Bike
MTB
Why nothing could stop Rachel Atherton from rocking The Old World
The five-time World Champion swapped racing between tape for being filmed on it in the Tillman Brother’s latest feature-length film, but it almost didn’t happen at all. Here, she reveals all.
Part of this story
Rachel Atherton is no stranger to being beamed into thousands of living rooms around the world. The 32-year-old has dominated women’s downhill mountain biking for more than a decade and she and her bike have been on Red Bull TV more than they’ve been off it in an elite career that's seen her win five World Championships, six World Cup overalls and 37 World Cup rounds.
Rachel filmed the first part of her segment during the 2019 pre-season
© Julian Mittelstädt
Despite all her success it’s still rare to see Atherton on our screens outside of a race weekend. Until now, that is.
The British rider is making her feature-length debut in The Old World, the first dedicated European bike movie that bridges the gap between mountain biking and BMX, and showcases some of Europe's heavyweights of biking in its most beautiful landscapes. Watch riders like Emil Johansson, Martin Söderström, Matthias Dandois, Szymon Godziek, Dawid Godziek and Nico Vink, and of course Atherton herself, showcase their incredible skills in stunning locations, from the urban to the wild.
Atherton’s segment showcases her race-winning riding against the backdrop of big mountain country in the north of Wales in the UK. See her in action by watching The Old World in full below:
1 h 9 min
The Old World
Traverse iconic European locations in a celebration of biking culture that unites MTB and BMX.
Related
We spoke to Atherton ahead of the premiere about her approach to filming, why she almost didn’t make it into the edit, and the rise of women’s freeride.
Congratulations on your segment in The Old World! How does it feel to swap racing for filming?
Rachel takes a break while the Tillman Brothers look for a new spot
© Julian Mittelstädt
I’ve done a few before – the New World Disorders back in the day and Clay Porter’s stuff – but maybe not one for a couple of years. It’s nice to do something that’s going to be a film rather than online content because that’s where the focus has been for the last few years.
It’s cool to be in a feature-length film. It’s what everyone grows up watching – you watch videos with your brothers or your friends in the evening and get stoked to go out riding. Having a video and a feature film that’s going to last a lifetime and stick around is pretty exciting. It makes you work a bit harder, because you know it’s going to be in a film rather than on Instagram.
How did you approach the filming? It must be very different from preparing for a race?
Yeah. It’s very hard as a racer. It’s difficult to do a part in a film and make time for it. As a racer, you’re so focused on training and the race season coming up. I really struggled to change my mindset. I first filmed for The Old World in April 2019, which was during pre-season. It was hard to change from gearing up for racing and training and just going fast, to looking good – it’s more about the whole film.
It’s a very different approach for a racer to do a film - it’s quite stressful, whereas the freeride guys who mainly focus on video content are more used to it. It’s definitely a different challenge to racing for sure.
There was more than a year – and an injury – between the two filming slots
© Julian Mittelstädt
When did you get round to filming the second part then?
It was kind of at the end of summer 2020, which wasn’t ideal. I had a big injury, which was why we didn’t film – I snapped my Achilles tendon and it took me pretty much a year to get back on the bike. After I’d been off the bike for a year, I couldn’t jump on and start filming – I needed to be riding for a couple of months first before I felt comfortable on the bike and ready to film again. It was definitely a challenge.
It was pretty nerve wracking and I wasn’t sure if I could ride it or if I was strong enough
This was the first thing I did [after recovering from my injury] where I was trying to go fast and ride like myself before the injury. It was pretty nerve wracking and I wasn’t sure if I could ride it or if I was strong enough. By the end of the filming, I felt more confident and more like my old self. Having that goal of filming actually gave me a kick and pushed me to get back to my old self.
How’s the achilles tendon now?
It’s been over a year now and I’m only just starting to feel confident on the bike and that I’m ready to push myself again. It is part of the sport. I just try to learn something from every injury – something that is going to help you move forward and then it’s not a waste.
It’s always really frustrating and you feel angry when you get hurt but if you can take something positive and become better from it then it’s not a waste of time. It is the way it is. This has been one of the hardest injuries to come back from for sure.
Atherton channelled her race-day energy during the filming
© Julian Mittelstädt
It must have been hard mentally to see the racing resume in the autumn and you not be there?
Yeah, it was strange. It was really weird watching, especially watching the World Champs unfold. I felt like that’s my kind of race, my speciality. I love racing and it’s what makes me excited and what makes me tick. I didn’t go because I’m not comfortable racing if I can’t win. I know myself and I have to try to win and push myself as hard as I can. If your body’s not ready for it, it’s stupid to do that.
It was a hard decision to miss them, but I knew I wouldn’t be happy just to be there and competing – I needed to go for the win
It was a hard decision to miss them, but I knew I wouldn’t be happy just to be there and competing – I needed to go for the win. It’s been a learning curve and I’ve learned a lot about myself mentally so hopefully it’ll work out for the good and my leg will be stronger for it.
Mountain biking is a traditionally male-dominated sport. Is that changing?
There are so many sick [women] riders. I’ve come from racing and I’m very focused on speed and like to go fast from A to B and I don’t really care about how I look or my style – I just go fast. Over the last few years, we’ve seen more women who are making a career from just riding and not racing. They’re freer to express themselves and learn tricks and be stylish without worrying if it’s fast or not. It’s definitely a different challenge.
Your segment features two different spots. Whereabouts are they?
North Wales was the backdrop for Atherton's segment
© Julian Mittelstädt
We filmed around North Wales where I live. We filmed the first half of it in the big mountains, in the wilderness, hiking up mountains like Cadair Idris. The second half was in the Dyfi Bike Park. It’s got some pretty epic freeride, all-mountain trails at the top of the hill that are really natural and fresh, and not like a bike park, so we filmed there. It’s a good mix, I think. It was just getting out into the hills and riding the little paths that you can find.
Matthias Dandois in Paris, August 2019, performing a Steamroller Barspin
© Julian Mittelstädt
Matthias Dandois macht einen One-Hand MC Circle im Gare du Nord, Paris
© Julian Mittelstädt
Downhill MTB pro Rachel Atherton films around Cadair Idris, Wales
© Julian Mittelstädt
Director Andi Tillmann films Martin Söderström in Stranda, Norway
© Julian Mittelstädt
I enjoy the challenge of filming and just pushing yourself – I’d definitely like to do more of it
Would you be keen to do more filming in the future?
I definitely enjoy it. In a way, it’s a lot more chilled than a race. You don’t have that time pressure. At a race, you have to perform on that day on that run, whereas filming, if you mess up you can go again.
It’s also harder in the way that you have to push yourself, and it’s just you motivating yourself to ride hard, whereas in a race it’s easy to find that motivation because you want to win. I enjoy the challenge of filming and just pushing yourself – I’d definitely like to do more of it.
Part of this story
