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Special Feature – Part 1/3, Here we open a three-part feature on a topic that now spans the entire cycling world: the role of influencers. Modern heroes, adventure storytellers, impromptu coaches, trendsetters, educators, sometimes prescribers… but also commercial relays, marketing showcases, actors in a booming economy. The phenomenon is massive. It is positive. It is ambiguous. It deserves our attention. In this first part, we offer you the beginning of a reflection: are influencers a driving force for the community… or already the first stage of a huge economic carousel?
By Jeff Tatard – Photo: @jefftatard
The Driving Role: Inspiration, Community, Sharing
Let’s start with the good side…
A good cycling influencer is someone who makes you look at your bike with fresh eyes on Sunday morning. The one who, just by launching their latest video “My chill ride of the day“, makes you want to recharge your Wahoo, put some more Squirt on the chain, and go out, despite the fact that your alarm rang at 4:45 AM (yes, you there… I see you).
It’s the one who reminds you, between two stabilized shots with a DJI Action 4 (you don’t know what we’re talking about? You know that small, very compact action camera designed to capture adventures à la Steven Lehyaric…), in short, that no matter the speed, it’s the pleasure that counts. The one who offers you “secret” routes, except we all know them because they pass through the brand new coffee bike shop in the commercial area, the one where an avocado latte costs more than a Continental GP5000 tire… but where everyone stops because “the vibe is chill“.
It’s also the one who shows you effortlessly how to put on VeloToze shoe covers at -2°C, without fear of frostbite, without losing a nail or even a finger while putting them on, and without uttering a single swear word. The kind of thing that in real life, even heart surgeons would do under anesthesia.
A good influencer gives a voice to those who, like you, like the 4 associate editors of 3bikes, like 99% of the Sunday Strava peloton, are not on a WorldTour team, but just want to live cycling. One of the most valuable aspects: the community, that improbable group of people connected by:
- electronics everywhere on the carbon cockpit (Garmin for some, Hammerhead Karoo for tech hipsters),
- power meters that cost more than your first car,
- kilometers, KOMs lost and regained,
- and sometimes… ego (yes, let’s be honest).
Cycling influencers open doors: to women cyclists, to intimidated beginners, to veterans who know everything about the Campa Record “10-speed” generation, to ultradistance warriors, to gravel fans who think that dirt roads are a place of pilgrimage.
They create clear, often very educational content. Thanks to them, thousands of people finally know how to:
- adjust an electronic derailleur without calling a friend,
- do a Sweet Spot session without thinking it’s a dessert,
- understand why everyone swears by tubeless tires until the day… never again,
- manage their nutrition differently than with a packet of Figolu and a lukewarm water bottle.
They make accessible what seemed mystical: training, nutrition, mechanics, mental management, planning, the desire to start again after bonking 12 km from home.
In short: Bravo!!!
In the next article…
In part 2/3, we will address the less glamorous side: When influence becomes merchandise. When advice becomes product placement. When inspiration becomes a business.
And what all this implies for neutrality, objectivity… and for those who follow.
=> The influence economy: understanding an indispensable system
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