What if ‘90s Tour de France pros had social media?
The Instagram flexes, tweets, TikToks…and most importantly, DMs would be something else
It’s common nowadays to see pro cyclists comment on each other’s Instagram posts or tweets. Ranging from accolades and congratulations, to playful ribbing, it’s cool to see the best cyclists in the world interact with each other.
Although it feels like social media has been around forever, it hasn’t. What if it was around during the ‘90s? Especially in a time when cycling had some…drama.
Lance’s WhatsApp chats
Although texting was around–and would ultimately prove to be the downfall of many pros caught up in doping scandals–there was no WhatsApp. It’s common now to have team WhatsApp group chats, but imagine what it would be like back then? Oh boy.
Instagram insanity
Can you imagine some of the Instagram posts back then? And what would they mean later when we learned more about what was going on behind the scenes?
“It was supposed to be a DM”
Do you remember the author Bret Easton Ellis’s drunken tweet that was meant to be a DM? “Come over at do coke now,” he posted. Imagine if cyclists made an oopsie and tweeted something a little more private…
Facebook convos with medical pals
There were many infamous doctors back then, and undoubtedly they would pay attention to the races and riders’ performances. And if they had FB messenger, they could shoot them a message.
The TikToks…oh, the TikToks
May he rest in peace, but the great Laurent Fignon might have wanted to vent his frustration after that fateful day into Paris. If only he had used aero bars. Sure, this is 1989, but close enough.
This is entirely fictitious and a parody. It was written (apart from the Fignon bit) to add levity to a dark time in cycling.
