UKC

Passed a couple of MAMILs on the way home tonight fully resplendent in a Polka Dot KOM jersey and a full Sky outfit ….. guess they thought they looked the DBs. I thought ………..
What do you think?

In reply to exiled_northerner:

Twats. Plus the Sky kit isn't the most visible for riding on open roads.

In reply to Yanis Nayu:

similar sentiments ...what a pair of knobs!

In reply to exiled_northerner:
I think it's ok up to a point.... about 14 yrs old (unless the wearer is in a pro team and/or has actually won said jersey)

I actually love seeing kids in yellow, polka etc

Reminds me of the time I "attacked" my unsuspecting child minder on a ride into town when I was13 and had just got my cousin's old peugeot racer.

Looking back on it it must have been horrible for her (being a bit slow) suddenly seeing the child she is being paid to look after disappearing up a hill at a rate of knots!

Yep... totally agree if it encourages kids to get out rather than sit around on x-boxes or social media....but these were classic MAMILs!

In reply to exiled_northerner: I don't think it matters one way or another, and it makes no difference to you.

However, wearing black cycling kit (which seems popular these days) seems stupid and dangerous. Often riders don't have lights on unless it's at night and that seems even more stupid, especially as my job regularly involves picking up the pieces after one of these unlit and black clothed cyclists gets knocked over.

In reply to exiled_northerner:

I couldn't give a hoot about who wears what where......but is it any different from folks wearing football tops down the pub?

In reply to aultguish:
Equally shameful.

In fact, worse. At least the cyclists are partaking in sport!

In reply to ianstevens:

...they could've ran to the pub

In reply to exiled_northerner:

I'm a mamil and proud of it.

My 14 yo son bought me a KOM jersey for my 53rd birthday last month.

Don't give a flying feck what you or anyone else thinks when I wear it on my bike.

In reply to exiled_northerner:

A definite no from me, regardless of the sport, but cycling particularly so.

Tolerable on pre-teens, but kids should be wearing brightly coloured kit, so Tinkoff rather than Sky!

In reply to exiled_northerner:

Who cares. So long as they are getting out riding.
Personally I wouldnt but each to their own.

In reply to exiled_northerner:
Who cares, wear what you like.

In reply to exiled_northerner:

I assume, not many people will wear the Female Colombian outfit: -

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Sport/Pix/pictures/2014/9/15/1410788381...

In reply to Orgsm:

Or indeed wear what you like! But yes, totally agree. I'm surprised by how much some riders must be paying for their clothes (mine is mainly Aldi and Decathlon), but I'm sure they'd be surprised by how much I've spent on, say, ice tools.

I just spent my holiday pocket money on a Finland jersey (€20 - Bargain!) because I quite like Finland (although know nothing about their national cycling team), so if people support a cycling team why not wear the kit if they can afford it?

In reply to exiled_northerner:

Dependent on the overall verdict, you could be potentially saving me a small fortune. My 11 year old has a TdF yellow jersey (complete with Yorkshire rose) and a yellow Tour d'Alsace jersey, whilst my 14 year old has an Omega Pharma Quick Step jersey and a red Tour d'Alsace jersey. Both want to be like their heros and wear their "authentic" kit when they are out. Presumably they are okay to wear their East Bradford jerseys when they are just on any old ride and not just when training/competing?

Very proud of them at the moment as they have just done their longest unaccompanied ride to date - a circuit of Ilkley Moor, including the Cote de Cow and Calf.

When the bigger boy Bingers reaches 15 am I supposed to ban the replica kits? Or should he wear a football shirt instead? Northampton Town obviously.

In reply to FactorXXX:

I don't know . . . . . But if they had it in my size . . . Why not?

In reply to exiled_northerner:

wear whatever the hell you like, if it irks people then even better given the high horse sentiments.

Polka dot looks grim but hey if you like it why not. If X kit was at Y price and becomes a bargain then definitely why not. Especially as some team kit is top quality (eg Sky pro bib shorts)

Be more concerned with how they cycle and that they do cycle. Those MAMILs may be xxxx as people but that isn't because of the kit, they may also be in top shape next season and having such kit made them want to get out.

In reply to aultguish:


I have a very stylish cycling jersey in West Ham colours complete with a Bobby Moore number 6 on the back. Very proud to wear it even if it combines the worst of both worlds

In reply to coinneach:

I like your attitude.

