Can Small Teams Still Compete in World Cup Downhill?

Downtime - The Mountain Bike Podcast

Downtime MTB

Sports, Leisure, Fitness, Health & Fitness, Hobbies, Wilderness

4.9 • 628 Ratings

🗓️ 11 November 2025

⏱️ 60 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

There’s been a lot of discussion around wether or not it’s getting harder for the smaller teams to survive in World Cup downhill. This week I’m joined by Team High Country’s Chris Higgs to find out how they are making it work.

Chris has poured everything into creating opportunities for the next generation of downhill racers. We chat about what it really costs to compete at the highest level, how he and his wife self-fund the team, the challenges of working with sponsors, and what it takes to look and act like a professional team on a privateer budget.

Chris also shares his vision for the future, becoming a World Series Team, supporting both juniors and elites, and why he believes keeping junior categories in the World Cup is essential for the health of the sport.

If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to build a downhill racing team from the ground up, or you just love hearing stories from people who genuinely live and breathe mountain biking, then this episode is one you won’t want to miss.So sit back, hit play, and enjoy this episode with Team High Country’s Chris Higgs.

You can also watch this episode on YouTube here.

You can follow Team High Country on Instagram @team_high_country_mtb and support them via their website here.

Podcast Stuff

Episode Sponsors

WTB

WTB‘s biomechanics expert joined me recently on the podcast. If you’ve ever struggled to find the right saddle for you, then check out that episode here. If you’d like to check out WTB’s full range of saddles and other products, you can find them over at wtb.com.

Canyon

Canyon recently launched the Neuron:ON CLLCTV and it’s a whole lot of fun to ride. With a gravity ready spec and the latest Bosch motor, this is an insanely good bike for £5149. Check it out over at canyon.com.

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Photo – Monica Gasbichler

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	So it's all self-funded through myself and Patricia at the moment, which, you know, our kids probably won't end up with any inheritance.
0:09.1	But.
0:13.2	Hey, everyone.
0:14.2	I'm Chris Hall and this is the downtime podcast, the podcast for the true fans of gravity mountain biking,
0:19.6	taking you deeper into the sport than anywhere else.
0:22.4	This episode is sponsored by WTB and Canyon.
0:25.4	Over the last few weeks, I've been lucky enough to spend some time riding the Canyon Neuronon Collective.
0:30.3	Canyon engineers have taken the neuron on and turned everything up a notch to make it an awesome gravity-ready e-bike.
0:36.2	For just £5,149, you get the latest Bosch motor with a removable 800 watt-out battery, kit it out with a 160-mill rock-shock Zeb Ultimate Fork, add-ins-Srammavam Maven brakes and their new Eagle 90 transmission, along with Schwabby's Magic Mary radial tyres, and you've got a bike that's ready to hit the trails hard. I also don't think I've
0:54.7	seen a better e-bikes back at that price. Riding the Noron Collective is a whole heap of fun. As with all of the canyons I've ridden, it's really easy to get to grips with and you're quickly hitting trails at full speed. As e-bikes go, it feels playful and maneuverable, but that Zebfork and Maven breaks, inspire confidence to hit things faster and faster each run. Then you've got that
1:14.1	insanely good. playful and maneuverable, but that Zebfork and Maven brakes inspire confidence to hit things
1:11.2	faster and faster each run. Then you've got that insanely good Bosch motor to get you back to the
1:16.7	top ready to go again. The Neuron Collective is available now in all sizes from Canyon.com. A couple of
1:23.3	weeks back, we sat down with WTB's biomechanics guru and saddle expert Sean Masson and learned a lot about how to find the right saddle. If you've ever struggled with numbness or just can't get comfortable with your saddle, then it is well worth a listen. I've been using WTP saddles for around seven years and finding the right saddle for me was a real game changer. These days, I mostly ride the Silverado and find it really comfortable, especially in its newer form with a shorter nose. Lately, I've also been using their rocket e-bike saddle on my valour, and after chatting with Sean, I fully understand why an e-bike really does require a different saddle to suit that style of riding. So if you're in the market for a new saddle or just want to ride in a bit more comfort, check out the full WTPRange over at wtb.com. All right, just a couple more quick things before we get stuck
2:06.2	into this week's episode. Make sure you never miss an episode by following the show. Hit that button in
2:10.8	your podcast app now or find dedicated buttons for all the major platforms at downtimepodcast.com
2:16.2	You can also keep up to date
2:18.3	with what's going on by following us on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok where we're at
2:21.6	Downtown Podcast. If you're hungry for more downtime, then you can join the newsletter at
2:25.8	downtimepodcast.com forward slash newsletter. That and all the links I've mentioned will be in the
2:30.8	show notes for this episode on the website, downtime podcast.com.
2:34.8	All right, there's been a lot of discussion recently around whether or not it's getting
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