Twitter for Cyclists

Posted by On Filed under Cycling Blog Blotter, Witticisms... or not. 2 Comments

Ahhh Twitter. One could create a pretty strong argument that Twitter’s popularity among cyclists is a direct result of EPO. One could also argue that it is simply the easiest way to share your race success with your friends and fans while still gasping for air at the finish line.

So, in a fashion not unlike Follow Friday (but clearly not #FF, because that is all messed up lately) I thought I’d throw out some of the names I follow. This list is by no means complete, nor should you assume that someone that I do not follow is not worth following. But of you are looking for something else to consume data on your smartphone’s data plan, here’s some good ones to follow:

Pro Cyclists and Teams

  • Jens Voigt @thejensie – #ShutUpLegs had to be a thing.
  • Chris Horner @hornerakg – Because who doesn’t want to wonder why the hell ‘akg’ is in his handle
  • Emily Kachorek @EmilyKachorek – Bad ass cyclist from VanderKitten
  • Vanderkitten @vanderkitten – Because they’re full of bad ass cyclists like Emily Kachorek. And they also seem to have this whole social media thingy nailed.
  • Jonathan Vaughters @Vaughters – Has some funny stuff to say sometimes. And knows a thing or two about cycling
  • Johan Bruyneel @JohanBruyneel – He says a ton of funny stuff too. Unfortunately it is usually when he is actually being serious.
  • Alberto Contador @albertocontador – We all need a reason to work on our spanish.
  • Team Sky @TeamSky – They taught me that Brits race bikes too.
  • Fabian Cancellara @f_cancellara – Apparently his tweets are sexier than everyone else’s.
  • Cadel Evans @CadelOfficial – It is fun to read his tweets with an Australian accent.
  • Phil Southerland @PhilSoutherland – Because diabetic cyclists kick ass. I know from personal experience.

Cycling Media Folks – Bloggers, journalists, photographers, etc

Tweet away folks…

 

The bike that tweets for you

Posted by On Filed under Member Blogs, Uncategorized No Comments

Technology and bikes seem to go hand in hand a lot.  It was not to long ago that I wrote about the effect of Twitter on the cycling world.  Now, we’ve got a bike that can do the tweeting for you – as well as post ride stats like location, grade and more to a website. Keep reading →

Using twitter to help (and hurt) your cycling enjoyment

Posted by On Filed under Races, Racing and Racers 8 Comments

Twitte LogoIt is unquestionable that twitter has had a huge impact on cycling.  It is probably safe to say that a lot of cyclists – both recreational and pro – would have never heard of the social media and microblogging service if it were not for the tweets of a particular American Pro Cyclist.  “Tweets” – or postings to twitter – are increasingly becoming one of the most accurate and timely sources of information on the international racing scene.

There have been many international scene races in the last year or so where numerous fans on the roads have helped to provide up to the minute race coverage.  However, perhaps the power of Twitter as a source of pro cycling news came to a head most poignantly at the 2010 Amgen Tour of California when there were folks tweeting events as they happened – from cars in the pro peloton.  I know that personally, as I was positioned at various finish lines of the race, I became a sudden celeb in the crowd of folks I happened to find myself in.  It was not because of any particular status or insight.  Rather, it was because I was able to capture these up-to-the-minute tweets right there, at the finish line, on my smartphone.  I knew where the peloton was, who was in the breaks, and how many km were left to go.

Keep reading →