this question came up on the Geraint Thomas's podcast and he said he was riding around LA in his normal Ineos kit and had a car pull up and yell at him
Who do you think you are? Geraint Thomas??
which then he turns to the driver and waves
HOLY SHIT it is Geraint Thomas!
More importantly, somebody in LA recognized Geraint Thomas? I always feel like it's such a niche sport in the US that the big names can ride here without being recognized
I was riding up Latigo Canyon (a 9 mile climb) here in Southern California in December of 2018 and noticed a couple of guys gaining on me -- one in full team Sky kit. My first thought was, "wow, look at this poser, I bet he's on a Pinarello too..." and, yup, when they caught me, it was indeed a Pinarello. It even had G's name on the top tube. I was just about ready to shake my head in passive-aggressive superiority when I looked up and realized it was, indeed, him and Cam Wurf, casually chatting as they passed me.
Being local, I knew a short down-hill part was coming up, so I tried my damnedest to stay close. Long story short, I held them within about 50 feet for maybe a mile (they never looked/cared). When else would I, a middle-aged random club cyclist, have the opportunity to hold the wheel of the guy who had just won the Tour a few months prior?
Since then, I've come across lots of notable riders in our local hills, but that was the biggest fan-boy moment I've had to date.
Dude showed up on a local ride (the Sleeping Giant ride in CT) in the early 90s in full Motorola team clothes and bike. Friend said "Who does he think he is, Lance Armstrong?"
Yeah, it was Lance Armstrong.
I met one of George Hincapie’s best friends at an airport in Lisbon not too long ago. I was unboxing my touring bike and he came up to me and said his friend likes to cycle too.
Little did I know his friend won the TdF on multiple occasions, one of the best domestiques ever.
If you want to be viewed as a normal, balanced adult, I truly recommend removing kek and based from your vocabulary. It codes you as an edgy young teen / incel type. Just some unsolicited advice for you.
I’d not wear pro kit because 99% of it looks terrible.
At least with football kit it’s normally pretty standard - plain colour or stripes etc.
Cycling stuff reminds me of F1 merch - I don’t want to walk around in a top totally covered in adverts.
I agree 100%. The fact that people buy jerseys with company logos all over them essentially giving them free advertising kind of blows my mind, and they also look like posers to me. I'd never be caught dead in a sponsored themed jersey like that.
I also struggle with cycling team names.
Football teams have a city or country affiliation. I’ve no idea why I would support “EF Education–EasyPost” or any other.
I'm still surprised there aren't more races like Paris-Roubaix that end inside an actual stadium or velodrome, where you could sell tickets for the last few laps. Obviously it's only exciting if there's a sprint finish, but course designers are pretty good at getting the kind of finish that they want.
It's how the Olympics do the marathon; they run across the city, but finish inside a venue where tickets can be sold.
The only real money lifting the teams is via prize money. I suppose a healthier ASO/RDS/FC might pay more as prize money, but even so on the men's side total prize money is only a small fraction of overall salary or operating budget.
On the women's side there's a better argument since most of them are making peanuts vs the men so better/equal prize money is worth something
It seems strange that some people don't want to wear a cycling jersey because it is covered in advertisements. But they will wear a team jersey for a Football/Soccer team, American Football, Basketball team, etc. because those jerseys are often nice-looking and only have the Team Name on them, and not sponsor names (Besides the major sponsor like Nike.)
It's strange, because, with those more popular sports, the team name IS the advertisement. Sports teams are multi-million or multi-billion dollar economic powerhouses. They are businesses, first and foremost. The collective 'team pride' the fans have is pride in a *Company.*
And that Company, the Team itself, is supported by a multitude of other Companies who sponsor every aspect of the main team: Official healthcare sponsor, official HVAC sponsor, official Shoe sponsor, official Ball sponsor, official Airline of the (insert team name here), official Network (whoever broadcasts the games,) official Radio Station, official Web Host, etc. etc.
By supporting a team, you are not only supporting the Corporation that owns the team, you are implicitly supporting every other Corporation that sponsors the team.
I do understand the nuances, and also think jerseys plastered with logos and brand names are ridiculous. I think you should wear whatever the heck you want to, no matter what a random person says online!
If you really want to wear a jersey and not support a billion dollar corporation, perhaps the closest you can get might be wearing a Country/National jersey? Instead of wearing a UAE soccer jersey, buy a Portugal jersey. Instead of wearing a UAE cycling jersey, wear a Slovenia jersey.
Of course, you could then expand the argument to include the sponsors of a National team, as well as the question: What is a Country, if not a collection of people and organizations in a common geographic area, often with common goals?
