The Contour Podcast

Morgan and Hutch discuss their experiance racing the final round of the Scottish Enduro Series at the weekend. Listen in for details on the stages, how they coped with Sunday afternoons awful conditions, and how Christo managed to finish third in the overall without even racing the final. 

This week, Morgan is joined by Hutch and Christo to discuss what they've been up to since the EWS races in June. Tune in for the full scoop on Loudenvielle, Crans Montana, Hutches E bike world champs experiance, racing on the Isle of Man, and some brief Mexican food recomendations from the Bear. 

We're back for the second part of our Contour Book Club episode,  'Why I Hate Running And You Can Too' by Brendon Leonord. Morgan and Christo discuss there favourite insights from the second half of the book, inluding the primacy of consistency, and the point of passion...wherever it's found. 

Starting anything new is difficult and sticking with it is even harder. In this brilliant and simple book, Brendan Leonard tells us how to think about our new passions so that we enjoy them and stick with them. In the episode, Morgan and Christo discuss their favorite parts of the book, their own journeys getting into mountain biking and what they've found difficult about trying new sports. You can find the book here --> https://semi-rad.com/product/i-hate-running-and-you-can-too-signed-book-2/

This is our final race debrief for a little while and normal podcasting service will resume shortly. Chris, Christo and Morgybear chat about how the racing went, what it's like racing EWS and have a laugh along the way.

Morgybear catches up with Christo & Hutch after rounds 1 and 2 of the EWS to find out how they are getting on.

In this episode Morgan, Christo and Hutch chat about the first round the EWS this weekend, what the course is like and how they are feeling coming into it.

In this episode, Morgan and Christo discuss training practises and techniques that will help you get better at your riding your bike. 

Morgan, Christo and Hutch discuss what happened at round one of the all new Scottish Enduro Series in Fort William.

Morgan, Christo and Hutch chat about one of the most iconic racing venues in the world - Fort William. Sharing some of their favorite memories from this unique location, the three riders discuss what makes the Aonach Mor mountain side such a special racing venue and why they're looking forward to heading up there for the Scottish Enduro Series at the end of April. 

This week, Morgan and Christo discuss what they've learned from over a decade of training for mountain biking and (in Morgan's case) ultra running. Together, they share the many mistakes they've made and give some simple and practical advice for anyone thinking about starting an exercise program or looking to get fit for racing.  

This week, for a special International Women's Day episode, Morgan is joined by Mindful Routes owner, Jen Price. Jen talks about her experience of attending women only mountain bike events and discusses how positive an impact they have had on her journey in the sport.

In this episode, Morgan and Christo discuss that most fundamental question - ‘Why?'. Why do we risk our bodies and break our wallets to ride down mountains every weekend? What is it about this sport that attracts us to it and keeps us coming back for more? Tune in this week to hear about mountain biking's unique social qualities, what it is about the sport which induces that ‘flow' state we all crave, and how our motivations may fit on to Abraham Maslow's famous ‘hierarchy of needs'. 

In this episode, Morgan and Christo discuss riding confidence. Morgan shares his own journey in finding, losing, and then regaining confidence in the sport. They discuss what lessons they have learned from over 30 years combined experience of riding mountain bikes and how you can best apply these to your own riding.

This week Morgan sits down with former Downhill World Cup Champion, Manon Carpenter. Storm Arwen messed with our plans to go for a ride with Manon so she and Morgan sat down for a focused Zoom call instead. It was a really great chat - Manon discusses how she got into riding, her career, retirement, women in MTB and a very exciting project about British trips she's been working on with Tommy Wilkinson.

This week, Morgan is joined by Strength Factory race coach, Ben Plenge. Ben trains some of the UK's fastest racers and has been riding mountain bikes since his early teens. In the episode, Morgan delves into Ben's background - how he got into riding, what he liked about racing, his time in the army and what impact this had on him. They discuss Ben's philosophy to training, when to keep it fun, when to push hard, and much more!

This week, Morgan is joined by mountain bike guide and activist, Aneela Mckenna. Aneela runs GoWhere Scotland with her husband Andy, she is the founder of Mhor Diversity and co-founder of the FNY collective - two associations that aim to improve participation in mountain biking through various activities, rides, and events. She and Morgan discuss Aneela's background and how she got into riding, they discuss how racism has changed over the years, what's currently being done to make mountain biking a more diverse community, what else can be done.. and much more! This is an important topic and we hope this chat between Morgan and Aneela is a valuable addition to the conversation. We can all agree that more people riding bikes is a good thing. We want our sport to be enjoyed not just by the lucky few but by the many - regardless of where they're from or what they look like. We know that this is possible and people like Aneela are working tirelessly to make it a reality.

This week Morgan is joined by sport and exercise psychologist, Dr Chris Hartley. Chris's PHD looked at how sport and group culture influence athlete identity and help seeking behaviour. Many athletes struggle when their sporting careers end. They lose what has been a huge part of their identity and part of Chris's job today is helping these athletes transition back into normal life after careers spent obsessively focused on sporting goals. He and Morgan had a fascinating conversation covering many topics but all along one theme - the importance of balance and the danger of the ‘sacrifice everything for your dreams' culture and mentality.

