Red Bull Media House launch their brand-new docuseries Race Tapes on Red Bull TV. Road, the first episode, focuses on two world champs road racer Tom Pidcock and MTB star Jolanda Neff, to prove that it really is possible to trade slicks for off-roaders, and vice versa, and still ride home with gold. Watch Race Tapes, S1 E1 here:
Roadie Tom Pidcock makes the leap from what he describes as the high performance, high stakes world of road racing to the “much friendlier and more relaxed” mountain biking scene. Since turning pro in 2021 Tom has won MTB gold in cross-country at the 2020 Summer Olympics, the 2022 Cyclo-cross World Championships and the classic Strade Bianche in 2023. Not bad for a 23-year-old Englishman with a Grand Tour stage win and podium at the 2021 Brabantse Pijl. And who said roadies are just lycra-wearing, latte drinkers.
Jolanda Neff, on the other hand, frequently trades in her mountain bike to do “a little road race here and there”. This is an understatement on her part when you discover that Jolanda races for the Trek-Segafredo road team, is two times Swiss National Champion and top ten in both the World Championships and 2021 Olympic Games in road cycling. A handsome tally for a multi-medal winning cyclo-cross and cross-country mountain biker.
Tom and Jolanda’s achievements are out of this world when you know how different these two disciplines are. From working as a team in the “cutthroat” environment of road racing to the family vibes of mountain biking and riding “as hard as you can” alone, the gap between was thought of as impassable. But both Jolanda and Tom have crossed over with their A-game in hand to each other’s disciplines and blown convention out of the water.
Tune in to Red Bull TV and enjoy Road, the first epic episode of Race Tapes, release ahead of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Season. Hear how Tom and Jolanda made bridge the discipline gap, as well as stories from other top riders, including Evie Richards, Nino Schurter, Aaron Gwin and Jackson Goldstone.
Race Tapes Episode Overview
- Ep 1) Road less travelled – 2020 Tokyo cross-country gold medallist Pidcock and three-time UCI MTB World Cup XCO champion Jolanda Neff show it is possible to excel in both road cycling and cross-country.
- Ep 2) Doing it yourself – What it costs to be an entrepreneur. Five-time UCI MTB World Cup downhill champion Gwin, Neko Mulally and Seth Alvo reveal what it takes to be a team owner, bike builder and YouTube star.
- Ep 3) Alt-Rock – Cross-country and endurance racing requires total dedication. Ten-time UCI MTB World Cup XCO champion Schurter, Laura Stigger, Payson McElveen and Haley Batten show us how it is done.
- Ep 4) The freeracers – Freeriding meets racing as British stars Kade Edwards and Kaos Seagrave balance the joys of both.
- Ep 5) Between the ears – Injuries, accidents and mental battles. Kiwi Brook Macdonald, Richards, 2018 XCO world champion Courtney and two-time downhill world champion Gee Atherton bring to light the price of racing.
- Ep 6) Parental advisory – Downhill star Höll and 2021 junior downhill world champion Jackson Goldstone experience the highs of Junior success and making the transition to the Elite UCI Mountain Bike World Cup circuit.