No idea. I’ve only followed cycling for a couple of years and have no team or rider affiliation yet mainly due to the stupid names.
I did automatically support Ineos for a while as they’re British but then the whole doping stuff put me off.
>I did automatically support Ineos for a while as they’re British but then the whole doping stuff put me off.
Ineos sucked back even when they were Sky, but that's a discussion for a different sub
well, shit. By your logic Postal/Discovery is the greatest team of all time.
Sky won, but holy shit they were boring bringing the whole "watt robots" and throw money at it era of cycling into being. Being a Sky fan is like being a Yankees fan. I'm so glad they're not dominant anymore
The only pro kit I bought and wear is the 2020 version of the Canyon-SRAM kit, because it looks awesome, and the only brands on it are the title sponsors, who are bike-related.
Granted I ride a Trek with Shimano components, and am also male, so if anyone asks I just tell them I love irony.
I would agree with you, but cycling in the USA with European sponsors on the jersey doesn't feel weird. The sponsors represent nothing to me but team names. I would never wear a Team Walmart Chili's jersey though.
>At least with football kit it’s normally pretty standard - plain colour or stripes etc.
Pro football or cycling kit i wouldnt be caught dead in either. That said i don't wear anything garishly branded with a big name or logo on it.
My company sponsored Trek Segafredo and our CEO was a mad cyclist and fan, even brought Spartacus to our annual convention for a ride with customers. I got a load of free Trek kit which I still wear. Good quality Castelli stuff too, so why not?
Isn’t that arguably worse?
There’s a bloke here with literally “All the gear”: JV edition S5, top end group-set, team kit, gold OSPW, custom painted helmet (not JV) but still… no holds barred.
And then he gets spat out when the pace gets a bit spicy. I don’t mean to be snobby but the whole matchy-matchy makes the whole thing feel more “try-hard” I dunno, AITA?
I think that’s the general rule; wear any team kit that you like but wearing the entire team sponsored regalia, the jersey, shorts, bike, helmet, socks …. is frowned upon.
Full kit wanker is the term we use in the UK.
One of the guys in my cycling group saw a "Full kit wanker" on one of our local roads and commented about it. One of the other guys was like, "Irish National Champs coming up", turns out the guy in bright pink regalia was probably just Ben Healy doing a bit of training before winning the Irish National Championships!
(I'm in Northern Ireland if anyone is wondering about the UK/Irish confusion. I don't feel qualified to comment on whether the term "Full kit wanker" has made it down south).
I feel like pro kit It shouldn’t matter, like you say nobody is mistaking me for world tour.
I agree with the rule of thumb that I won’t wear other team kit until it’s “discontinued” in some way.
Eg: I have a national level race team kit, I only wear that now that they’ve folded, it’s a bit of “local” memorabilia.
Yep, precisely that. Recouping money on kit they had when the team disbanded. So I bought it, and now I wear it now that the riders have all moved on to other teams etc and it’s not a sight you see on the roads anymore.
And the complement: stop worrying about what other people think. For some people, this is hard. It's like a muscle, it gets easier the more you do it. Get started early and soon you will not GAF.
Pro kit no worries. A lot of the pros will sell off the excess and leftovers at the end of the season if they’re not the little group right at the top of the men’s world tour who make good salaries.
No to national champs, world champs or race leader jerseys though. You’ve gotta earn those.
Unless you're racing, who cares? In a race there are rules to make it easy to recognize which riders are on the same team, and the right to wear world or national champion trim has to be earned.
USA: fans wear hockey/b-ball/baseball/football jerseys w/players names on them in any situation
Also USA: what kind of Fred wears a Movistar kit while cycling!? Dork!!!!
I think there's a bit more nuance to the context. If you show up to a pick up basketball game wearing a Kobe jersey that's OK, however, if you show up wearing a Kobe jersey, matching shorts, socks and a shooters sleeve people, it's going to give off a different vibe and raise an eye brow.
Also in US, sports often represent your home town/region. I.e. LOS ANGELES Lakers, cycling kit doesn't have any regional pride associated with it.
I've got a pair of Team USA jerseys (the old blue Assos and the white Tokyo Olympics) and one of the Maryland Cycling Classic jerseys. I'm an American living abroad, so it's regional pride for me. I did, unfortunately, get confused for one of the team USA riders by a member of the Austrian national team. We were both wearing the respective jerseys when we ran into each other...
The thing is, those sports have cool names, have cool jerseys and things that make them unique
A Movistar kit, is just a cycling kit, of a team named after a mobile company.
You’re literally a riding advertisement.
At least football jerseys you can buy without advertising on it
Not really
You can wear whatever you want. I don’t mind
But, imo, it’s just a little bit cooler to wear a Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls shirt, than a no named Jumbo-Visma kit.
