Is it awesome to wear matching jerseys and shorts? Yes, but it took me a long time and a trip to Italy to have this revelation. Is it a violation of The Rules (#14)? Perhaps.
I always had a drawer full of black bib shorts and a drawer of jerseys. It makes it easy to get dressed to ride, black goes with everything. Grab clean shorts, meditate over jersey selection and boom, suit up. I was never compelled to buy a professional team kit as I’ve never been a rabid fan of any team, any rider or any team kit. I may become Sean Yates in my Motorola jersey for a fleeting few seconds but that’s about as far as it went until I finally made it to Italy.
When driving around near Lucca I kept seeing older guys (my age) out on the road, a foot from the tractor trailers, unfazed, fit, wearing matching jerseys and bibs. I didn’t recognize the kits but these guys looked impossibly good and since I’m a devout Italophile, that’s all it took for me. If that’s how it’s done in Italy then I’m all in.
Luckily Cervelo rider Ted King (self-anointed King of Style) agrees with me.
Among a smattering of other worthy reasons, cycling rocks because you can experience exactly what we pros experience. You can ride the bikes we ride, wear the helmets we wear, pedal the roads on which we race… and you obviously have the opportunity to rock the clothes we wear. So why the crap not?
Moreover, if you’re going to piece together a bicycle outfit, instead of the ragtag/patchwork look, why not look good when doing so? We look good, so you sure as heck might as well hop on the bandwagon and look nearly as good as we do.
I had a run-in with the KoS about my issue with tall socks (and punctuation) but we have agreed to disagree about sock style. Ted’s website is worth a visit as he is a well spoken pro and he gets to hangout with Thor.
In truth I don’t really own (or wear) too many matching kits even now. I own two local club outfits and now four Euro-esque pairs, one set I really can’t wear much because I look too much like Cipo in his zebra Aqua Sapone days and it scares people. I bought an early (pre) Garmin-Slipstream set as I am a fan but never dared wear it when the team was in the same town for two weeks training. Everyone would be embarrassed if we intersected. But my wife and I are now killing it in our Heinrich and Henrietta Haussler Stylin’ All White Cervelo outfits*. In mine I am actually descending more boldly as I channel H.H. from the wet Stage 13 of the 2009 TdF. All is well unless Heinrich turns out to be last doper of many dopers from the doomed Gerolsteiner team.
So don’t be afraid as neighbors look askance and they pull their kids inside as you leave the house in your bright billboard of matching jersey and shorts advertising, say, an Italian cement company. Wear it loud and wear it proud knowing looking good on the bike is important and it’s the Italian way.
I know as well as any of you that I've been checked out lately, kind…
Peter Sagan has undergone quite the transformation over the years; starting as a brash and…
The Women's road race has to be my favorite one-day road race after Paris-Roubaix and…
Holy fuckballs. I've never been this late ever on a VSP. I mean, I've missed…
This week we are currently in is the most boring week of the year. After…
I have memories of my life before Cycling, but as the years wear slowly on…
View Comments
Re. the Cervelo kit (which I also quite like): is there anything wrong with wearing this team kit while riding a non-Cervelo bike, or does Rule 17 have something to say about this?
@Steampunk
I hope not because I do just that. Bugger rule 17. No one has mistaken me for anyone but a sweaty slow punk in Pro Kit. Only Frank has to worry about the problem if matching Cervelo bike with team kits.
@Steampunk
I think you've answered the question yourself. It's clear to you that wearing C. kit and riding a C. bike is a problem--it's a huge problem. O.K. So, now what? If you wear the C. kit, but are not on a C. bike, the problem vanishes? No, of course not. The problem is not as bad, but the same problem persists. You're wearing stuff that doesn't belong to you.
Now, Steampunk, if you can't afford the new Velominati kit, and you already have a Discovery or Cervelo jersey, well, go ahead, I guess. I haven't yet paid for my team kit, the shit is so expensive, let alone Velominati kit. But, personally, I'd wear a white t-shirt with holes in it before I'd put on a Cervelo jersey.
Am I just fucking nuts or what? Nobody seems to find it a problem wearing ProTour kit, with the exception of Rob. I'll try one last time, and then say no more about the issue. I'll keep my disappointment to myself whenever anyone mentions wearing ProTour kit.
