Anna Newkirk and Abby Hogie on Beyond Racing, the Contra DH Bike, & More

Beyond Racing started as a pipedream of Anna Newkirk and Abby Hogie: wouldn’t it be cool to have a World Cup race team that you run and race for with your best friend? Few people have the skills or determination to make it happen, though, and the story of what Anna and Abby — with the help of none other than Eliot Jackson — have pulled off is a great one. So we sat down with the two of them to hear all about the founding of Beyond Racing; why they chose to go that route rather than getting on established teams; moving to Contra Bikes for 2023 and the wild tale of how that came about; and a whole lot more.TOPICS & TIMES:Crankworx Innsbruck prep (2:18)Starting Beyond Racing (2:52)Naming the team (9:49)Launching a World Cup race team (16:35)The Beyond Racing support structure (20:17)Coaching (25:07)Moving to Contra bikes (28:14)Prototyping the Contra DH bike (35:28)The 2023 season so far (48:19)Anna and Abby’s goals for 2023 and beyond (57:09)RELATED LINKS:BLISTER+ MembershipBLISTER+ Real World TestimonialsBlister LabsThis Week’s Gear GiveawayBlister Mountain Bike Buyer’s GuideOUR OTHER PODCASTSOff The CouchGEAR:30Blister PodcastCRAFTEDHappy Hour Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.