elite. On track, he’s steely eyed and focused on putting the best performance of the day down. Off-track, he’s also become well known, and well-loved, for his larger-than-life personality and undeniable charisma.We spoke about the future of the downhill world cup, his approach to preventing and recovering from injury, developing his racing mindset, and much more. This conversation was an incredibly natural one, so we’ve decided to leave it completely unedited.Bring on Season 2 of No Ordinary Life, a Podcast by DHaRCO.

Thibaut Ruffin is a veteran in the downhill world. He's been racing at the top level since the late 90's, and as a result he’s seen the sport evolve into the dynamic and global phenomenon that it has become.Over time his mission has moved from focusing on his own racing career, to managing race teams. Currently, he’s managing arguably the fastest downhill team in the world, the Commencal Muc-Off Downhill Team.Their domination over the last couple of years has been a spectacle to observe. The team seriously refuses to be anywhere other than on the top step.In this episode, Thibaut opens up about life as the manager of the team, as well as racing at the top level whilst carrying out this role. We learn about how he deals with not only his emotions and mindset throughout the season, but also the mindsets of the whole team and crew.

Few people in the mountain biking world are unfamiliar with the name Kyle Strait. The Californian athlete has spent nearly all of his life on two wheels, and has become a household name in the mountain bike scene. Whether it be due to his exploits, year after year at Rampage, his edits from New World Disorder, the more recent Strait Acres event set up by himself and Rachel Strait, or anything else on his CV, there’s no doubt that he’s made a huge impact on the sport.Sit down with Josh and Kyle as they dive into the early days of his career, the difficulties of navigating a professional lifestyle in your 20’s, life as both a pro rider and a father, and lots more. This is No Ordinary Life, a podcast by DHaRCO.

What does it take to go from 0 to 100, real quick? How easily can you adjust to the high intensity and fast pace around you? Better yet, can you adjust, and stand out as one of the best? It’s not an easy objective, but Pinkbike Racing has taken this idea and made it their mission. 2022 saw the establishment of Pinkbike Racing, a World Cup downhill team that’s all about bringing up young and emerging riders and giving them a real chance at making a mark on the scene, whilst being fully supported. Pinkbike Racing has undoubtedly been one of the most engaging and interesting things to happen in the gravity-riding scene this year. The video series, directed by Harry Jenkinson, and produced by Max Rendall and Glen Thomson, AKA Sleeper Co, has had people hooked completely. Viewers resonate with the personalities they see in the team, and that invisible barrier between mere mortal and elite world cup athlete, is broken down. The people’s champion Ben Cathro took the reins as team captain, and it was definitely no small task in addition to working with the film crew, working with Pinkbike, racing and making time for family. Aimi Kenyon, the team’s youngest rider, was thrust into the spotlight, being the main focus for the first and (arguably) the second episode. However, Aimi handled the transition from local Scottish racer to well known personality as well as a young rider could.Just before the World Championships, Ben and Aimi had time to sit down with Josh and explore the year so far. The struggles, the unexpected challenges, and the incredible experiences when living out a first World Cup Season in new ways and perspectives.This is No Ordinary Life, a Podcast by DHaRCO. Enjoy!

It's a wonderful thing, the mountain bike lifestyle. It's even better to build a professional life around it. What's that saying about never working a day in your life?Rachel Strait has built her professional career around the love she holds for mountain biking, and the community and lifestyle that revolves around it.In this podcast, we take a look back at where it all started for her, and how it's led to her being one of the biggest personalities in the mountain bike world. We learn the intricacies of balancing a career, parenthood, being actively involved in communities, social media, and having time for oneself. Sounds like a lot of plates to spin, right? Come and listen to how it all works for her.

To be ready for a World Cup race, it takes an insane amount of preparation. Fitness must be at peak levels, nutrition optimised, mental game stronger than ever. Sounds pretty tough, right? Now, imagine you're taking on that challenge, whilst also taking on the challenge of removing cancer from your body. To describe that as tough would be the understatement of the century.Magnus Manson is only 24 years old, but he has a wisdom and profound outlook on life well beyond his years. In this discussion, we learn more about his life as an athlete, how he's navigating this new challenge, and how he's using his situation to inspire and empower others.

This episode is special for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it’s the last episode of the year! With that, we wanted to thank you for taking the time to listen to this podcast. This podcast was created to give everyone more insight into the lives of some of the most interesting people in the bike world, and to see that we have people listening in and enjoying the shows means a whole lot.The second reason this podcast is special, is because of the guest. Caleb Holonko is a name you might have heard bouncing around the bike world this year. His latest edit ‘Lights Out’ sees him gapping the infamous rock lily gap in Canada and backflipping the world-renowned whistler train gap.He is more than just a stunt man, though. He is heavily involved in building trails, so much so that it’s taken him all the way to Red Bull Rampage as a builder. Social media is a tool for him, just like any other athlete nowadays, but it’s just that, a tool, and it’s easy to see that at any moment he’d be more than happy to swap that tool for a shovel.I hope you enjoy this episode of No Ordinary Life, a podcast by DHARCO. Caleb is someone who definitely deserves your attention.This is the final episode for 2022. It’s been a huge year for us, and once again, we’re stoked to keep seeing so many riders out there who are getting outside, making new friends, enjoying nature and making a positive impact on the world around them. If you’re doing all that while wearing leopard print pants or tie dye jerseys, then that’s a huge bonus for us.We’ll see you next time, and we hope you have a great holiday period.