I have Sky bibs ,which are great.

Rather amuses me that the powers that be frown upon the wearing of such items.

In reply to earlsdonwhu:
I think replica kit is absolutely fine, though I think personally I wouldn't have the support for a particular team to buy it for that reason, it'd be based purely on the colours and design (I wear an Astana helmet, but certainly don't support Astana...). However, the fairly silly sight of over-equipped fat blokes on Pinarello Dogmas wearing full replica Sky Kit (a really boring design anyway, IMO), seems to be a disproportionally over-represented on the road. But in general brightly coloured, matching kit gets a yes from me!

Oh and if wearing polkadots, its probably best to be able to justify them against the majority of other riders at least!

In reply to exiled_northerner:

I have 2 - a Trek Discovery Channel one that came out of the bargain bin at LBS and is still my best fitting long sleeve top and a Garmin-Sharp one that was a gift.

I tend not to go for them myself as they date so fast.

In reply to exiled_northerner:

Conversely, would it be okay for a pro out on a training ride to wear a Fat Lad At The Back jersey?

In reply to exiled_northerner:

As always:

Rule #17 // Team kit is for members of the team.
Wearing Pro team kit is also questionable if you’re not paid to wear it.

In reply to exiled_northerner:
I'll throw something into the mix, that is so ghastly, that will eat away at your brain on this mornings tea break, that will turn a blind man even more erm um blinder.........whilst cycling.....I cover my legs..........and buttocks........in...........a pair of......Ron Hills!!!

In reply to aultguish:


Yeah, whatever.

If someone wants to wear pro-team kit then that's up to them, they're living their dream. At least they are getting out and riding a bike.

In reply to Bob:

Lol, I honestly do. For running, cycling, climbing, even the odd Munro if I've forgotten to wash my trousers

In reply to Morgan Woods:

What's this ?

Rule #17 from the book of rampant bike snobbery?

Pish.

I'll keep wearing my KOM jersey, my Aldi bib shorts and my mtb shoes.

Like the best climber, the best cyclist is the one having most fun.

In reply to exiled_northerner:

I'm biased, but I think it's great. Showing your pride in your sport and your chosen team. Get in. Riding on the continent was rather wonderful, all the people out in BMC kit or other. I'd never knock anyone out wearing Arsenal kit or Man U to go to the pub. I admit, though, for reasons of visibility I prefer to ride in the Sky training clothing in the bright blue rather than the black when I'm not wearing other random cycle clothing.

In reply to exiled_northerner:

How come replica kits are far more expensive than plain kits ? If I'm going to act as a travelling billboard for some corporation I want to get paid for it. The only current team I d consider promoting in quebkha, but hate the kit and don't want to be mistaken for a Geordie football fan.

In reply to exiled_northerner:

A few weeks after the TdF Grand Depart in Yorkshire I saw a MAMIL in a King of the Mountains shirt going up a steep hill outside Sheffield. He was pushing.

In reply to Howard J:

Brilliant. . . . He must have had enormous balls!

In reply to coinneach:




Yep, and there's also rules about wearing a winners Jersey you haven't earned and MTB shoes on a road bike!

I seem to remember something by Kafka about a bird that went in search of a cage. Or it may have been Ivor cutler.....

In reply to Chris the Tall:

Ivor Cutler's bird was called "Fremsley" I think but I don't recall a cage.

Must have been Kafka right enough.

In reply to Chris the Tall:

It's odd isn't it, to be fair to Rapha, the Sky stuff seems marginally cheaper than the non-Sky versions of the same bit. Overpriced as Rapha is.

I've never worn team kit, as in I've never owned a replica football bit and I've never owned a replica cycling jersey. On the other hand I race in my running club kit with pride, but only when actually racing for them.

I've read "the rules" and break plenty of them, but I actually like the replica kit rule and be personally breaking it. Applies double to rainbow jerseys.

In reply to exiled_northerner:

I have no problem with amateur cyclists wearing odd bits of pro team kit/leaders jerseys, it’s the full pro-team set up with matching everything I think a bit questionable. I did see someone on a MTB (on the road) with full Sky kit and a Go-Pro on his head which I thought probably trumps all.