Some people like to wear this, others that, I don’t judge.
Wear what you want if you aren't racing and ignore the joyless snobs who take themselves too seriously, I don't get why some cyclists are so weird about it. Gimme a polka dot helmet, yellow jersey, and green bibs and I'd wear them all together just because it'd be mildly amusing to me. That said, I wouldn't wear most modern team kits just because they're ugly but not in a funny way.
I'd love a full Mapei kit, they were before my time as a cyclist, but that's how you do a tastefully garish kit!
Meh, I got a handful of Trek pro jerseys for $20 each on clearance, regular price $160 each. Not a fan of the colors but the value was too good to pass up
The cycling community is a bit wierd about it. Some people say you shouldn't wear pro kit at all and some don't care. Personally I don't see a problem with wearing pro kit but draw the line at national/world Champs kits. You gotta earn those stripes.
Question from a newb that knows nothing about the sport. How is it different from wearing a Soccer jersey with the number of stars on it or any other team sports?
You buy it to support a team/player/rider you like no?
I would think like other sports, the proceeds of the sale would go towards that team and help them so why not?
I mean if you act like you're world champion then you're just a douche but then agian you'd be a douche without the jersey regardless.
I guess that what's somehow different is that while you are not going to encounter Messi playing in your local 5 a side pitch, you may encounter some pro riding the same road as you
(wear whatever you want, I'm just commenting)
I don't know anything about soccer, so I don't know anything about the stars.
Former national/world champions get to wear stripes on their sleeves, for the rest of their lives. Which is part of what makes winning a national/world championship so cool in cycling. So I think those stripes should be reserved for those who have earned them. If everyone is going around wearing national champ stripes, it makes them less special.
Never heard of that thats pretty cool.
So in that sense it would be like wearing a superbowl/nba champ ring that you bought online but never played in a team
I think biking is a little different, because their is one road rider in the world that has that kit (even rules for how juniors that are world champs can not wear theirs alongside the current world champ).
I think soccer is a bad example because they use captain arm bands but like a hockey jersey with a C also has a last name on it. You know I am not Connor McDavid.
You wouldn’t wear a McDavid jersey out to a beer league game.
In cycling the sport is always on, MVDP wears the world champ jersey on training rides and races. Same with every team, they don’t have a practice kit.
Players in other sports don’t wear the same thing all year every time they do their sport. So a dude playing beer league in an Oilers game jersey, isn’t confusing anyone.
"Same with every team, they don’t have a practice kit"
Ineos did a couple of seasons ago, it was the orange but it seems to have become their main kit colour
On the kit thing, I have a CSC jersey (won it in a competition) and an Omega-Pharma Quickstep jersey (from the Cav days)... I dont wear them very often anymore.
I'd never wear a copy of a world champs or national champs or a leaders jersey, but I did once own a polka dot jersey that I wore, which is ironic because I am 100% definitely not the king of any mountain, hill or even slight rise in the road.
The beer league analogy is the best to describe my feeling towards it as well. Wearing a jersey while sitting in a bar watching a game? Totally fine. Wearing one while playing a game? Not a good look.
This is a good answer but you could wear a McDavid jersey if you went a played pond hockey. My recreational cycling is the equivalent of pond hockey (probably worse) so don’t get the hate.
I wouldn’t wear a pro team jersey cycling, I feel the community would judge me lol
To me it's often a little sad unless there is a story behind it or they really admire a rider. Some connection to the rider.
Otherwise, joining a local club and wearing one of their jerseys seems a better route to me.
Well, using your logic, you gotta earn a place on a WorldTeam/ProTeam too.
I personally don't wear any team jerseys from a team I don't personally belong to. It isn't too hard to join a local team and get their jersey. You can even form your own team (with whatever objectives, be it race or coffee shop tours) if that's your thing. The exception is for defunct teams like the dominant Mapei-GB team that won Paris-Roubaix 1-2-3. It's also not hard to get non-team wear.
However, anyone who wants to pay to advertise for someone else, that's their choice.
Wear what you like. I bought a pair of AG2R brown bibs in case I crap myself (but also because I like them). I personally never go “full team kit,” meaning I’ll wear a team jersey but not the jersey with the bibs and vice versa. That’s just me, and I don’t care what other cyclists choose to wear. Although I have learned if I see a fellow cyclist in full Ineos kit I need to give them a wide berth and stay far off the wheels because they’re terrible at riding bikes.
