Rick Zabel: Joy over trophies

Mr Zabel, on the website of your open cycling community ROAAR, you describe yourself as a “jack-of-all-trades. Half ex-pro, half podcaster, half author, half human.” Could you explain exactly what you mean by that?

As a professional athlete, my daily routine was highly structured: eat, sleep, train, repeat – and, of course, competitions. These days, I can be a bit more creative in my work and do things I enjoy. What sets me apart is that I love tackling lots of different things – ideally all at the same time. I still enjoy cycling, but at the same time I found it interesting last year to write a book and launch the ‘Ulle & Rick’ podcast with Jan Ullrich, or to let my creativity run wild in front of the camera with my social media and media projects. I’m just really curious and love trying new things and juggling lots of different projects at work.

How important is your community to you?

My community is my top priority: I read the comments, take feedback seriously and have now developed a good sense of what people think is cool and what they don’t. The fact that I’m able to do all these things is ultimately down to people watching my videos – and for that I’m deeply grateful. Of course, it’s lovely to see that we’re clearly doing something right and that people enjoy watching our videos. That brings reach and the opportunity to carry out cool projects together with exciting partners. I always have my community in mind during every shoot: for example, when I’m showcasing a new bike from Canyon, I also want to give one away to my followers so that someone can experience that ‘new-bike feeling’ for themselves.

How often do you actually get on your bike since ending your professional career? And what kind of terrain do you enjoy the most?

On average, I currently manage to cycle about twice a week. I still enjoy it immensely and it’s become a passion again, because all the pressure has now gone – I no longer have to train for a set number of hours or intervals, or meet any training targets. I still mostly ride on the road, but every now and then I do some gravel riding, i.e. off-road. And when I’ve had enough, I just turn back or, at best, I’m already on my way home.

Which bike are you currently riding? Why that one?

I’m currently riding three bikes: the Grail, Canyon’s gravel bike; the Canyon Endurace CF SLX, which has only just been released – with a very comfortable geometry, yet still fast; and the Aeroad, Canyon’s more classic race bike. That basically covers the whole spectrum for me. I’m very lucky that Canyon is my bike partner and I get to test all these bikes. Otherwise, I’d probably be riding a road bike and a gravel bike.

How do you go from being a professional cyclist to a podcaster and influencer – was there one specific moment that changed everything, or was it more of a process?

It was definitely a process. At some point, I realised that life as a professional cyclist was a bit too monotonous for me in the long run. Even if you train for five or six hours every day, there’s still plenty of time for other things. In the process, I realised that I enjoy giving people a glimpse into my daily training and racing routine. I conducted my first interviews and commentated on races that I wasn’t riding in myself. The feedback was often positive because I was able to give people such an authentic insight into the sport. I saw that as a talent. At some point, I realised: if this goes down well, I’d like to develop it further. Doing it more and more eventually turned into a full-time job.

If you were to compare the Rick Zabel of the past with the Rick Zabel of today: what advice would today’s Rick Zabel give to his former self? And what would your former self shake his head at in disbelief?

My younger self was often very insecure and tended to just go with the flow. Today, I’m a man with both feet firmly on the ground, with a wonderful wife and three children, living a self-determined life. I stand up for myself and my values. At the same time, I have much greater self-confidence today and am better able to assess what I really want to do and what I don’t. In the past, I defined myself largely through professional sport and results. Looking back now, I would therefore advise my younger self: life consists of so much more than just sport, racing or results. What really matters is how you go through life as a person, what skills you develop and how you treat other people. Just have faith in yourself, just as you are, and then a lot of things will fall into place.

What have you learnt from cycling that still benefits you today?

No pain, no gain. In cycling, I’ve learnt above all discipline and willpower – in other words, consistently sticking to a training plan, planning the season properly and training properly. In competitive sport, you quickly realise that if you don’t get ill, sleep well, eat sensibly and train at the highest level, then you’ll get into the sort of shape that allows you to race successfully. It’s precisely this understanding that I’m taking with me into my second career today. If you set yourself a goal and are prepared to work hard for it, you can achieve a great deal.

In your YouTube series ‘Rick Needs a Job’, you tried out a wide variety of jobs last year. Which of these jobs would you do again in a heartbeat, and why? And which one would you never do under any circumstances?

For me, radio presenting was definitely number one. It was great fun and I think I’ve got a bit of a knack for it – especially when it comes to the transitions at the mixing desk. I just love talking, which is why I have a podcast too. That’s actually an area where I could see myself doing more. I also found tattooing exciting, as I have a few tattoos myself. And I generally just enjoy sports-related jobs. As I was only allowed to spend one day getting a taste of each job, every one was an adventure for me – such as the job as a sewer cleaner. But I couldn’t imagine doing that, nor any office job. I’m not cut out for that.

Not only are you producing an extremely entertaining podcast about cycling with Jan Ullrich, but you’re also going on a live tour at the end of the year. What can the audience expect?

I’m really looking forward to the tour with Ulle. We’ll be putting the whole programme together over the summer so we can put on a really good show for the audience. I think it’ll be a mix of exciting guests from the world of cycling and, overall, a cool experience for the audience. For me personally, it’s important that people get a good laugh, that it’s informative, and that, at the end of the day, everyone simply has a good time. Most of the people coming to the shows are probably big cycling fans themselves. Of course, we’re also looking forward to chatting with people, taking photos and getting to know our community in person.

What was the best piece of life advice you’ve ever been given?

I’ll quote my dad: ‘Cycling comes from cycling.’ What that means is: whatever you practise a lot every day, you’ll eventually become really good at. And I believe that’s precisely one of the most important skills of all – practise, practise, practise. No matter what it is: if you stick at it consistently, you can become really good at a great many things.

And what advice would you like to pass on to your three sons?

With my sons, I’d mainly like to set clear boundaries. I’m convinced that every person has a talent or a great passion within them. I’d be delighted if the boys could find their passion and turn it into something that shapes their lives. The only thing I’d like to give them is the courage to let things go when they realise they’re not enjoying them, and to keep searching until they find something they’re truly passionate about. At the same time, I also see it as my responsibility to show them lots of different things, particularly during their childhood and teenage years, and to give them the opportunity to try things out for themselves. There’s a fire burning inside every person for something, and it’s worth finding out what makes your own heart beat faster.

Last but not least: Do you actually have a favourite route? And which route should everyone definitely have cycled at least once?

My favourite route is in the Tramuntana Mountains, from Andratx to Port de Pollença on Mallorca. It’s a bit of a shame, though, that this tip is no longer a secret. Mallorca is extremely popular with cyclists and some of the routes are very crowded. That’s why I’m currently on the lookout for new hidden gems. I recently fulfilled a big dream of mine in Bolivia: I cycled across the world’s largest salt flat there. That was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience.