The rise of the cycling influencer – How Gen-Z and Millennial riders are bringing cycling to the social media generation

In the pre-social media age, professional cyclists were untouchable masters of endurance with superhuman physiology who rode in a higher realm. The juggernauts of the noughties racing broke records on TV and in newspapers. A world away, amateurs went on coffee rides, the same sport but so different from the elite ranks.

Aspiring riders watched the early feats of stars like Mark Cavendish and Alberto Contador in awe, but through a layer of separation. As Tadej Pogačar’s 2.4 million followers on Instagram can attest, nothing has changed in that sense – cycling's heroes are still adored and idolised.

But where the vast chasm between pro-level racing and the average Sunday rider once may have left little in the way of relatable role models for the latter, the tide is changing, driven by social media.

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Enter the cycling influencer: the 20- to 30-year-olds promoting long rides and lycra to the masses, and bridging the gap between the pros and your average rider.

Earlier this year, Pogačar responded to an Instagram reel by British cycling influencer Dan Jones, who had attempted to beat the four-time Tour de France winner’s Strava KOM on the infamous Coll de Rates.

"Close the jersey and you go under 20 min," quipped the world champion in the comments section – whose own record is a full eight minutes faster.

Five Grand Tour titles, two World Championship victories, and an FTP of 400 watts lie between Jones and Pogačar. But, if an 'influencer', in the literal sense, is a person capable of guiding others to follow in their actions, what they wear, the products they use through online social networks, then the two riders are akin.

Thirty-one-year-old Jones, or @daaaanjj as he is known to his 118,000-strong following, only has three years of riding experience to his name, but you wouldn't know it from his impressive list of sponsors – Van Rysel, Garmin, Wahoo, Rapha. He rides bikes for enjoyment, and encourages his audience to do the same.

Jones, who brands himself as a "professional amateur" across his platforms, is aiming to create something that fans might not see by following only the sport's professionals.

"A page like mine, where it’s obviously a little more relatable than the pros, might be something to inspire people to get into the sport," he told Cyclingnews.

"People might go, 'okay, that looks fun'. Hopefully, I portray it in that way most of the time, like 'Let’s have a go, maybe I can do it.'"

The five-figure carbon frames, panoramic views, and top-of-the-range gear featured in his videos satisfy the dopamine cravings of scrolling seasoned riders. However, while deep-section wheelsets and performance stats might appeal to some, influencers also risk compounding the inaccessibility of a sport which already has infinite barriers to entry.

As someone fairly new to cycling, I realised early on how cycling content creators carried their own stereotype. Sleek, designer-clad figures were drip-fed to me by the algorithm, riding atop the latest ultra-light frames with obnoxiously loud free hubs on a casual midweek ride in Mallorca.

So when the Instagram version of cycling and its less glamorous reality – second-hand kit, mud, punctures, mechanicals – didn’t quite add up, I could see how someone might become disillusioned with the whole thing.

But for Jones, championing amateurism means showcasing the process of progress.

"When I can, I’ll say, 'obviously, you don’t need this stuff to get into the sport,' and I try to tell the story of how I’ve gotten to this point. I started off with the basic stuff, the entry-level bike," he said.

"I also have elements of relatability just because of my ability. Because I started late, I’m never going to be racing at a good level. There’s a barrier to entry, even in terms of how it’s intimidating to go out on the road. I still get anxious.

"My thing is more just doing events for fun, and hopefully people will watch regardless of the kit."

A changing online landscape for cycling

Jones is part of an ever-expanding online ecosystem. From reels titled "bike maintenance for dummies" to gear reviews and clips of WorldTour races, the cycling algorithm has evolved into an inclusive space where an obsession with VO2 max data can coexist with not knowing what a disc brake is.

Long seen as the domain of so-called Middle Aged Men In Lycra who take their riding very seriously, cycling might finally be shaking off its shackles – thanks to content creators and their Gen-Z and Millennial doomscrolling audience.

"A couple of years ago, even watching the WorldTour, I just assumed it was a bit lame. And when I got into social media, you realise it’s not just middle-aged blokes," said Jones.

And just like that, lycra became cool again.

At the heart of cycling's online presence is a niche intersection of endurance, performance, adventure, meme culture, and urban fashion, reflective of its digitally native younger demographic.