This week Morgan goes for a ride with top EWS pro Charlie Murray. Charlie is an incredible bike rider who's had an unusual journey to the top of our sport. With his brother, he would ride around his parents house as a kid and this, he believes, formed the foundation of his bike handling skills. Never losing the sense of fun that is the reason we all ride in the first place, when Charlie went to university, he didn't feel compelled to ride for the four years he was there, choosing instead to spend his weekends skiing and hanging out with friends. We think Charlie is a fascinating example of how effective a balanced life can be, even in elite level sport.

This time Morgan chats with Matt Walker while on a very warm and sunny ride in Finale, Italy. Matt is one of the best enduro riders in the world, finishing 10th in this year's World Series. He's one of the few riders who competes in both the DH World Cup and the EWS and has had plenty of top results in both series. Despite his success, Matt has a philosophy for riding and racing that keeps fun as the top priority. In their conversation, Matt and Morgan discuss how Matt got into riding, where his success comes from, how he deals with injuries, and when you've got to be an idiot.

Season two of our Derailed series has begun! In episode 1, Morgan (@morgy_bear5 )and Joe Barnes (@top_chief ) go for a ride around a Dunkeld classic. A quiet and modest rider, Joe has had a big influence on the UK riding scene. As well as being one of the fastest and most successful racers to come out of Scotland, Joe was a key member in the Dudes of Hazzard - a group of friends who were some of the first mountain bikers to showcase a lifestyle of racing and riding where friendships and fun took centre stage. Today, with Hazzard Racing, Joe's videos have lost none of their charm.

Rapheala Richter came to everyone's attention in 2019 when she came second at the Les Orres EWS, beating almost all of the world's most seasoned professionals. Her and Morgan talk about how that result and her incredible 2019 season came together, some of her challenges with the  2019 season and the difficulties of balancing racing with her career as an optometrist. There's little doubt that Rapha is going to be a force in the women's field this year and Morgan had a great time chatting with her a few weeks ago. 

This week on the Derailed podcast, Morgan sits down to chat with Social Track co-founder, Dan Scott. Dan was instrumental in the development of the Wishaw pump track - a project that has had a profoundly positive impact on the local community. In this episode, Dan talks about how Social Track and the Wishaw pump track came about, what difference it has made to the area, the importance of community ownership in such a project as well as some of the challenges in obtaining funding for a non profit like social track and the salaries required to keep it alive.

This week, Morgan joins Scottish mountain bike legend and everyone's favorite World Cup analyser - Ben Cathro. He and Morgan take the e-bikes around some of Ben's local trails in Pitlochry, including a very slick DH track he built last year. Since this was Morgan's first time on an e-bike, he and Ben discuss their merits and how they might change the sport. A well as e-bike insights, Ben also shares his experience of trail building and the necessity of getting formal approval. Since Morgan and Ben are riding ebikes - they take two quick laps around these Pitlochry trails, riding the DH before taking in a lap of another Pitlochry classic.

In this episode of the Derailed Trail Series, Morgan goes for a ride with Lachlan Blair. Lachlan is a professional enduro mountain bike rider who's just signed with the Orange Bikes factory team. He and Morgan are good friends, they grew up racing together and in this episode, reminisce over some of their favourite stories from those early days. They also chat about the effect breaking his leg had on Lachlan's downhill career, how racing enduro compares to racing downhill and much else! All before Morgan tries to keep up with Lachlan down a maze of Innerleithen DH trails.

This week Morgan is joined by Scott Laughland. Scott is a long time friend of the Contour Collective and former DH World Cup and EWS racer who today describes himself as ‘a mountain bike athlete sharing stories'. Scott has carved a career for himself in producing and presenting content for social media. He and Morgan discuss how social media has changed mountain biking and why Scott believes it to be a force for good that's played a key role in the growth of mountain biking over the last ten years.

In this pilot episode of the Derailed trail series, Morgan goes for a ride up the Innerleithen downhill trails with Contour Collective co-founder, Chris Hutchens. Hutch has been coming to this classic British riding spot for almost 20 years. On the ride up, he shares some of his earliest memories of these trails as a young racer. As well as the trails themselves, he and Morgan discuss their preconceptions of e bikes, what it means that so many more people are enjoying the outdoors and what have been some of the biggest changes in mountain biking since Hutch first started all those years ago in the late 90s. When they're finished chatting, Morgan chases Hutch down an exceptionally wet, Innerleithen classic.  You'll find this conversation is best watched on our YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opJ8QNYcsvI

This week Morgan is joined by Alyssa Podesta. Alyssa is a Liv Cycling ambassador who has an infectious enthusiasm for the sport and an open, honest and fun personality. She and Morgan discuss how an ex boyfriend got her into the sport, why she believes this to be such a cliche for women in mountain biking and how some sexist attitudes still persist in what is otherwise a very welcoming community. They talk about some of the differences between surfing (a sport Alyssa competed in from an early age) and mountain biking, how female brands like Liv Cycles can encourage more women into the sport, what her plans are for the future and much else! 