In reply to exiled_northerner:

Let people ride in whatever they want to ride in. I hate all these unwritten 'rules' and snobbery on what people should and shouldn't wear. The important thing is they are on their bikes and happy doing what they are doing.

Personally I wouldn't be seen dead in team kit but that's my choice.

In reply to aultguish:


Unlikely given the average gut size of pub-going football shirt wearers.

In reply to exiled_northerner:

I don't have a problem per se with team kit, although mis-matched team kit is not easy on the eye. Some team kits only look good with a tan and when surrounded by a mass of equally gaudy lycra. One thing the Sky kit is good for is hiding a paunch - the white FDJ kit and flab is not good.

They're not for me though.

Coloured jersey's are coloured jerseys: I can't get over-exited about those.
KOM jerseys on the other hand are unmistakably KOM jerseys and you'd better be swift if you're going to wear one of those unless you're a kid (and good on the latter for declaring an interest). Ditto national and world champ jerseys.

In reply to exiled_northerner:

I mostly wear my club kit (the mighty VeloCake) and am relaxed about replica gear. I'm less sure World Champs , polka dot,etc, and get a bit queasy at USPS, Astana, etc. But yeah, people on bikes, got to be a good thing. And racing stuff does work really well.

In reply to exiled_northerner:



Same as replica football kit, it's fine if you want to look like a knob

A fool and his money.....

The rules aka the Velominati is a bunch of arse. You can't wear replica kit, but you can buy their top for $100 or bibs for $200

Like the posuers noodling around Regents Park that Ned Boulting slyly takes the piss out of

I think the chap in Brizzle the other week, in full Sky kit, replete with gloves, helmet, socks and shoes was a bit too far. Unless they have actually signed a slightly over weight late 30's black neo-pro.

Anyhow, I like to keep it real, in my ANC Halfords top. Made Malcolm Elliot smile that one on the Cat and Fiddle ride a year back.......

In reply to The New NickB:


I've got an England rugby top, worn only when watching the games.

I refused to run in my running club kit - I have plenty of running gear and don't need to shell out another £30-ish for something in a colour scheme I can't stand.

I consider the Rules a bit of fun as a guideline - I break plenty of them, too.

In reply to LastBoyScout:

£30? Our vests are £13. We have a rule about only racing in them and Parkrun doesn't count as a race, in fact there is an unwritten rule in the Manchester area about not running parkrun in club kit. I do a lot of team stuff, XC, various road and fell relays, not wearing the club vest could get the whole team DQ'ed.

In reply to The New NickB:

Just checked online - average price of running tops is £20. Still terrible colours - maybe I should find a new club

I was never fast enough or competed often enough to worry the team prizes

In reply to LastBoyScout:

I've always assumed that everyone involved took it as a bit of fun - or at least, that just because someone spends ages on their own account earnestly worrying about where their sunglass arms are sitting relative to their helmet straps or whether their bar tape colour-coordinates with their saddle properly, that doesn't mean that they'll act like a dick towards anyone who doesn't.

In reply to Ramblin dave:

If I took "the rules" seriously, I could ride with my girlfriend or any of my mates. They all break the rule about a ride never being preceded by a swim or followed by a run.

In reply to The New NickB:

You don't have to take the rules seriously because you're a European. The rules are for Americans who need to feel they're from Yurp.

In reply to exiled_northerner:

Don't care what others wear. Well actually i do, but that more about visible clothing when out in the dark. Not replicas or brands.

I'm cheap, so i buy cheap stuff. Don't see the point in a pricier jersy, if there is no functional difference and i can spend the money in something i enjoy more.

In reply to LastBoyScout:


Free vest with our lot, and a training T. Sorry

In reply to AlisonSmiles:

Yes, but you meet the conditions of Rule 17...

In reply to exiled_northerner:

Never understood why people pay to wear adverts.

In reply to purplemonkeyelephant:



In this case the adverts are no longer adverts for a product; they are like slogans on T-shirts that say Motorhead or The Slits or similar, an advert, if you will, for the wearer's enthusiasm, love or insecurity.