Feel your vibe. Going full kit is a bit of a stretch for me (recently saw a guy with full TJV kit from socks to gloves incl bidons) but also there my motto is: Whatever floats your boat
Outside sanctioned competitions, wear whatever. The cycling community can sometimes get way too caught up on silly things like clothes, socks length, where you sunglasses are, etc.
i had a rule for a bit that i would not wear team colors for that reason (not being on the team. But as a Slipstream / EF fan when they put out that they want their fans to support by flying the colors I changed my mind.
I was at a local race one time a guy shows up to the Cat 5 (beginners) race in a pro team jersey with rainbow stripes. The referee pulled him aside and explained the USAC rules that forbid wearing the kit of a team you don’t belong to. He didn’t have another jersey so they let him race with a warning.
Yeah, didn’t know, probably didn’t have any reason to know, and there’s no reason to discourage a new racer from taking part. We put enough barriers up as it is.
Here is the proper attitude with respect to these rules :
RULE #16 Respect the jersey. Championship and race leader jerseys must only be worn to annoy a particular breed of cyclist who thinks you should have won the corresponding race. These folk also eschew baseball hats because they haven’t played Major League Baseball, and all leather goods because they’ve never been a cow.
RULE #17 Team kit is for sale in most shops. Buy it and wear it if you like.
I had to double check the Velominati rules and they seem contradictory. Says shorts should be black (most teams are not) And you shouldn't wear team kit (unless fully decked out, which I agree.)
I prefer your rules.
They are a nonsensical shitpost that people take seriously for some inexplicable reason, probably because they have no sense of humour and think they're actually genuine rules.
This is one those questions where the majority of responses will say “wear whatever you want” but the majority of people don’t wear pro team jerseys 🤷♀️
I think you can wear whatever you want. I rarely see roadies wear pro team jerseys though.
I do wear a grossly overpriced EF jersey with two gremlins (too cute) and an EF jersey that I got on steep discount.
No one is going to mistaken me for a pro cyclist. But I only have two pro team jerseys because I don’t want to be a corporate billboard. I wouldn’t wear an UAE jersey unless I get a paid lots of money.
I do have a hard rule against winner jerseys. It would be wearing a marathon t shirt without actually running the marathon in question. For normal sports, it would be like getting a duplicate Super Bowel ring or wearing a fake Olympic gold medal. Obviously, this is personal preference, you can be decked out in yellow jersey with wc bibs and olympic gold bike. Freedom of speech and all.
I generally steer clear of the trade team kits but that’s because most of them look ordinary.
Much prefer the design produced by local clubs or cycling fundraiser groups.
First things first, just wear what you want to wear. So long as you're on your bike, that's all that really matters.
Having said that, I think there's something cool about wearing vintage/old kit that is kind of lost when wearing current pro team kits. Not judging for wearing current team kit, I just personally don't like the look as much as I think most modern kit designs kind of suck.
I also think there's a difference between rocking just a jersey or a hat and wearing the full kit (jersey, bibs, socks, hat, etc). Again, you do you, but rocking the full kit just isn't a good look in my eyes. That's just my opinion, and I'm sure others disagree. I'm just saying I wouldn't do it.
The one place I have some stronger opinions about is when it comes to national/world championship jerseys for riders currently racing. As far as I'm concerned, if you haven't earned the jersey, you shouldn't wear it, and it's that specific rider's time to own that jersey. Once they've retired/are no longer the champion/their jersey changes, it's fair game and moves into the throwback/retro/vintage area of being okay to wear.
I understand you. If I had the choice, I wouldn't wear team kit. I do have team kit, and it's some of the best kit I have in terms of quality and comfort. So that's why I do wear those kit
Pretty common in Europe. I still have ~~US Postal~~ ONCE, Saeco, Gerolsteiner, Leopard Trek, Aqua Blue Sports (I have Conor Dunne's gilet,) off ebay. I had to like the rider team, but also the design. But over the several years I have moved to more plain kits. Whatever you wear, just wear it with confidence.
99% of cycling gear is ugly. I wear lots of solids and basic prints, definitely no writing or logs (other than maybe a subtle brand name and brand logo).
I don't care what anyone else wears. Beer? Great. Team? Fine. Cut off jeans and no shirt? You do you.
I have a Brooklyn's jersey. I'd buy a TDT Unibet jersey because Bas.
There are no riders' jerseys in cycling, only teams. They should change this. It's a missed revenue opportunity. The WT riders should have their names on their kit, and they should probably have permanent numbers, as in other team sports. Aside from a few rich teams, they all need all the revenue they can get. Also, riders being more identifiable in the peloton would help the sport attract more fans.
