Show Notes
Rachel Atherton is one of the greatest downhill mountain bike racers of all time.
With 40 UCI Downhill World Cup victories, six overall titles, five elite World Championships and the only perfect World Cup season in history, Rachel achieved almost everything the sport could offer. In this deeply honest conversation with Davi and Olly, Rachel opens up about what happened when winning stopped defining her.
Recorded at Dyfi Bike Park in Wales, Rachel discusses motherhood, suffering a serious postpartum haemorrhage during the birth of her second daughter and the difficult recovery that followed. She explains why she felt torn between motherhood and racing after having her first child, her experience of postpartum depression and why winning her 40th World Cup at Lenzerheide left her feeling unexpectedly empty. Rachel also reveals why she eventually stepped away from racing, how injury changed her priorities and why discovering a new purpose has sometimes felt harder than winning a World Cup.
The conversation explores the loneliness and pressure of dominating downhill, how her relationship helped separate her identity from her results and the hidden workload that comes with being the fastest rider in the world.
This is Rachel Atherton beyond the race results. We hope you enjoy the episode.
Get early access & ad-free episodes → https://www.patreon.com/theridecompanion
This episodes sponsors: - It's ALMOST winter/night riding time! Check out the brand new Six Pack 15 handlebar light & Zenith 4 helmet light at https://www.exposurelights.com
- Get 15% off Invisiframe kits, decals & more with code REFRESHANDRIDE: https://www.invisiframe.co.uk
- Looking to book an RV or a camp site for an EPIC adventure? Check out our new friends at https://www.outdoorsy.com and enter code RIDE at checkout to remove all service fees!
You can also support our long term partners:
Marin Bikes → marinbikes.com/gb Focus Bikes → focus-bikes.com SRAM: sram.com/en/sram adidas FiveTen: adidas.co.uk/five_ten invisiFrame: 15% off with code REFRESHANDRIDE at invisiframe.co.uk Manta Sleep → 10% off with code theridecompanion tinyurl.com/theridecompanion HUEL → 15% off with code RIDE: huel.com/ Mudhugger → Get 10% off with code ridecompanion10 at themudhugger.co.uk Compex → 20% off with code THERIDECOMPANION: compex.com/uk/ Igloo → igloocoolers.com/ Kecks → https://kecks.co.uk use code THERIDECOMPANION for 10% off Feedback Sports: feedbacksports.com WORX → 15% off with code THERIDECOMPANION at https://uk.worx.com/aff/theridecompanion/ HKT Products → 10% off with code PODCAST at hktproducts.co.uk
Follow The Ride Companion Instagram @theridecompanion YouTube @TheRideCompanion
Olly Wilkins Instagram @odub_23 YouTube @owilkins23
YouTube clips and BTS channel @moreridecompanion Get official Ride Companion merch, find old episodes and more theridecompanion.co.uk
📝 Contact Us & Business: https://theridecompanion.co.uk/pages/contact Edited By: Doug Tucker, onlyflightdispatch.com & TRC Media House
More from The Ride Companion
Rémy Métailler joins Davi and Olly in Whistler to tell the story of how an unknown bike fan from France built one of the most successful careers in mountain biking.
What's really happening with adidas Bike and Five Ten? Senior Global Product Manager Luke Hontz joins Davi and Olly to explain the new adidas mountain bike shoe range, the arrival of the three stripes and the thinking behind Five Ten's next chapter.
The first ever Red Bull Rampage winner, Wade Simmons, joins Davi and Olly to talk Rampage history, judging and the future of freeride mountain biking.
Thomas Genon joins Olly and Davi in a Whistler hotel ahead of Red Bull Rampage 2026 for a deep dive into what it really takes to ride the biggest freeride mountain bike event in the world. Tommy G has spent more than a decade at the highest level of mountain biking, from winning Red Bull Joyride and becoming FMB World Champion to establishing himself as one of the most experienced riders in Red Bull Rampage history. In this episode, Tommy takes us inside his preparation for Rampage 2026, including training for enormous spin drops, choosing and building a line in Utah, dealing with fear and risk, the difficulty of judging Rampage and why the event looks completely different when you're standing on the mountain. Thomas also reveals how two time Rampage winner Brett Rheeder unexpectedly became part of his 2026 dig crew, reflects on finally reaching the Rampage podium in 2025 and explains what it was really like entering the event without a bike sponsor. The conversation also dives into Tommy's slopestyle career, winning Red Bull Joyride, the evolution of freeride, social media, sponsorship, his favourite Rampage runs and why he believes the perfect Rampage run needs to combine technical riding, creativity, tricks and big mountain freeride. We hope you enjoy this episode and sorry for the bad quality. Blame Davi. All the info and how to watch Red Bull Rampage 2026 here: https://www.redbull.com/int-en/events/red-bull-rampage
We're in Whistler courtesy of adidas bike. We sat down in a terrible podcast set-up to talk about our experience so far, riding the iconic trails, our track walk with Brendan Fairclough and Josh Hill and loads more!