Surely, my animus goes back to my childhood . . . I had to earn my way onto every team I got on, with tryouts or what have you. Sure, some of the hurdles were set low, especially in the youth sports. But, later on, making it on to varsity teams was sometimes a hard won achievement, and I wore those uniforms proudly. I first heard the AYSO (American Youth Soccer Organization) motto, Everyone plays, when I was seven or eight years old. And, even as a young lad, I was puzzled, bewildered, and then deeply offended. Since then I've looked for every reason I can find to despise and mock soccer on any level. What is it? Today, do they let anyone who wants to be on a team on a team, so that wearing a team uniform means nothing? Were all you mofos AYSO soccer players?
Wearing the uniform, or kit, of a pro team, of whatever sport, is what a fan does. Fans are fat, drunk, and lazy. The Velominati should be practitioners, not fans, of a noble art.
And, I'll not mention in public that Frank's icon photo is a photo of someone wearing a Luxembourg national champions jersey. That can't be a photo of Frank?!
@david
Actually, I was just asking for a "friend." Rule 17 says you need to be sharp if you're going to pull this off. (I like the loopholes in a number of the rules). But then the question: can one be sharp in Cervelo kit without Cervelo bike. This is an interesting case, insofar as it's about the only case where the bike and team are joined at the hip (BMC, too, I suppose).
For the record, I don't wear any team jerseys and I don't own a Cervelo one (but it's about the nicest on the Pro Tour at the moment if you ask me); this really was a bit of a hypothetical question. But let's leave soccer out of it, 'kay? In another life, I had a professional trial, and while I don't play anymore (and miss it even less), I will defend the beautiful game until the bitter end. Your point, though, is well taken. I earned every pair of shorts, socks, and jersey I ever wore. No more needs to be said here: I think we're on the same page.
@Steampunk
Well, apologies. I misunderstood your post. I often write after a ride and my favorite recovery drink of choice: Coors Light. Indeed, let's leave soccer out of it. No need to sow dissension in the ranks.
@davidWHooa "Coors Lite" - (holds hand over face) on Velominati? Isn't that like saying the ToC is better than the Giro? I am just jumping in here because you might be able to say your joking or something clever? before Frank see this... Amstel, Belgian even English brew, I just got a six of a very fine Wild Blueberry from Maine that might even avert the snobs of the Hops and Grain from slagging you?
Just trying to be helpful as I feel very close to your excelent thinking above.
@Rob
"Before Frank sees this" Heh. Funny. But, any beer with a cycling team named after it needs no apology or justification for drinking. Frankly, no beer at all needs any apology or justification for drinking, especially as an post-ride drink. High glycemic index carbs in liquid form. You can't beat it.
Never had a Coors, but my experience of Budweiser was akin to making love in a canoe... it was fucking close to water.
OK, but the question we're asking is whether "Coors Light" counts as "beer"...
@david
yes, you're fucking nuts, because you're hardcore cognoscenti. And then you go and ruin the hardcore image by 'fessing to drinking Coors Light...
As for wearing Team Kit (re-checks Rule #17), as I've said before, we are ultimately fans (apart from the Cognoscenti who are fanatics) and so wearing of team kit is acceptable but with two caveats: 1) you don't wear full team kit 2) you don't wear kit from more than one team on the the same ride.
Not matching a jersey with a bike is not an issue, for practical purposes at least. Kit wears out and is cheaper than a frame to replace. Not all riders ride for a club/team, so are they only allowed to wear plain kit? No, this will alienate people (freds?) and may put them off joining in our great sport. Let them enjoy themselves, but within certain rules. But you can't expect people to have to buy a new frame if they want to show their support for a team (I expect an argument back on this point).
There should also be a rule for those who are members of a club/team. You must never wear any kit other than the club/team to which you belong. You have chosen to join that club/team for a reason, therefore you must represent them when out on the bike.
The important thing is how kit is worn. It must never clash with another item of kit, it must look good, It must fit correctly: the jersey must never be pulled down to cover the arse. If you have saggy pockets, you must never load them so that they distort the shape of the top - you will have to go hungry and risk a puncture. Either that or get a new top with better pockets.