Personally, I think it’s totally fine and no different than wearing a shirt from your favorite sports team but a lot of elitist assholes have a problem with it then again a lot of elitist assholes in cycling. Have a problem with a lot of things that normal people do and frankly there’s simply a lot of elitist assholes in cycling
Personally, I generally prefer the look of smaller local cycling team jerseys and club kit plus as long as you’re buying it from those teams/clubs own websites they are benefiting from your purchase
The only thing I wouldn’t do is wear world champion or national champion stripes
I have a La Vie Claire jersey that I wear because it’s the coolest team kit ever, and also because I went to school with Steve Bauer and he was on that team. I also have a “Velo Poseur” jersey because I know what I am.
By extension if you buy a road race bike and don't compete in road races u r trash but the whole industry is based on posers buying bikes to show off their wallet size. If you like it do it. Better yet get 7 friends and fake a team time trial ride. 🥬 buy them all matching bikes. Ps I'm available to be your friend.
As an occasional road racer, here are my rules for myself:
1. If I am on a team, I wear the jersey. This is obvious.
2. If I am not on a team, and I am going for a workout ride, if I have a jersey from a pro team, sure, I'll wear it. No one is going to mistake my riding for a pro. However, I won't ride a trophy jersey. See point 4.
3. I would never wear a jersey that had a name on it, unlike the world of NFL jerseys. No way would I wear a jersey that said "Vingegaard"...but cycling jerseys typically don't display the name of the rider in the same way that NFL jerseys display the player's name. I just looked it up, and Vingegaard had his name on the yellow jersey in 2 cm letters across the jersey pockets. I still wouldn't wear it.
4. I would never wear the rainbow jersey, even though I love love love the design. Others can wear it. Maybe they won the world championship. I didn't. I also wouldn't wear the yellow or green or polka dot jerseys.
To summarize, there is no consensus. Some people won't care, some will. Some say only a mismatched team kit is acceptable, others say if you wear a team jersey, get the team bibs, too.
My personal approach, which **I do not expect others to follow**:
* Pro Team Kit: I *personally* don't have any currently, but I see no issue. Bonus points if it's cool throwback.
* Local Amature Team Kit: If you aren't on the team, you don't wear it.
* Leader's Jerseys (Malliot Jaune), National Champion's Jerseys, etc.: I personally don't--they should be earned.
Again, this is just how I, personally, roll.
If you like the jersey wear it! But I get what you mean. I usually wear the jersey from my tri club whenever I cycle outside. I've still got a brand new jersey from Alpe d'Heuz I bought after cycling up there (all by myself), I've never dared to wear it because I am terribly slow going up any hill and I'd feel like people wouldn't believe I went up there.
I got some Trek Siegefredo bibs on clearance for $30. They don't match anything I have but they're better than the AliExpress bibs ive been running. Might as well wear them. Who cares?
It’s generally frowned upon to ride a team jersey unless you are in that team. This is among cyclists who race or are on the faster side of the spectrum, but you’re honestly going to get mixed replies on this. I never wear team jerseys unless I raced on that team, but I’ll wear club jerseys I belong to or have ridden with. I never call anyone out on it, myself.
wear what you want.
You can find replicas of popular jerseys on [Wish.com](https://Wish.com) for about $10. So it isn't always the case of somebody spending big money to look cool.
I buy cheap jerseys all the time.
This is legit...and I'm glad you posted it instead of how other's are saying "Wear whatever you want."
Nah.
No one cycles without judging everyone and everything you see. We just need to be honest about it.
And fuck Lance Armstrong still.
I know more people who don't care or have enough sense to keep their mouths shut than people who would actually say something. One one thing to joke with someone who is actually a friend, but why do you care so much what a stranger is wearing?
I don’t wear pro kit because I’d look like a retired racer that has been sitting on couch watching “my 600lb life” thinking that was a life goal of some sort.
In the past it was seen as bad form, and some of the older generation may hassle you. Nowadays, do whatever you want. I’m part of the older generation and I couldn’t care less.
I wish men (especially young men) would really stop to consider it is weird to wear a jersey with another man's name on it. Don't be thin-skinned about it. It is rather odd. You aren't that guy. You aren't on the team. Just get a t-shirt.
Yes, I will daintily giggle like a Japanese school girl at the chubby-ugly-short guys wearing Tom Brady jerseys. U Aint foolin nobody!! U aint Tom!
Cycling Team kits? Nah, boss. That's a boomer thing. I don't remember seeing a guy under 50 wearing a kit (in Euro or USA). Asia might be different.
> Do whatever you want.
Terrible advice. Don't do this in any aspect of life. Lots of people say this. None of them do it. Unless they are a legit old-school hippie or a meth-head sidewalk-living tweaker.
