If you follow pro cyclists on Twitter, you’ll be used to seeing tweets on the morning of a big race, then nothing for a few hours, then more posts afterwards reflecting on how the day went. So Namibia’s Dan Craven caused a bit of a stir yesterday by apparently live-tweeting the Olympic road race – while riding in it.

The first tweets on the 33-year-old’s Twitter feed came not long after the 237.5-kilometre race started.

Some assumed, quite naturally, that Craven was tweeting from inside the race (though using a phone in competition would be against the rules).

The reply provided a plausible enough explanation.

The tweets carried on, including ones as the race passed over the cobbled section on the first of the two circuits that made up the route – and with a nod to strict Olympic rules regarding mentions of sponsors.

A couple of hours in, and the race was starting to take its toll, though spirits remained high – and the ‘likes’ and the retweets kept coming.

And then, a clue that all was not as it seemed.

The tweets continued, though.

Including one that revealed a Craven craving for a specific Namibian snack food.

The tweets, in fact, were Craven’s idea, but executed by his girlfriend, Collyn Ahart.

He got his rusks though.

The former Rapha-Condor-Sharp rider, by the way, was racing in a rather striking national kit created by the British clothing firm.

One final thought.