Words and Photography By Chris Mehlman
In 2022, Geoff Kabush, a legend of the off-road scene, published an article in Velo titled “Athlete or influencer? Can athletes just be athletes anymore?”
In response to the then-recently-announced Life Time Grand Prix, Kabush expressed his concern about the increasing importance of social media and online presence for professional racers instead of race results and the pure drive for competition.
While I agree that “the drive online for likes, subscribes, and popularity can be mentally unhealthy for many,” I also recognize as someone who works in marketing, that we, as athletes, are part of the marketing department. This does not necessarily mean tracking ROI exactly, as that cannot possibly capture the breadth of what an athlete can bring to a brand: brand awareness, community engagement, excitement for the sport, inspiration, and so much more. It does, however, require that athletes bring something to the brand that benefits their marketing efforts.
The question I have is: Is there a point at which race results alone are good enough, to benefit a company?
Honestly? My opinion is no. Results help, but being the best ambassador is far more about the human side.
Take Tadej Pogacar, for example. He is the best rider of this generation, and possibly the best rider ever. He could easily get away with just selling his sponsors’ products (or… country, I guess), with results, right? He could, but he would not have nearly the same fan base and might be relegated to being a somewhat disliked Team-Sky-era black box of mystery and boring interviews.
Pogacar is not an icon of the sport only because he is a fast cyclist, but because of his personality. While he may not have to engage on social media because he has a personal photographer and full media team, it is the content that these people produce that has helped to paint the image of Pogacar that fans have: likeable, energetic, funny, and just a kid. The reality is that Pogacar still does engage on social media, posting funny comments on other riders' images and acting, well… like a person in his mid-20s. Pogacar could just win races, but if we never saw his off-bike antics and personality, his aura would not be the same, and it would be harder to like him.
For any other WorldTour pro, results may be the priority, but they also have media teams handling the storytelling for them. If you want a great example of this, go check out EF Pro Cycling’s Race TV series on YouTube, Unibet Tietema Rockets’ unorthodox path to the top from YouTube “Influencers” to results-driven race team and their expert documentation of this, or any other team’s ever-expanding in-house media work. If results were all that counted, none of these teams would be investing in as much media as they do now. Some athletes, like Alison Jackson, have built their own following online via TikTok or other platforms.
The Gravel Side
Except for the very top riders, those in the gravel scene do not have the luxury of media teams. We need to think about how we can best share our story, inspire others, and be great ambassadors for our sponsors and our sport, where the Influencer vs. Athlete, debate is perhaps most prevalent.
First, athletes need to decide what they want to focus on in terms of storytelling. The good athletes don’t really need to think too much about what story to tell: it’s their own authentic story. Everyone’s story is unique and interesting. How you get that across is the most important. In the online space, so focus on podcasting, others on social media, others on YouTube, and yet others on Substack.
There is no “right” way to share your story, but the reality is that, in today’s connected world, the digital side is very, very important.
How I approach this
Ok. So how do I approach this? Well… I might have just said the digital side is essential, but for me, it’s just a way to extend the reach of my personal connections.
Relatability
My goal is to be relatable and inspire others to get out and ride their bikes in whatever form that may take. This means my posting is generally quite organic. I don’t have a calendar for social media, like I do for clients at my job. Instead, I usually think of stuff rather last minute, for better or worse. Some posts are more thought out, like if I have actual professional photos or a new product to announce, but if you look at my Instagram stories, you’ll get a sense that the theme is rather ad-hoc… it’s whatever I want to put up that day that captures how I am feeling.
This Substack is the same. I have a list of ideas I add to when I think of new ones, but generally, my posts are just ideas that pop up during a day and frantically get typed up in the evening. Would it be better to have a schedule? Maybe. However, the rather random nature of my blogs generally aligns with my mood, like a music playlist that spans years can track your emotions at a given time. You might add sadder songs in the winter or during a tough time, and then happier ones in the summer. My blog, while not as detailed a log, follows a similar pattern. Sometimes, it’s almost my journal. It helps me process my thoughts, my race performances, or any other stresses I may be under or topics I am thinking about. You’re just the unlucky ones who get to come along for the ride.
Accessibility
I am well aware that, even if it were possible for athletes to focus 100% on racing because they have media teams, I will never, ever be good enough to do that, and I don’t think I’d want to be that way, regardless of the ability to do so. Part of being relatable is being accessible, not closed off and laser-focused on results over people. I realize that some athletes like to play hard-to-get and don’t really care for chatting with other riders outside their friend group at races, but this really, really annoys me. I usually hate typically “adult” social situations, but if it’s about bikes or while riding bikes, I love chatting! It just saddens me when athletes give the cold shoulder to people in person or online. At the end of the day, you’re never too good to talk with someone or ride for a bit with another cyclist. We’ve all been there looking up to pros and wanting advice. For me, this used to be people like I race with on the US gravel scene. Now, it’s the top gravel guys and, if I get lucky, some European pros. There is always someone (or, more likely, many people) better than you or simply just someone with an engaging personality that you can look up to and aspire to be.
That is an “influencer.”
Be a Human
At the end of the day, the importance of the so-called “influencer” side of being an athlete cannot be denied, but where most people go wrong is assuming that this is entirely related to social media metrics. I agree with Kabush that “Online metrics only go so far and personal interaction and judgement go a much longer way to determining if athletes are a good marketing fit for a brand.” It’s about being a relatable human, not a fake influencer. An athlete’s personality is what sets them apart. They need to be able to connect with, inspire, and build trust with members of the public. An athlete could have 100,000 Instagram followers because of their skill but also be mean, cold, or otherwise unengaging to the general population. If that athlete is then trying to promote a product, their audience’s views on that product will be colored by the way that athlete acts.
I understand that as athletes, we are selfish. However, we must recognize that brands are not supporting our racing for the sake of racing and results. They are supporting us to be ambassadors for the brand and the sport, and racing is just one channel through which to do this.
Do you agree or disagree? I’m interested to hear what people have to say so feel free to DM me or leave a comment!
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