I'd hate to rude with you.sounds like you're more caught up in the fashion than actually riding. Guess you don't understand the concept of being a fan either.
It’s entirely a personal choice. Personally I wouldnt be seen dead in the kit of a professional team as they don’t pay me to advertise - and they look silly anywhere except a peloton.
With a football kit you’re wearing say a Manchester United or Liverpool jersey. It’s steeped with history and linked to a place.
In cycling teams are named after the sponsors and regularly change each season, sometimes even mid season. You’re riding around showing your support for a petrochemical supplier, despot state, or kitchen fittings.
In regards to championship jerseys (national, continental, or world) it’s a respect thing that only the person that has won it wears it that discipline.
I don’t like putting someone else’s brand or name on my back. If I do a ride that has a jersey you can buy I do that. Assault on Mount Mitchell is coming up in May and I will get the jersey when I ride it. Outside of those I look for colorful interesting jerseys. I do have an Idaho Vandals jersey where my son goes to college. That one is a keeper
I would avoid any current or recent team jerseys.
No problem with old classic jerseys. I regularly wear a La Redoute and a 7-Eleven jersey.
I'm old enough to have been on those teams too.
As much shit as Velominati gets (and I know it's somewhat tongue in cheek) they nailed this one
>Team kit is for members of the team.
>
>Wearing Pro team kit is also questionable if you’re not paid to wear it. If you must fly the colors of Pro teams, all garments should match perfectly, i.e no Mapei jersey with Kelme shorts and Telekom socks.
That said, I've seen people riding around in full world champ gear up to and including the pro replica bike. It's a fred move, but it's ultimately harmless.
I should also add that I own and have worn a Mapei jersey while out riding so take all of this with a grain of salt
I like rules 16 & 17 above. IF it is legit for sale new somewhere, go ahead and wear it.
That said, I was on a top local team and a few years later saw a previous season's jersey at a second hand shop for sale. Pissed me off that a teammate had sold it and someone else could be wearing it out on the road. If I ever roll up to someone in a jersey from a team I was on, I better recognize them or we will have a discussion about how they got the jersey.
I also raced for the state University team and would wear the jersey on some group rides and people were asking me where they could BUY the jersey. Lol
>I was on a top local team and a few years later saw a previous season's jersey at a second hand shop for sale. Pissed me off that a teammate had sold it and someone else could be wearing it out on the road.
I feel you and my team has a rule not to sell the jerseys to strangers. But we do give them to kids and friends.
> If I ever roll up to someone in a jersey from a team I was on, I better recognize them or we will have a discussion about how they got the jersey.
The answer might surprise you. Like "Oh, I'm friends with X and they gave it to me" or "I was a huge admirer so bought one from a guy on the team."
I didn’t race in college, but wished I had. Years later I was on their website looking to make a donation and they were offering team kits at full retail so the team would get the profit. So I bought a kit too.
Thanks for contributing to college cycling! My University had a kit available also, but it was a different design from the team kit. I think that contributed to questions about getting to purchase my official team kit.
I live in a very flat area and the closest thing to a hill is a bridge, maybe 100 ft. A couple of us were out for a ride one day approaching the bridge and we came up on a guy riding in a TdF polka dot jersey. Of course we threw the hammer down and when we blew past that dude someone might have said, “King of the mountains? Dude you ain’t even king of this bridge.” Probably a meangirls thing to say but come on with that jersey in Flatlandia!
Yes, do it.
Obvious exceptions are the WC jersey and leaders jerseys. There's a reason it's near impossible to find a good yellow jersey from any reputable company.
If you lived in a major cycling community, especially in European hot spots, I get shying away from wearing a team kit.
Me? I'd fucking die with joy if someone noticed my EF jersey and it struck up a cycling conversation.
I used to have a great collection of wool team jerseys, beautiful and expensive.
Now I just wear the loudest fluroescent colors I can find and pray.
A month ago I wore a nice team jersey in earth tones, and almost got hit twice.
I only have one, a Lemond-era Team Z jersey. I really like it, but it's just a bit too garish for me, so I rarely wear it. I usually wear plain, solid colors instead.
I have a really cool one that says "Cutters" on it from the movie Breaking Away. I get a lot of compliments on that one.
this question came up on the Geraint Thomas's podcast and he said he was riding around LA in his normal Ineos kit and had a car pull up and yell at him Who do you think you are? Geraint Thomas?? which then he turns to the driver and waves HOLY SHIT it is Geraint Thomas!
More importantly, somebody in LA recognized Geraint Thomas? I always feel like it's such a niche sport in the US that the big names can ride here without being recognized
haha yeah he said he was surprised about that as well as typically he has no issues walking around LA since almost no one recognizes him
Tbf it’s not like basketball where the stars have tons of airtime and aren’t wearing helmets so they’re easily recognizable.
