Peloton Hashtags are the Key Ingredient to a Juicy Workout

What’s in a name? When it comes to the Peloton hashtags, plenty! You may have seen these notations under people’s Leaderboard names and wondered what they are all about… from #TogetherWeGoFar (boasting 171,173 members as of this writing) to the #SoCalWackos (population 1), we will break it all down for you so that you can ride, run, row, lift, walk, and flow with folks you want to be with. Let’s talk tags!

Matt Wilpers loves to shout out all types of tags in his rides

Wearing Your Heart (or Your Colors, College, Company, etc.) on your Proverbial Sleeve

In 2020, Peloton first introduced hashtags (aka tags), giving us something that I doubt anyone was asking for but as it turned out, something many of us needed, especially back then! They gave us the ability to define ourselves and our interests or affinities, making it easier to connect virtually with each other. Think of hashtags as the equivalent of donning a jean jacket with cool pins, or displaying your beliefs via the stickers you affix to your laptop. In other words, they give others a way to get a sense of who and what is important to you, while you can also suss out the same about them.

Some popular tags

Hashtag topics can range from specific instructor adoration, to your favorite Peloton modality, to your geographical location, your political leanings, your alma mater, your employer, your pets, and more. There are also tags for specific challenges, causes, or really just about anything you can think of. Anyone can create and post a hashtag publicly and anyone can then follow ones they see. The connection opportunities are endless! Head to the section under your name in your Profile/Overview and start exploring!

Where to search

Tags vs Groups – What’s the Difference?

If you read our recent post about how to use Groups to maximize your membership, some of this may be familiar to you, because most Groups use hashtags – but – not all hashtags are associated with a Group. Let’s clarify this. Participating in Group Challenges is a great way to build your connections within Peloton, and then using the hashtag associated with your Group is how you find your fellow challenge members on the leaderboard, using the filter function, when you are working out.

For example, let’s say you are participating in a Power Zone Pack Group challenge. You’ll be on a virtual team, and that team will adopt a special name based on the theme of the challenge (some themes have been Back to School, the 80s, the Feast and the Furious, Olympics… you get the idea). My team is the PZYogis, and every challenge we create a new name and a new tag to ride under. So I always display my main PZYogis tag, where I can find and be found by anyone who has ever been on our team, as well as whatever the current team name is. For the current food-inspired theme, we are #PZYogisAsanasAlDente (aka “Firm yet Flexible). You’ll frequently find some pretty funny tags if you spend time searching. I happened to stumble across a tag I found called #ItaliansDoItAlDente. Not so much a challenge Group is my guess, but more just 7 people who like to make puns too (and I am here for it!).

A few examples of PZ Yogis team tags through the years

Speaking of Laughs…

Sometimes members like to trip up the instructors during their teaching just for fun by creating wacky (or naughty) Leaderboard names or tags. Former instructor Kendall Toole fell victim to this ruse at times, specifically once when she was shouting out tags and her eye went to #Pelostoned… her response? As you might guess, she giggled and alluded to “someone who probably enjoys April 20th” and she had zero shade for them. Hey, we’re not judging either!

Riding for Good

On the flip side, a different benefit of tags can be to coalesce members around demonstrating solidarity for an intended person or cause. For example, when Peloton Instructor Leanne Hainsby-Alldis returned to her rides after undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer, many members began riding with the tag #WeRideForLeanne, organized by her fan Group, Leanne’s Yes to You Crew. This is a lovely way for members at home to convey their care for instructors in real-time.

IG post featuring a custom tag in support of Leanne Hainsby-Alldis

Another example of this is the memorial “swarm” rides for longtime member Kit Rudd, who recently passed away from pancreatic cancer. Riding under the hashtag #itaintchemo, many members from the IAMICANIWILLIDO_Crew and other friends of Kit participated in several group rides on demand, including retaking a recent studio ride with Christine where Kit was in person.

These are just two examples of the many tags out there in support of so many worthy issues, from medical to awareness-raising to special tribute rides.

Badge Alert

Not a typo – we had a Pelo-THON!

Not all hashtag rides are organized by members. Peloton led the way with two popular Badge challenges since launching the tags in 2020. Kicking things off back then, they began with the multi week “Pelothon” (yes, Pelo-THON, this is not a typo!) event that had members choose a “House” of Instructors and a corresponding hashtag. Have you seen people riding under #GritAndGraceGang, #NoLimitLegion, #BreakThroughCrew, #Unstoppables, or #LegendsOfFun? These were the names of the “Houses” that were associated with set groups of instructors. Through four weeks, members committed to doing set rides with instructors in their Houses, and Peloton would track the efforts. At the end, Peloton made a $1 million donation to fight hunger resulting from the pandemic. You can check out more details about this unique time in Pelo-history in this episode of The Clip Our podcast.

Peloton announces the first Ride to Greatness with directions on IG

Another memorable time that Peloton encouraged and embraced their tags is with Alex Toussaint’s Ride/Run to Greatness series. These were special events where members chose one of two team hashtags that were variations of AT’s key catchphrases: #TeamValidate (“validate your greatness”) or #TeamActivate (“activate your hustle”). Launching back in March 2021, Alex led teams through training rides culminating in a live ride that was an actual competition for output and monitored by Peloton. A winner was announced based on which team’s output was greater, and that was determined by riders under the two team tags. It was a really fun way to engage in a live set of events with fellow members! Returning in 2023 with a Run option, as Alex was by then also a Tread instructor, the structure continued with the added bonus or two team captains, Jenn Sherman and Jess Sims, just to add to the competitive fun.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

We’ve talked about a lot of good that tags can do, both for members seeking to ride together and for those who are beneficiaries of their well wishes, as well as for those maybe just looking to lighten the mood. But sometimes, tags can get a bit dicey, especially as the entire function is not really moderated by Peloton (as of this writing). Politics is a subject that sees a wide variety of tags, on all sides, supporting (and opposing) all issues. If that’s your thing, let your flag fly! Whatever your leanings, you’ll likely find some fellow supporters to ride with. But if you see opposing views – remember tags are like jean jacket pins or laptop stickers – please be kind. There’s no need to “spam” high five people, you will not change anyone’s mind while they are in the middle of their workout! (If you want to know how to block people from bugging you, read our tips here!)

Let’s Wrap it Up

We hope you’ve enjoyed this Tour de Tags and that it’s helped you learn a bit more about how to engage with fellow Peloton members. Using the Tags feature can really enhance your workout experience by exercising – and high fiving – with people who share your interests and instructor fan-dom. Peloton sometimes offers special events that provide “live” tags that help us feel even more connected, affinity groups rely on tags to help teammates find each other, and individuals really seem to enjoy making up their own tags to tell the Pelo-verse who they are.

What are some tags that you ride with? What are some memorable ones you’ve seen? Let us know!

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