When a non-pro pays to wear pro kit, he/she probably isn't paying for the advert to say, "Look, your girders should be made from our pre-coated steel" (Lampre) or "Fixing your kitchen? Maybe you should consider this excellent sealant" (Mapei) or "Have you thought about moving your account to us?" (Banesto, Rabobank, Crédit Agricole) or "I'd ditch that rubbish cafetiere and use our product instead" (Inoxpran). What he/she is most likely paying for is for the advert to say something like, "Look at me, I'm cool," or "Hey, I really dig the team that that Alex Zulle rides for."

In reply to tjin:


There is also the satisfaction of wearing 'special' kit, but then that's very subjective in terms of what it represents to the wearer (see the earlier poster given the KoM jersey by his son). But that could equally apply to cheap kit, if it gives you that certain thrill every time you use it.

I've got kit that I only use for the 'proper' event, ostensibly because it's expensive and I don't want to wear it out unnecessarily, but equally, if not secretly more so, because of the psychological boost from wearing 'the armour'

In reply to exiled_northerner:

I bought a replica M&S lambswool jersey from Aldi. The bugger shrank the first time that I washed it.

In reply to purplemonkeyelephant:

I don't know how much you follow pro cycling but a few sugar-daddy sponsors and corporates aside (i.e., the Oleg Tinkoff, Andy Rihs, James Murdoch, etc.) the sport isn't exactly awash with cash, it is not like there are companies queueing up to sponsor cycling teams. There's a long list of teams which have folded in recent memory through lack of sponsorship - just in the last few years - Belkin, (HTC) Highroad, now Europcar looks on the brink. Orica Greenedge are still failing to attract a second title sponsor. Telecoms company MTN have discontinued sponsorship of MTN Qubekha despite better 2015 results and public exposure than anyone could have hoped for. etc. etc.

Sponsorship of a pro team isn't exactly a mercenary business decision, think companies like Groupe Gobert, who as I understand it, don't actually have any business outside of Belgium. Sponsorship usually comes from corporates where someone on the board is a fan of cycling.

Generally there is not enough sponsorship in cycling to go round, and with the exception of the most high profile examples, they probably isn't a very compelling business argument for doing so. While I don't personally have any interest in wearing replica pro kit, I think the comment about 'paying to wear adverts' is glib but a cheap shot in my view. If Bora are prepared to sponsor a team in order to get wider awareness for their kitchen worktops and extraction systems, then I'm not going to be cynical about someone showing support for the team by wearing the jersey for their Sunday morning ride around Surrey.

This article is excellent btw:
http://inrng.com/2014/06/pro-cycling-sponsorship/

In reply to exiled_northerner:

Nay, of course, or can you name one team jersey that actually looks good, especially if worn by a 47yo man on a 35yo bike?

No thanks, I will be sticking with my unicolour green top with its 1 inch Campagnolo logo and my black bibs....

CB

In reply to exiled_northerner:

I was out in Mallorca last year and caught up with and passed a group of older guys - one of whom was wearing what looked suspiciously like a British Champion's jersey. When I met up with them a little later I realised that he was fully entitled to wear it.

In reply to felt:


Or "this was being sold cheap as last seasons kits so I got a great deal on some decent riding gear".

In reply to exiled_northerner:

If you're going to wear the kit of a bike company, at least ride the same bike - I saw a chap recently in full BMC kit, including socks, riding a Giant...

In reply to Quiddity:

I get where you are coming from, but nonetheless there's no way I'd promote a company as odious as Sky. Even though I'll applaud what they've done for cycling in the UK, they've still got a huge deficit on their moral balance sheet.

I will buy Soudal products next time I need to do some DIY, have Cannondale and Trek bikes, have a couple of Garmins and have frequently used Europcar. I wanted to get some Quick step flooring, but my wife overruled me. However my attempt to buy some Orica products led to problems with special branch, I don't fancy a holiday in Astana and as for putting my savings in to Tinkoff bank, I think not !

Actually both my road cycling tops promote Yorkshire !

In reply to Chris the Tall:

Yeah I'm not so much talking about Sky as I think they come under the 'corporate sugar daddy' category, I understand a lot of it is that James Murdoch is himself a big cycling fan. A problem, though, is that there is a big divide in financial security between the top teams - Sky, Astana, Tinkoff etc. and the lower level WT and pro conti teams, the Europcars, AG2Rs, NetApp Endura, Bora Argon 18 etc. The less attractive the business case for sponsoring cycling, the bigger divide there is going to be in budget between the top level teams with sugar-daddy support and the others.

more here:
http://inrng.com/2015/01/wealthiest-people-pro-cycling-2015/
http://inrng.com/2015/01/wealthiest-people-pro-cycling-2015-part-2/

I get, though, that most of the replica kit you see out on the road is predominantly Sky and the other big teams. As I say, I'm not one for replica kit myself, I prefer something more discreet. But that's my stab at making a sensible case for why you might want to pay to wear an advert, anyway.

