Why Social Media Engagement Matters for Bike Races
Race directors, how important is social media to your race?
Ok, that's a silly question.
Maybe a better question is this: How are you using social media to build a community around your race?
It’s easy to think about social media primarily as a promotional tool. Registration opens, so you post about it. Prices increase next week, so you remind everyone. You announce sponsors, share course maps, post countdowns, and eventually flood your feed with photos and videos from race weekend.
All of those things have their place and indeed are important.
But social media can do something much more valuable for your race. It can help you build relationships with the people you eventually want to show up.
And that starts with engagement.
Gravel Cycling as Rural Economic Development: Why Bike Races Can Put Small Towns on the Map
Sometimes it's hard to admit that a gravel bike race is not going to save a rural town. Communities that have experienced decades of population loss, industry changes, declining tax bases, or fewer local businesses are dealing with challenges far more complicated than anything a cycling event can solve.
The Role of Content Marketing in Brand Building: A Guide for Cycling Events and Rural Destinations
Not long ago, I found myself knee-deep in the wild and rugged terrain of southeast Arizona, helping BorderLands Gravel get their story out into the world. Sure, it’s a gravel race, but I see how it is also so much more. For me, the race is a window into a borderland region that’s often misunderstood or simply overlooked. What makes it resonate with riders isn’t just the gravel roads (though they’re world-class). It’s the story.
And that’s the power of content marketing. No, it’s not a buzzword. It’s your brand’s best chance to stand out, especially if you’re a small-town chamber of commerce, a new adventure tourism outfit, or a cycling race organizer trying to build something meaningful.
What Makes a Great Bike Race? 5 Ingredients That Matter
It is exhilarating to shoot photos at bike races. It doesn't matter if it's gravel, MTB, or road; I am genuinely giddy when I'm out on the road or trail with a camera in hand, waiting for the first racers to come into view.
Anticipation sharpens alertness. Before the lead racer gets to me, I'm constantly surveying the setting for interesting camera angles and perspectives. Then once the first rider zips by, it's run-and-gun photo shooting for the rest of the race.
It's in the moments in between that I have time to think and reflect about not just the race, but the whole spectacle of race weekend festivities.
Beyond the Registration Push: Why I Wrote a Content Marketing Guide for Race Directors
Most race directors know how to promote a race.
Far fewer know how to build a brand.
Every year I see race directors pour enormous amounts of energy into registration announcements, sponsor posts, deadline reminders, and race-week updates. Then for many, almost as quickly as the finish line is packed away, the content stops.
The race disappears from social media.
The website sits unchanged for months.
Momentum fades.
Then, months before the race begins again next year, the process starts all over again.
I keep thinking there has to be a better way.
Content Marketing Isn't Promotion. It's Infrastructure for Rural Communities and Bike Races
Most people think of content marketing as promotion.
You know … a post here. A photo there. Maybe a push when tickets go on sale or when a season kicks off.
That framing is the problem at hand. Why?
For rural communities and outdoor events especially, content marketing isn't a campaign. Instead, it's infrastructure and the system that makes everything else work.
If people don't know who you are, where you are, or why your place or event matters, nothing else matters. Not your website. Not your registration page. Not your economic impact goals.
Over the past several years, working alongside small towns, trail organizations, and race organizers, I've noticed the same pattern repeat itself again and again. The places and events that struggle most aren't lacking quality experiences. They're lacking visibility, clarity, and trust. Content is what quietly builds all three.
The Race Director’s Guide to Building a Social Media Following That Converts
Ok, let’s get something out of the way.
If you’re organizing a gravel, MTB, or road race, growing your Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok followers just for the sake of numbers is a distraction. You’re not an influencer chasing vanity metrics. You’re a race director trying to build momentum and get riders to your start line.
So why do follower counts still matter?
“Who Are You Even Talking To?” Finding (and Reaching) Your Ideal Audience as a Race Organizer
When I sit down with race organizers to talk about social media, one of the first questions I ask is, “Who’s your audience?”
That’s usually when the eyes go up and to the left. You know the look, somewhere between trying to remember a password and wondering if they left the stove on. And I get it.
When you’re planning a race, managing volunteers, answering emails, and fighting off last-minute chaos, “audience strategy” feels like a luxury. But the truth is, your success on social media and ultimately the success of your event hinges on how clearly you can answer that one question.
Why Your Race Isn’t Growing: It Might Be Your Social Media
I follow enough race organizers and events to know that social media often ends up last on the to-do list. And I get it. Permits, insurance, aid stations, course scouting … it’s a full-time job just to pull off race day. But if you’re pouring all your energy into the logistics and barely showing up online, you’re missing the easiest (and most cost-effective) way to grow.
Let me say it clearly: a good race is not enough anymore.
Your Social Media Is Your Front Door: Branding Advice for Rural Communities and Bike Events
I vividly remember talking with a gravel race director in a small town last year who said, “We post on social media when we can, but it’s hard to keep up.” I get it. Most of these races are volunteer-run, and tourism boards in rural areas are often underfunded and juggling multiple roles. But what I’ve seen again and again, through my work with Trail Builder Magazine and now with BorderLands Gravel, is that your online presence is your brand. If your social media looks like an afterthought, people assume your event or destination is too.
It’s not that these brands are ignoring social media. It’s that they’re not doing it well. And in today’s landscape, that’s just as costly.
