"Exploring the least recognized cyclist in the Tour de France: His potential strategy might involve creating a spectacle to gain more spectator attention"
Belgian cyclist Vito Braet, a Classics specialist riding for Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux, is participating in his first Tour de France. Despite solid results and growing media interest, Braet remains one of the less-known riders in the event, with relatively modest social media following under the handle @vito_braet.
Braet, hailing from Harelbeke, is no stranger to success. He has finished third in a stage of the Vuelta a España last year and boasts notable results such as a 5th place at Koksijde Classic and 12th at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne. His Classics reputation is growing, but his social media presence has yet to match his achievements.
To increase his online presence, Braet could employ several strategies:
- Personal Engagement: Sharing behind-the-scenes content, race day experiences, and training insights can create a more compelling connection with fans.
- Capitalize on Classics Expertise: Posting highlights, insights, or analysis about these races where he excels might attract cycling enthusiasts interested in those events.
- Leverage Media Appearances: Since Braet is gaining more press attention during the Tour, sharing these interviews and news stories can raise awareness.
- Interactive Content: Live Q&A sessions, polls, or interactive stories on Instagram and Twitter can boost engagement.
- Collaborations: Partnering with other riders or cycling influencers for shared content can tap into their follower bases.
- Hashtags and Engagement: Using trending cycling hashtags and replying to fans encourages community growth.
- Authenticity: Sharing candid, relatable content—showing the ups and downs of cycling life—can attract attention.
Braet's unique humour, as shown in his remark about possibly needing to crash to gain followers, suggests that this approach could be effective. However, he is cautious about the potential consequences, preferring to maintain his current follower count rather than risking a crash for more followers.
Braet's teammate Georg Zimmermann gained 400-500 followers after crashing during a race, but Braet believes being in a breakaway during the race could potentially help him gain more followers. Despite this, his job is to protect Biniam Girmay, both in the mountains and the sprints, making it unlikely for him to be in the breakaway.
As the Tour de France progresses, Braet is encouraged by the idea of potentially gaining more followers in the future. Currently, he is the least followed of the 184 riders who started the Tour de France, with only 1,709 followers. A call to action is made for readers to help Braet reach his goal of surpassing 2,000 Instagram followers by following him at @vito_braet.
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Sports enthusiasts might find it intriguing to follow cyclist Vito Braet's journey in the Tour de France, as he aims to expand his social media reach. Despite his notable successes in Classics races, Braet is relatively unknown online, with only 1,709 followers on Instagram. If he implements strategies like personal engagement, leveraging media appearances, capitalizing on his Classics expertise, creating interactive content, collaborating with others, utilizing hashtags, and maintaining authenticity, Braet could potentially attract more fans and surpass his goal of 2,000 followers.