The rest of your post made me chuckle

In reply to Quiddity:


In the UK it is, elsewhere it definately isn't Sky.

Climbers, in fact most people, are used to wearing adverts all the time. Have a look how prominent the brand logo is on most of your outdoor clothing.

In reply to Lord of Starkness:

I remember lining up with a guy in a rainbow jersey.

Tosser, I said to myself.

Same thing, of course.

In reply to Mike Highbury:

Got over taken on Brickworks climb by someone in Team Wiggins full kit who gave a cheery wave and smile while I kind of panted at him. It was nice chatting with one of our country's most promising young mountain bikers when I finally reached the top.

In reply to AlisonSmiles:

I was out near Ghent the other day when I overtook a bloke who looked just like Frankie Howerd.

Hadn't realised he was a keen roadie – in fact I thought he had passed away a long time ago – but I gave him the usual "Thrice nay!" as I sped by. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be none other than The Cannibal himself. Which was nice.

In reply to felt:

My own World Champs story is getting thrashed by Mick Ives in my first cross race. I think he'd just moved up to V70

In reply to exiled_northerner:

Like wearing breeks to shoot clays

In reply to felt:

The point of that story was just so you could say that you overtook Merckx!

To be honest, I'd do the same!

In reply to The New NickB:


Nope, sorry, it was a Four Yorkshiremen made-up escalation of the preceding stories, with a Patrick Nice bit of Fast Show to cap it off.

In reply to felt:

Ah, OK!

In reply to SteveRi:


I'm used to Mick Ives steaming past me; he lives in the next village and we share regular cycling routes.

In reply to Hat Dude:

Well can you ask him to stop embarrassing the younger folk pls

In reply to exiled_northerner:

I can understand getting a pro team's kit as it's usually good quality, even though I don't want to wear the stuff myself (apart from my hideous Carrera blue jeans kit ), but I've always thought that adults wearing champions/yellow/polka dot jersey is a bit like buying a replica FA cup to display on your mantelpiece. It actually annoys me a little that they sell the things given how hard earned they are for real.

Still, if they want to wear it so they can have a bit of fun and pretend that they're Eddy Merckx when out on a ride, then why should I be bothered by it?

In reply to Byronius Maximus:


You could use this argument for any pro kit in any sport.

In reply to felt:


I would use that argument in any sport, supporters buying team buying replica kit is a relatively modern thing and is primarily a revenue generator.

Wearing WC stripes is like having the Ashes or the World Cup on your mantlepiece though.

In reply to felt:


True, but the team kit can be to show your support for that team. I don't see how the same applies for leaders' jerseys though.

In reply to aultguish:

Or grown men in football tops at the airport queue atthe holiday period , and you think to yourself ...(well fill in your own thoughts)

In reply to Byronius Maximus:

Well yes, but that's a different argument.

In reply to exiled_northerner: This slagging off cyclists for wearing replica kit kind of reminds me of reading a letter in one of the climbing mags back in the 80's. Some guy had bright yellow pants on and was yoyo-ing his way up The Corner. The gist of the letter was basically how dare he wear something as loud as the pro's.
I see we've made progress in the last 30 yrs. Not.

In reply to exiled_northerner:

The case against replica kit is centred around "respecting the jersey".

Let's take the chap you saw with the Polka Dot jersey. The argument goes like this: during the biggest race in cycling's calender, this particular design jersey can only be worn by the one rider who has demonstrated his ability and earned the right to wear it. Thus, if you wear it having never actually earned it, you are showing a lack of respect for the people who have (or, at the very least, a lack of understanding of what the jersey means).

The case against replica team kit is a bit more muddy because you can claim you're supporting the team - but you can do that by buying a fleece and wearing it down the pub, and I don't see many Team Sky fleeces at my local. And the argument about respecting the jersey is still valid - after all, getting hired to ride for one of the world's best cycling teams is not easy.

