THE BIG INTERVIEW
So how does Torrao see his role? “I think there’s two types of people,” he said. “You have athletes that are sponsored by a brand. Then you have ambassadors that are supported by a brand in some way, and they work as ‘micro-influencers’, so within the communities they are involved with they show off the product. I kind of fit in between.” Torrao has dubbed his exploits ‘the Ultracyclist Project,’ which sees him participate in epic long-distance adventures around the world, documenting his experiences on YouTube with the help of a videographer. While the project aims to take his followers behind
the scenes at some of the toughest cycling events around the world, from the Badlands ultradistance event in Spain, to The Rift gravel race in Iceland, Torrao also works closely with brands to support his own riding, and help promote their products. Currently Torrao is working with bike and component brand 3T, where he also works as area manager for the UK and Ireland, cycling tech company Hammerhead, and Restrap bikepacking gear, amongst others. “Whatever product I’m using, I need to
believe in it,” said Torrao. “I need to like it, it needs to be good. I don’t just take a product because it’s free. “The main role is to represent the brand as an outsider, and create content the community can relate to.” He added: “When I’m creating content, it’s also about my personality, I don’t change because of a product. I’m not going to change my content because of a specific product. “Each one of us has a personal brand,
whether we’re making money out of it or not. You still have your personal brand. It’s who you are, what you stand for and your ideals. “It’s really important when you deal with
brands for them to like your personal brand, they like how you are, and your values, what you love about cycling, and how you put a product into your lifestyle.” Torrao sees his role as both athlete and ambassador, as he acts as a promoter for the products, but often also needs financial support from brands to fund his video
www.bikebiz.com May 2022 | 27
projects, as ultradistance cycling is not a cheap discipline to compete in. While some of the biggest brands in cycling are well-
versed in working with ambassadors and influencers – like Specialized or Rapha, who routinely create striking video and social media content with their pools of social media personalities – can retailers also break into the world of social media influence? Torrao believes they can: “Local bike shops can make the local riders the ambassadors. “The sport of cycling in the UK, has grown and we have
great talent, but do we have enough support for that talent? Local bike shops could have five or six junior riders as brand
Pictures by @Peterofthespoon
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