LATE Dunfermline cycle star Rab Wardell has been remembered posthumously with an accolade from the sport's governing body.
Last weekend, Scottish Cycling held its AGM and annual awards ceremony, where the mountain bike ace, who died in August, was one of two recipients of their 'Badge of Honour'.
Rab, who was 37, died after suffering a cardiac arrest at home just two days after he had won the elite men's title at the Scottish MTB XC (Cross-Country Mountain Bike Series) – his first senior Scottish MTB title.
His partner, Olympic and Commonwealth Games cycling champion Katie Archibald, with whom he lived in Glasgow, revealed in a heartbreaking social media post that she had tried to resuscitate Rab.
At the awards ceremony, Rab's mother, Gill; father, Jack; and brother, David; were on hand to collect the award on his behalf.
The Badge of Honour, which has been awarded since 1981, is Scottish Cycling's highest accolade, recognising "the contribution and achievement of individuals who have shown exceptional dedication, made a remarkable contribution or given an outstanding performance, through a lifetime dedicated to the sport of cycling in Scotland".
The organisation said that "after one of the longest standing ovations" they could remember, Jack provided an "emotional acceptance speech", which "recalled the impact Rab had, and continues to have, on our community", while it was noted on his nomination that "his legacy is already huge and has all the requirements for consideration for the honour".
They added: "Rab was a friend of many, no matter your discipline or role in our sport. 'Bikes are gid' he would say.
"An elite mountain biker who had just turned professional, Rab was a gifted cyclist no matter the bike he was riding, be that road, track, BMX or cyclocross.
"Rab was also a coach, a former Scottish Cycling member of staff, and an advisor to the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships. He was a son, a brother, a partner, a friend and an all-round good guy, who just loved cycling and everything it offered to so many people, from all walks of life.
"Mostly recently, his incredible long-distance challenges and social media presence promoted mountain biking and cycling in Scotland, his positivity infectious."
Rab, whose first cycling club was Sandy Wallace Cycles, in Inverkeithing, competed for Scotland at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, and ran his own cycling coaching business.
In 2020, he broke the record for cycling the iconic West Highland Way and, this year, turned professional in mountain bike racing.
Following his death, tributes poured in from the cycling community and beyond, with fellow Dunfermline cyclist Charline Jones, a women's team sprint silver-medalist at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, describing her close friend as "always laughing and just really happy", and "loved by so many people".
His funeral service took place at Dunfermline Crematorium, where Katie told mourners that Rab would always go out of his way to help friends and family, with Jack adding that "he made us laugh, he made us proud".
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