Cyclist Rab Wardell, 37, dies days after winning championship race

Scottish cyclist Rab Wardell, 37, died suddenly after suffering cardiac arrest on Tuesday, his partner announced.

Wardell went into cardiac arrest Tuesday morning as the couple lay in bed, said Katie Archibald, an Olympic medalist in track cycling. social media Wednesday.

“I tried and tried, and paramedics arrived within minutes, but his heart stopped and they couldn’t get him back,” she wrote. “Mine stopped with that. I love him so much and need him here with me. I need him here so badly, but he’s gone. I cannot describe this pain.

Scottish Cycling has confirmed the death.

“We have very little information at this time, but we send our love and support to his family, friends and all those in the cycling community who knew him,” the organization said in a statement.

Wardell won a national mountain bike race, the Scottish XC Mountain Bike Championships, on Sunday despite suffering three punctures in the elite men’s competition, according to Scottish Cycling, the sport’s governing body in the country.

“Rab was a brilliant rider, friend and ambassador for our sport, and he will be greatly missed by many,” said British Cycling. said on Twitter.

Wardell, who was born and raised in Dunfermline, started cycling and mountain biking as a sport when he was 15, according to his online biography. “If it has two wheels and handlebars, I’ll probably like it,” he wrote.

Scottish cyclist Chris Hoy, a seven-time Olympic medalist for Great Britain, called Wardell “A nice, talented, funny guy you’ll never hear a bad word about.”