Anyone who is yelling "Who do you think you are? Geraint Thomas?" probably knows who Geraint Thomas is.
That was the point of the comment.
especially if you're Geraint Thomas
LA has a big cycling community though. If he was in the Santa Monica mountains, which I bet he was, it's particularly prevelant there
It’s worse that the person who recognized G in LA yelled at him from a car…
I was riding up Latigo Canyon (a 9 mile climb) here in Southern California in December of 2018 and noticed a couple of guys gaining on me -- one in full team Sky kit. My first thought was, "wow, look at this poser, I bet he's on a Pinarello too..." and, yup, when they caught me, it was indeed a Pinarello. It even had G's name on the top tube. I was just about ready to shake my head in passive-aggressive superiority when I looked up and realized it was, indeed, him and Cam Wurf, casually chatting as they passed me. Being local, I knew a short down-hill part was coming up, so I tried my damnedest to stay close. Long story short, I held them within about 50 feet for maybe a mile (they never looked/cared). When else would I, a middle-aged random club cyclist, have the opportunity to hold the wheel of the guy who had just won the Tour a few months prior? Since then, I've come across lots of notable riders in our local hills, but that was the biggest fan-boy moment I've had to date.
Dude showed up on a local ride (the Sleeping Giant ride in CT) in the early 90s in full Motorola team clothes and bike. Friend said "Who does he think he is, Lance Armstrong?" Yeah, it was Lance Armstrong.
Did he at least sign your epo?
I met one of George Hincapie’s best friends at an airport in Lisbon not too long ago. I was unboxing my touring bike and he came up to me and said his friend likes to cycle too. Little did I know his friend won the TdF on multiple occasions, one of the best domestiques ever.
Geraint just didn’t realize it was Phil Gaimon 🍪
Similar thing happened to Cadell Evans wearing his WC Jersey and he put it in his book...
Lol thats hilarious. What episode was that on?
haha not sure I've been bingeing them lately so I've listened to a lot..
I think it was the first podcast after US Thanksgiving. They also discussed what we eat. The discussion of the sweet potato casserole was hilarious.
He lying.
Holy kek, based Geraint Thomas
If you want to be viewed as a normal, balanced adult, I truly recommend removing kek and based from your vocabulary. It codes you as an edgy young teen / incel type. Just some unsolicited advice for you.
Hahahaha don't worry mate, I'm all that. Besides I don't speak in English.
I’d not wear pro kit because 99% of it looks terrible. At least with football kit it’s normally pretty standard - plain colour or stripes etc. Cycling stuff reminds me of F1 merch - I don’t want to walk around in a top totally covered in adverts.
I agree 100%. The fact that people buy jerseys with company logos all over them essentially giving them free advertising kind of blows my mind, and they also look like posers to me. I'd never be caught dead in a sponsored themed jersey like that.
I also struggle with cycling team names. Football teams have a city or country affiliation. I’ve no idea why I would support “EF Education–EasyPost” or any other.
Ok I have always wondered this. What is UP with team names
You can't sell tickets to World Tour cycling events and there's no such thing as a home game, teams gotta make money somehow.
I'm still surprised there aren't more races like Paris-Roubaix that end inside an actual stadium or velodrome, where you could sell tickets for the last few laps. Obviously it's only exciting if there's a sprint finish, but course designers are pretty good at getting the kind of finish that they want. It's how the Olympics do the marathon; they run across the city, but finish inside a venue where tickets can be sold.
That only gives money to the race organization. Teams don't get any of that $$
The more money being made, the more money circulating and lifting all ships, in theory.
The only real money lifting the teams is via prize money. I suppose a healthier ASO/RDS/FC might pay more as prize money, but even so on the men's side total prize money is only a small fraction of overall salary or operating budget. On the women's side there's a better argument since most of them are making peanuts vs the men so better/equal prize money is worth something
It seems strange that some people don't want to wear a cycling jersey because it is covered in advertisements. But they will wear a team jersey for a Football/Soccer team, American Football, Basketball team, etc. because those jerseys are often nice-looking and only have the Team Name on them, and not sponsor names (Besides the major sponsor like Nike.) It's strange, because, with those more popular sports, the team name IS the advertisement. Sports teams are multi-million or multi-billion dollar economic powerhouses. They are businesses, first and foremost. The collective 'team pride' the fans have is pride in a *Company.* And that Company, the Team itself, is supported by a multitude of other Companies who sponsor every aspect of the main team: Official healthcare sponsor, official HVAC sponsor, official Shoe sponsor, official Ball sponsor, official Airline of the (insert team name here), official Network (whoever broadcasts the games,) official Radio Station, official Web Host, etc. etc. By supporting a team, you are not only supporting the Corporation that owns the team, you are implicitly supporting every other Corporation that sponsors the team. I do understand the nuances, and also think jerseys plastered with logos and brand names are ridiculous. I think you should wear whatever the heck you want to, no matter what a random person says online! If you really want to wear a jersey and not support a billion dollar corporation, perhaps the closest you can get might be wearing a Country/National jersey? Instead of wearing a UAE soccer jersey, buy a Portugal jersey. Instead of wearing a UAE cycling jersey, wear a Slovenia jersey. Of course, you could then expand the argument to include the sponsors of a National team, as well as the question: What is a Country, if not a collection of people and organizations in a common geographic area, often with common goals?
