Going Pro Ain’t Easy – Rab Wardell

August 2, 2022

Rab Wardell is a talented multi-discipline mountain biker who came up through the ranks of cross country racing to reach World Cup level. Along the way, there have been numerous ups and downs with overtraining and bouts of depression, that have led Rab to question himself and to step away from racing. We sat down for a chat at the Tweed Valley EWS where Rab was racing the insanely tough ebike event. Rab’s open and honest approach, to what has been a challenging career so far, was refreshing and shows just how hard it can be to make it in our sport. It also shows that you can come back from low points in your life and Rab offers some insight into how he did that. Rab also share’s some wisdom on over-training and how to fuel events that I hope you’ll find really useful. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Rab Wardell.

You can check out Rab’s ‘Old Enough to Know Better’ video series on Wahoo’s YouTube channel here, and the latest episode is here.

You can watch Rab’s West Highland Way film here.

If you want to follow Rab on Instagram, you’ll find him @rabwardell.

Supporting Partners

Wahoo

A market leader in Road cycling, Wahoo are relatively new to the mountain bike world, but are serious about getting involved. They are already supporting top athletes like Tahnee Seagrave, Danny Hart, Wyn Masters, Brendan Fairclough, and Loic Bruni, along with many others too.

Wahoo were kind enough to support my training for the EWS100 and since November last year I’ve been using Wahoo’s products and found them intuitive, robust and a great addition to my training. Their GPS watch the ELEMNT RIVAL, their GPS computer the ELEMNT BOLT, and a Wahoo KICKR smart trainer were my choices, all combined with the super comfy TICKR heart rate strap. You can also check out their online one stop training and virtual racing platform, Wahoo X.

You can check out all that Wahoo have to offer over at wahoofitness.com.

Podcast Stuff

Downtime EP

Downtime EP issue 2 is now available at downtimepodcast.com/ep. EP takes inspiration from the guests and topics of the podcast. It expands on them, and takes them into a stunning print-only format. EP is the perfect companion for some quiet time away from the distractions of modern life. Beautiful to have and hold, and a timeless piece of mountain bike history.

Just head over to downtimepodcast.com/ep to save yourself £5 off of the cover price with an annual subscription for just £20 plus postage or you can purchase EP1, or EP2 on their own too.

Merch

If you want to support the podcast, and represent, then my webstore is the place to head. All products are 100% organic, shipped without plastics, and made with a supply chain that’s using renewable energy. So check it out now over at downtimepodcast.com/shop.

Follow Us

Give us a follow on Instagram @downtimepodcast or Facebook @downtimepodcast to keep up to date and chat in the comments.

For everything video, including riding videos, bike checks and more, subscribe over at youtube.com/downtimemountainbikepodcast.

Are you enjoying the podcast? If so, then don’t forget to subscribe. Each episode will get delivered to your device as soon as it’s available and it’s totally free. You’ll find all the links you need at downtimepodcast.com/subscribe. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google and most of the podcast apps out there. While you’re there, why not join our newsletter to get our Weekend Warm-Up email every Friday. Full of interesting bike-related stuff, competitions, product recommendations and more.

Our back catalogue of amazing episodes is available at downtimepodcast.com/episodes

Photo – Tommy Wilkinson