In this special edition of the Derailed podcast, Morgan sits down with six women from the UK mountain bike community to discuss what we all love about this sport, why it is still largely dominated by males, how things have changed and what can be done to encourage more women into the wonderful sport of mountain biking. Morgan will be talking to: Aneela McKenna - a guide and co-owner of GoWhere Scotland Anna Riddell - coach and owner of Ride Out and co-founder of FNY collective Jules MacLean--a World Cup suspension technician for Fox Mikayla Parton--World Cup downhill rider Katy Winton--an EWS rider Jen Price - a mountain-bike enthusiast, friend of the Contour Collective, and our co-host for this special edition.  

This week Morgan sat down with Irish Enduro World Series Rider Greg Callaghan. Today, Greg is one of the world's top enduro racers but his journey to the top came with no guarantee. Morgan chats with Greg about the sacrifices that privateer athletes need to make to have a chance of getting on a pro team and the cost of these sacrifices. He also chats with Greg about his remarkable EWS win at home in Ireland, how he got into riding, what it's like to wear a Red Bull helmet and much more! ------------ The Contour Collective Partners: Giant Bikes - https://www.giant-bicycles.com/gb Funn - https://www.funnmtb.com/ Granite Design - https://www.granite-design.com/ Cushcore - https://www.cushcore.com/ Bike Yoke - https://www.bikeyoke.de/en/ Mudhugger - https://www.themudhugger.co.uk/ Juicelubes - https://juicelubes.com/ WTB - https://www.wtb.com/ IXS - https://ixs.com/en/bike/ Lizardskin - https://www.lizardskins.com/ Subscribe and be part of the collective for more content to help your mountain biking journey. Website - https://www.thecontourcollective.com/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thecontourcollective/ All media was filmed following the current COVID guidelines and in line with advice from the Association of Photographers. About The Contour Collective: The Contour Collective aims to make mountain biking more accessible through our videos, stories and racing. We want to get more people outside, exploring and finding new places in the UK and abroad to ride. We want to help you through your mountain bike journey giving you ideas and the knowhow to progress as a rider and adventurer.

This week Morgan chats with Dan Wolfe. Dan has been riding and racing for years, and has been through many ups and downs along the way. Morgan and Dan chat about how he has moved towards creating something sustainable and something he enjoys whilst still being a professional mountain biker loving what he does.   If you want to know more about Dan then you can give her a follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebigbad_wolfe/   The Contour Collective Social - https://www.instagram.com/thecontourcollective/   Outro Footage Credit: Thomas Hogben

Mikayla Parton is a downhill mountain biker from Fort William Scotland who well and truly burst onto the scene in 2020 with a 5th place at the UCI Downhill World Championships. After starting mountain biking at 18, Morgan discusses with Mikayla the challenges of starting late and how she felt about coming 5th at the World Championships. If you want to know more about Isla then you can give her a follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikaylaparton/ The Contour Collective Social - https://www.instagram.com/thecontourcollective/ Intro Footage   Credit: Dudes of Hazzard Outro Footage Credit: Thomas Hogben

Isla Short is a professional Cross Country mountain biker from Scotland and has been working hard of many years to reach the top and in 2020 her hard work paid off with a 5th place at the World Championship. In this podcast, Isla discusses with Morgan many of the issues that have been on her mind over the last few years including eating disorders in athletes, female athlete development and representation and the diversity (or rather, lack of it) of the sport of mountain biking. If you want to know more about Isla then you can give her a follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isla_short/ The Contour Collective Social - https://www.instagram.com/thecontourcollective/

In this week's DeRailed Podcast we delve deep into a number of topics with Pinkbike's Privateer and the tallest man in Scottish downhill Ben Cathro. He almost single handedly band skin suits from UCI downhill (in part with The Contour Collective's Chris Hutchens) , he's raced at the top end of World Cup downhill, ran his own coaching company for years and has supported home grown talent reach a World Cup podium.  Ben's been involved in the world of mountain biking for decades and knows the industry inside out. We were really interested in finding out more about his background, why he rides, how life has changed in recent years as well as the 2020 racing season. We also hear a bit about his plans for 2021 and beyond. We're super excited to see what content Ben puts out this year.  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecontourcollective Sign up to newsletter: https://www.thecontourcollective.com

After launching the Derailed Podcast last week Morgy Bear is back for Episode 2. The podcast is here to give you an insight into why professional and everyday riders alike ride their bikes and help break down some of the barriers to getting into mountain biking or progressing as a mountain biker.  This week we speak to The Contour Collectives Christo Gallagher and look into why he rides and how that led him to starting the Contour Collective. We hope you enjoy this episode and will be looking beyond the founders in future episodes, so keep your eyes peeled.

We are excited to announce we have now launched the Derailed Podcast. The podcast is here to give you an insight into why professional and everyday riders alike ride their bikes.   We thought it would be appropriate to start the podcast with Contour Collective founder, Chris Hutchens, and look into why he rides and how that led him to starting the Contour Collective.