Streetwear brands have lunged at the opportunity to reach their target market. Scoff all you like at the absurdity of a collaboration like the Supreme X Castelli X SpongeBob kit that went viral this summer, but it’s a sign of changing times. In July, Strava data revealed the number of cyclists in the UK under 35 has risen by over 80% since 2019.

Twenty-six-year-old creator Inigo Hawkings (@inigocc) posts content about his journey training and competing for the Swatt Club racing team, as well as his takes on the WorldTour peloton and calendar, amassing 17.2k followers on Instagram, and over a million likes on TikTok.

"The great thing about cycling is there’s so much of it. I love the fact that it’s wearing nice stuff. It's wheels. It's bikes. It’s just good vibes, really," he told Cyclingnews

"I’m coming at it from the performance end of the spectrum, but at the end of the day, I’m trying to get across that we’re just humans, we’ve got a passion, and we’re doing something we love," said Hawkings, whose audience largely consists of budding talents looking to break onto the pro racing scene.

"You don’t have to be a warrior doing 100 miles every day. You can just go and ride 10 kilometres to your local café and back."

Behind the scenes of the WorldTour

Professionals are also taking to social media to show themselves as relatable personalities to a wider audience, and help bring the sport to a new, online generation.

Netflix’s Tour de France: Unchained series might have brought the tears and triumphs of the GC battle into the mainstream, but social media can hand it to us raw, unfiltered, and in real-time.

"We’re running late to the presentations," said Ineos Grenadiers' Josh Tarling to a front-facing phone camera as he rolled with teammate Ben Turner to the start of stage 13 of the Giro d'Italia in their popular series of vlogs from Italy. Their regular candid insights into life as a young pro garnered millions of views on the team's Instagram grid.

"It’s amusing and funny, and it attracts the masses," Hawkings said. "The brilliant thing is that it appeals to someone like me who’s got a fair amount of experience in the sport. But it also appeals to people who maybe have never heard of them.

"In terms of people I looked up to when I was entering the scene, there wasn’t really anybody out there doing elite-level racing and social media at the same time.

"Now riders are becoming people outside of their sport, and that’s the stuff we need to see more of. Phones are so good these days. You can generate millions of views just with a phone – it’s never been easier."

A long-time cycling fan might not bat an eyelid at yet another ten-second clip of Mathieu van der Poel doing a wheelie. But for someone oblivious to it all, it might be enough to pique their interest.

The impact of growing cycling on social media could be far-reaching, especially given the uncertain financial future of professional cycling teams that rely on often volatile sponsorships. If online visibility is vital to continue attracting investment, then it is definitely time to invest in the athletes and the personal brand they offer. Other sports like football and tennis have already harnessed this, so it seems a clear next step for cycling.

Opening doors for women's sport

Creators everywhere are advocating cycling as a hobby, a profession, and as a spectator sport, and the results are particularly significant when it comes to women's cycling – both at an amateur and elite levels.

A Zwift report revealed that the Tour de France Femmes' official social media channels grew to 2.6 million fans in 2025, an increase of 700,000 from the previous year. In the US, viewers relied predominantly on social media to follow the Tour de France Femmes, with 45% using Instagram and 43% using Facebook.

In a bid to raise awareness of the race amongst her audience, influencer Laura Kirkpatrick (@lauradoessports) captured her 1,500km bikepacking trip, which tracked the Tour.

Kirkpatrick, who started as a beginner cyclist in 2023 and has since quit her corporate job to create cycling content full-time, told Cyclingnews: "As a creator, especially with something as niche as female cycling, which doesn’t have as much coverage, I feel like I have a responsibility to promote women in sport, and to promote the events surrounding it.

"I made some fun things about the Tour, because I think that it’s really important to raise awareness for the race, but I also wanted to do something that isn't just being a classic influencer. It’s educational content."

All sports everywhere are swelling under the ubiquitous force of social media, which has shifted from a secondary channel to an integral part of sports culture – from visibility and participation to fan engagement and sponsorship.

But for a sport like cycling, its role takes on a profound significance.

The landscape of the sport is changing. More women are riding bikes. Younger riders are chasing KOMs. Professionals and amateurs intersect online in a way that provides access to a world that was once unrelatable and exclusive. The whole two-wheeled story, from nascent beginners to the most decorated pros and everything in between, is being told.