So, while I perfectly accept the "I'll wear what I want, thankyouverymuch" argument; the fact is that many riders view replica jerseys (especially the yellow or rainbow jersey) as a red rag to a bull, and will go out of their way to try to humiliate any person who has the gumption to wear them.

In reply to Alun:

Humiliate . . .?

Really?

Were these people bullied at school or something?

In reply to Alun:
I have a Help for Hero's cycle top but havnt served in any of the forces. Should I not wear that in future?
At least im safe with my Fat Lad at the Back one

In reply to the sheep:

Do the armed forces wear such tops to identify themselves when they go into war? Of course not. So the comparison doesn't hold - it's nothing like wearing the yellow jersey.

In reply to coinneach:


More than once I have seen a group catch/overtake a yellow jersey replica wearer and take the piss as they leave him behind.

The point is that, in competition, the the yellow jersey is reserved for those who have earned it. Wearing a replica is read by some cyclists as "I'm good enough to wear the yellow jersey", which in turn can be seen as some sort of challenge.

Personally I would never say anything cos I'm not that bothered. But I can see why others do.

In reply to Alun:

The irony, of course, being that a large percentage of those who "earned" the right to wear those jerseys did so through systematic doping.

That's REALLY respecting the jersey!

In reply to Alun:

The concept of 'respecting the jersey' by earning it in races is your concept, though. Other people may see wearing replica kit as a form of respect and who is to say their concept is wrong ?

In reply to GrahamD:


It's not Alun's concept, it is one that is well established in cycling. You are free to disagree with it, but it won't just be Alun's opinion that you would be disagreeing with.

In reply to The New NickB:

Seemingly its spreading to motorists too!

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/motorists-to-wear-stupid-racing-...

In reply to The New NickB:


"Established in Cycling" - talk about cliquey ! Anyone out on their bike are 'in cycling', not just those that wear club colours.

In reply to GrahamD:


You are inventing a them and us situation. You have a massive chip on your shoulder. I am speaking as someone who isn't a member of a cycling club and just rides a bike.

Is a culture of not bolting Gritstone classics cliquey?

In reply to the sheep:

Quality!!!

In reply to The New NickB:
"Is a culture of not bolting Gritstone classics cliquey?"

No, but a culture of going to the crag with your chums and mocking others because of what they wear could be considered cliquey.

In reply to exiled_northerner:

I saw a MAMIL in full Sky kit in Nottingham on Saturday. Someone on the pavement shouted "You're late"........

In reply to The New NickB:

I'll remind you that you used the term "Established in Cycling" whereas I'll tend to view anyone on a bike as a legitimate cyclist (and a fair chance they'll be a motorist as well). So don't give me bollocks about a chip on my shoulder or as someone who promotes 'us and them'.

Bolting gritstone is obviously a cheap swipe. Not bolting gritstone reflects the concensus view of all those that climb there. Cliquey views on respecting team colours does not represent the majority view of everyone on a bike (the majority floating round town in jeans and tee shirts, wouldn't wear team colours because they are naff, not for any other reason - white jersey with red spots on it FFS)

In reply to Chris Harris:

We cycled through Castle Carrock on Thursday and someone shouted "You're in the lead!"

In reply to GrahamD:
So not bolting gritstone is well established in climbing FFS.

Although unlike if you take a drill to Stanage, if you wear a yellow jersey on your bike, you won't get throttled.

In reply to Sir Chasm:



Firstly, no one is mocking and secondly, bollocks.

In reply to The New NickB:


From just up the thread "More than once I have seen a group catch/overtake a yellow jersey replica wearer and take the piss as they leave him behind.". You've dropped one of your bollocks.

In reply to Sir Chasm:

Using the royal we like Graham likes to do. Your comparison is still bollocks, but I'm sure you knew that.

Funnily enough, I have witnessed someone mocking what someone was wearing at the crag and I have never witnessed it cycling.

In reply to The New NickB:


This is meaningless.

>Your comparison is still bollocks, but I'm sure you knew that.

It's not quite as bad as your drivel about bolting, bolting affects other people, but other people wearing clothing you disapprove of? Grow up.


But Alun has, so you are wrong to state it doesn't happen.

In reply to Sir Chasm:
Sorry "Sir Chasm" were you telling me to grow up? I think I might have to adjust my irony settings.

