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Pros/industry types who read this forum?
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Just wondering something whilst I sit here at my desk at work. As an internet community of sorts, we discuss lots of neat (and some not so neat) things here. I was wondering if anyone knows what, if any, impact the product and personality discussions have on the industry and the top level athletes. Do industry types read this (and other) forums? Do the top elite athletes check in here very often? For example, when the discussions about Tim DeBoom pop up from time to time, does DeBoom know what is said both in favor of and against him and his racing strategies? Same for other top pros -- I remember one thread in the past where someone hinted very strongly that a top pro (not DeBoom) had used performance enhancing drugs when he won a major race. Do these kinds of discussions make their way to the people about whom we discuss? Not trying to get something controversial started here, just curious.

RP
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Re: Pros/industry types who read this forum? [rhpreston] [ In reply to ]
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Interesting!

Back in the RST(rec.sport.triathlon) days if you dropped in on the newsgroup, you would have thought that the whole triathlon world was tuned in. However, I tried this little experiment one weekend on a group ride of about 50 triathletes and only one person had even heard of RST - so much for it being at the center of the triathlon world!

The Triathlon Digest that Kathrine Williams set up a few years ago did seem to be plugged into the key players of the sport with many top pros and intustry types chiming in with comments every now and then.

I am not sure where either of the above are at now or what relevant role they play.

As for the slowtwitch forum, based on Dan's profile and influence in the sport on both the athletes( pros and the like) and the industry sides, I suspect that many do know about it. Some may lurk, but there seems to be few who participate regularly. Not sure why that is. I suspect that it may be in part because open internet forums can be particularly savage and brutal. Come out and say you are in favour of drafting in triathlon, and well, clear out the email in-basket, get on the flame proof suit and prepare for war! The other reason may be time - really who has time for this. I do beacuse I am online all day - it's part of my job. So to take two minutes to come here and post something during a break in the action or while on hold on the phone for me is no big deal.


Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog
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Re: Pros/industry types who read this forum? [rhpreston] [ In reply to ]
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I work in warranty/sales for GT, so I guess I would be an industry type. In fact, I got to see the '04 line this morning - no road line yet, but the downhill stuff looks really good. Despite my best efforts, it appears I have no influence over the product development folks in CA :(
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Re: Pros/industry types who read this forum? [rhpreston] [ In reply to ]
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I actually asked Tim DeBoom that question on Saturday at the Eagleman expo. He said he's heard of the site, but doesn't go on any forums. He also said he doesn't go on the internet very much at all. So in that particular instance I guess not. But I do remember a week or so back, a European pro was posting on this site and was talking back and forth with Dan.



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Re: Pros/industry types who read this forum? [Fleck] [ In reply to ]
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In Reply To:
Interesting!

Back in the RST(rec.sport.triathlon) days if you dropped in on the newsgroup, you would have thought that the whole triathlon world was tuned in. However, I tried this little experiment one weekend on a group ride of about 50 triathletes and only one person had even heard of RST - so much for it being at the center of the triathlon world!
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Very true. But even so, RST had an interesting mix and many well known triathlon folks. Phil Maffeton, Jeffery Justice, qrman, Steve Locke, Lew Kidder, Kieth Simmons, Steve Harrad, and lots more. There were quite a few race directors, USAT folks, and triathlon suppliers tuned in. You could get to just about anything or anybody in the sport from there. It held together for a long time but I think the trolls have just about ripped the guts out of it now. Larry
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Re: Pros/industry types who read this forum? [rhpreston] [ In reply to ]
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The only (currently active) pro that I know of who frequents this forum is Gordo (Congrats on the World's Toughest 1/2 btw!). I've seen Bobo pop up once or twice, and then of course there are folk like Molina and Henderson who write articles, etc. I wouldn't be surprised at all to learn that others lurked.

As for "insiders", we have Frank Rehnelt (Renn wheels), Gerard (Cervelo), Frank Day (Powercranks), Ves Mandaric (Yaqui), Tom Demerly (Bikesport Michigan), and likely a bunch I forgot and/or who just like to lurk. John Cobb has posted here before, and then of course there's Dan (Mr. Quntana Roo).

I wouldn't begin to know what filters back to whom, but suspect that most of it doesn't. If I was Marco Patani's handler and I read some of the stuff that's been said about him here, I'd try to make sure that he not know anything about it. Same with Tim, Macca, etc. Pro's don't need this sort of distraction.


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Re: Pros/industry types who read this forum? [Khai] [ In reply to ]
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I think that we might be surprised who does and does not lurk.

I know that there are several people that post here that have talked to people in the business and once they started talking the people in question asked if they posted on here in spite of never posting them selves.

In my case this has happened twice, I've been chatting with people and they asked if I post on ST and they lurk but never post.

I am not sure that Pro's lurk through, but then again sometimes someone puts a post up entirely out of the blue so you simply never can tell.
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Re: Pros/industry types who read this forum? [rhpreston] [ In reply to ]
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Well, we do know that Bjorn Andersson occasionally posts and lurks here. I discovered this after I rather rudely critiqued a picture that was posted of him.
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