Back than it was still kind of hard to get your photo on the web and to make sure everybody would see it, magazines were still the way to go and I think still that magazines are the way to go for proper content, like this interview for example.
Which path is the better option is a great question, one nobody can answer. You need to be able to do both, be a complete rider, keep your“ fans” up to date about what you do. Make sure sponsors are able to run sick content from you in magazines and win competitions. It’ s a full time job, so if you’ re a young kid and you think you’ ve potential, you better start training real hard to beat the guys at the top!