As for the rest of you dribblings, I think I'll leave it apart from saying that if you get some sort of satisfaction from going around wilfully misinterpreting people's views, as you seem to be doing, I feel quite sorry for you.

In reply to The New NickB:

Ah, you think I wilfully misinterpreted your statement that "no one is mocking" to mean that no one is mocking. Whereas it obviously meant something else.

In reply to exiled_northerner:

From a safety point of view, I suppose that if someone is looking at you thinking "look at that t*at in polka dots", then at least they're seen you, and there's less chance of them squishing you"

In reply to exiled_northerner:

What an utter load of drivel on this thread.

When did it become ok as a society to judge people based on what they are wearing?

Hitler did that with the Jews and look how that turned out.

For the record my young son who only got into cycling because of the TDF coming to Yorkshire now wears last years TDF sprinters jersey. He likes the colour, and it was half price, and was inspired by a certain Sagan.

I wear a Black Sheep Brewery top because it has three bottles on the back of very nice tasting beer. Can you discern from that when seeing me and my son out on the road anything at all about whether you would like to have a pint with me down the pub?

Thought not, live and let live guys, peace out.

In reply to RedFive:


Bravo

In reply to RedFive:

I think that's the largest Godwin I've ever seen in the flesh. Anyone seen bigger?

In reply to RedFive:




That sounds naffer than a yellow jersey or Sky kit!

In reply to MonkeyPuzzle:


It took over a hundred posts, but we got there in the end!

In reply to GrahamD:


You're right, of course, it is very cliquey indeed. But cliques exist everywhere and particularly so in sport.

Let me make another analogy. The yellow jersey (to use the obvious example) is more than just an item of clothing, it is an award - rather like an olympic gold medal. To wear the yellow jersey in the Tour de France, just for one day, would likely be the career pinnacle for 99.99% of professional cyclists.

Practicalities aside, most people wouldn't go for a ride wearing a replica olympic gold medal hanging around their neck. And yet, to a fan of professional cycling, that's exactly what a replica yellow jersey looks like. It just makes no sense - why would you try to pretend that you are an olympic champion, when you're not?

As I said above, personally I'm not really that bothered if somebody wants to wear the yellow jersey on a saturday afternoon ride, live and let live and all that.

But I wouldn't even think about it pulling it over my own head, even to look at myself in the mirror. And not because I'm worried of what others would think, but because I don't think that I deserve such an accolade. If anybody thinks less of me because of this, that's their problem!

In reply to exiled_northerner:

No, nay never.
( that goes for football tops too, unless you are under 14)

At least I have never spotted a grown man in a replica cycling top in the queue at an airport.

In reply to GrahamD:


That's an interesting point - it is a concept which belongs to a certain clique, as discussed above. I would argue that this clique is the one which takes the sport most seriously (both in terms of its practice and its following) but I agree it doesn't make the opinions more valid.

It's like shaving legs - a "serious cyclist" (interpret that how you will) will shave their legs and consider anybody who doesn't as not "as serious" as them. This, like "respecting the jersey" is just another way of expressing affiliation with a tribe.

(I don't shave my legs btw... :P )

In reply to Alun:

I wouldn't be seen in a replica jersey either but because its a naff thing to do rather than a 'respect for the jersey' thing.(and we all have different views on what constitutes naff - my birthday present Beano top is case in point).

I certainly wouldn't begrudge seeing a kid in a Sky top or even some fat bloke if it got him out cycling - their choice.

I see your point about the medals but I don't think its quite the same as wearing a cycling top - you want to wear a cycling top because its comfortable to wear on a bike and its really just the choice of colours.

In reply to RedFive:



He felt yellow stars indicated a championship win?

In reply to Alun:
The whole essence of an olympic medal is that only elite athletes have them but the whole essence of a replica cycling jersey is that they are items of clothing manufactured in bulk on behalf of the TdF or teams to be bought by the general public.

Wearing one you'd be pretending to be something you are not. Wearing the other is just wearing a branded product the TdF or team have licenced to help finance the professional sport.

In reply to elsewhere:

What do Phil and Paul think, is what I'd like to know.

In reply to GrahamD:

I think the coloured jersey basically are medals, a world champions rainbow jersey definitely is.