Pro Mountain Biker Rab Wardell on Continuing to Chase the Dream

Singletracks Mountain Bike Podcast

Singletracks.com

Sports, Wilderness

4.7 • 574 Ratings

🗓️ 3 January 2022

⏱️ 65 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Rab Wardell is a mountain bike athlete and coach living in Glasgow, Scotland. He recently launched a new video series with Wahoo Fitness called Old Enough to Know Better.

In this episode, we ask Rab:

How did a big early race loss affect your outlook on your career as an athlete? What was it like to essentially retire in your early 20s? What did you decide to do instead?
What are some of the biggest mistakes that stand out as being the ones where you learned the most?
As an athlete, are there ways to learn beyond just personal experience?
What risks are involved in becoming a professional athlete?
What types of normal, everyday things have you decided to cut out of your life to focus on racing? How much of it feels like a sacrifice? Were there any times when friends or family members suggested you grow up and get a “real job”?
What competitive advantages do you have at your age?
Why is play important? Are there ways you’ve found to incorporate play into your training?
What do you hope to be doing on the bike at age 50, or even 70? At 36, are there things you still have left to learn and experience?

Watch the Old Enough to Know Better series on YouTube and connect with Rab on Instagram @rabwardell

This episode of the Singletracks podcast is sponsored by Explore Brevard.

Professional mountain biker Adam Craig says it’s one of the top three places in the universe he’s ever ridden. Where is this magical mountain biking nirvana? It’s none other than Brevard, North Carolina, home to Pisgah National Forest and DuPont Recreational Forest. The area boasts over 300 miles of peerless singletrack, not to mention hundreds of miles of gravel roads, creating a near endless array of routes, terrains, and challenges to explore. Four vibrant bike shops will get you sorted, whether you need gear, service, or a top notch rental. Top it off with an array of craft breweries, cafes and gathering spots that have earned Brevard the title as one of the best small towns in America in 2021. It all adds up to a premier mountain biking destination you’ll want to experience for yourself. Find out more at ExploreBrevard.com.

--Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, just leave on work now. Sorry, it's a bit loud.
0:03.4	Um, basically, so I was thinking we could get Macies tonight. Had a big Mac on my mind all day, and delivery fee on the app is now from 99P. So you win? Of course you are. Love you. Bye! Exclusively on the McDonald's app. 18 plus, service fee and small order fee may apply. Participating restaurants. Serving times and teas and seas apply. Professional mountain biker Adam Craig says it's one of the top three places in the universe he's ridden.
0:26.5	Where is this magical mountain biking nirvana?
0:29.4	It's none other than Brevard, North Carolina, home to Pisgah National Forest and DuPont Recreational Forest.
0:36.0	The area boasts over 300 miles of peerless single track,
0:39.9	not to mention hundreds of miles of gravel roads, creating a near endless array of routes,
0:44.4	terrains, and challenges to explore. Four vibrant bike shops will get you sorted, whether you need
0:50.2	gear, service, or a top-notch rental. Top it off with an array of craft breweries, cafes, and gathering spots that have earned
0:58.2	Brevard the title as one of the best small towns in America in 2021.
1:03.6	It all adds up to a premier mountain biking destination you'll want to experience for yourself.
1:08.7	Find out more at explorebrivard.com.
1:12.5	Hey everybody, welcome to the single tracks podcast. My name is Jeff, and today my guest is
1:18.0	Rav Wardell. Rab is a mountain bike athlete and coach living in Glasgow, Scotland, and he recently
1:25.3	launched a new video series with Wahoo Fitness called Old Enough to Know
1:29.2	Better. Thanks for joining us again, Rab. My pleasure. It's great to be back. Yeah, well,
1:34.9	the last time we spoke, I was looking and it was almost exactly a year ago. I think it was last
1:40.2	January that we spoke. So how have you been? How was 2021 for you? It's been a good year.
1:46.5	Yeah, I've really enjoyed it. I've been getting to ride my bike a lot. I've been able to travel
1:54.4	a little bit this year, which is, which was different. But no, I've just really been really been
1:59.2	enjoying it.
2:02.7	Yeah, that's great.
2:11.7	Well, your video series old enough to know better, which again, sponsored by Wahoo Fitness, explores the idea of dream chasing. And your story sort of begins back in 2006, so 15 years ago. Tell us what happened then. Yeah, that's quite,
	...

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