As important as such events are for connecting with fans, by far the greatest reach comes from social media, but only if you do it right. We sat in on a meeting which included social media training from the team’s head of PR and marketing, Damian Murphy. It warmed up with some interesting facts from the 2017 season: the biggest posts of the year on each platform were: on Twitter, Mark Cavendish crashing out of the Tour; on Facebook, Edvald Boasson Hagen’s Tour stage win; and on Instagram, the announcement of the new 2018 jersey. Of the three, Instagram is the fastest growing.

“This is a forward-thinking team, and it has to be. Fan engagement here is about much more than delivering value to sponsors, it’s also about raising money for the Qhubeka charity”

A series of infographics showed the riders the scale of their reach. Combined, the riders’ individual social media audiences total eight times that of the team’s, and it’s twice the size even without including Cavendish who, unsurprisingly given his superstar status, has several times the following of the rest of the team put together (Cavendish has more than 2.5 million followers across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter). It’s a valuable reminder of how much responsibility for boosting Qhubeka lies with the riders.

“I’ve always been quite cautious with social media,” he tells us. “It’s easy to forget that it’s the main way that most of the general public perceive you.” Perhaps more aware than most riders, as a neo-pro who joined Dimension Data for 2018, that he’s living not only his dream but that of many other people, too, Davies adds, “I don’t want to rub it in people’s faces – you know, if they’re having a bad day in the office and I’m riding in Nice – but every time I go home to Wales people are always really nice about it and tell me they like to see what I’m doing and to keep posting stuff.”

And does he have a preferred channel?

“Instagram every time,” he says. “I think posting a picture is far easier than having to word a tweet or Facebook post. I’ve not really been on it recently; my mind has been on other things. I need to get back in the swing of it. December was tricky because you’re still under contract with your old team so you can’t show any of your new gear, and when I’m training hard I don’t really want to stop and take a photo. It’s one more thing to learn to fit in.

“It can be hard to filter what to post and what not to post sometimes,” he adds. “You want to share your professional life but still maintain some privacy. It’s a work in progress.”

We’ll let Davies sum it up: “Whereas a few years ago social media seemed optional, I think it’s really expected now. I can’t pinpoint a conversation but brand comes into it a lot, the team’s and your own. You have to commit some time to it and put some effort in, but you don’t get a contract as a cyclist just off social media. I always remind myself that it’s what I do on the bike that counts.”

To donate to the charity, visit Qhubeka.org