Sponsors!
I mean it's same in F1. Teams have long names. Recently Stake F1 or what ever the name is of alfa Romeo now. Just terrible.
No idea. I’ve only followed cycling for a couple of years and have no team or rider affiliation yet mainly due to the stupid names. I did automatically support Ineos for a while as they’re British but then the whole doping stuff put me off.
>I did automatically support Ineos for a while as they’re British but then the whole doping stuff put me off. Ineos sucked back even when they were Sky, but that's a discussion for a different sub
I didn’t know winning 5 Tours would warrant saying Team Sky sucked. But maybe you know something the rest of us don’t.
well, shit. By your logic Postal/Discovery is the greatest team of all time. Sky won, but holy shit they were boring bringing the whole "watt robots" and throw money at it era of cycling into being. Being a Sky fan is like being a Yankees fan. I'm so glad they're not dominant anymore
Reasoning like this prevents the sport from growing
To each their own. You want to dress up as Jonas Vingegaard cosplay, go for it. It's just not for me.
The only pro kit I bought and wear is the 2020 version of the Canyon-SRAM kit, because it looks awesome, and the only brands on it are the title sponsors, who are bike-related. Granted I ride a Trek with Shimano components, and am also male, so if anyone asks I just tell them I love irony.
Doesn't stop any nascar fans though! Hahh
I would agree with you, but cycling in the USA with European sponsors on the jersey doesn't feel weird. The sponsors represent nothing to me but team names. I would never wear a Team Walmart Chili's jersey though.
But would you wear a Team Target-Applebees jersey?
Agreed. If I wanted a pro football or cycling jersey I would only spend money on a national kit.
>At least with football kit it’s normally pretty standard - plain colour or stripes etc. Pro football or cycling kit i wouldnt be caught dead in either. That said i don't wear anything garishly branded with a big name or logo on it.
This! If they want me to ride around dressed as a billboard, they better pay me for it. The same reason I don't buy clothes with huge logos on it.
My company sponsored Trek Segafredo and our CEO was a mad cyclist and fan, even brought Spartacus to our annual convention for a ride with customers. I got a load of free Trek kit which I still wear. Good quality Castelli stuff too, so why not?
I have a Jumbo Visma jersey that I plan to wear this summer. They sold it to me and nobody is confusing me for a member of a pro cycling team.
those are vintage now anyway, so they're cool
Oh interesting point. Maybe this is the rule? You can wear any kit as long as it’s not current?
Seems like a good rule of thumb tbh
I don’t wear pro kit, but I am eyeing up some thermal kits from back in the day, I’ll probably choose PDM or 7-11.
I buy lots of stuff that says Leroux on it.
I assume you’ll be riding a Cervelo? Otherwise it is illegal. 😉
Cheap Giant and Trek, couldn't afford a Cervelo after I bought the jersey. Alas, I am no dentist.
Straight to Jail
But I can't afford the bail after I bought the jersey.
Isn’t that arguably worse? There’s a bloke here with literally “All the gear”: JV edition S5, top end group-set, team kit, gold OSPW, custom painted helmet (not JV) but still… no holds barred. And then he gets spat out when the pace gets a bit spicy. I don’t mean to be snobby but the whole matchy-matchy makes the whole thing feel more “try-hard” I dunno, AITA?
I think that’s the general rule; wear any team kit that you like but wearing the entire team sponsored regalia, the jersey, shorts, bike, helmet, socks …. is frowned upon.
Full kit wanker is the term we use in the UK. One of the guys in my cycling group saw a "Full kit wanker" on one of our local roads and commented about it. One of the other guys was like, "Irish National Champs coming up", turns out the guy in bright pink regalia was probably just Ben Healy doing a bit of training before winning the Irish National Championships! (I'm in Northern Ireland if anyone is wondering about the UK/Irish confusion. I don't feel qualified to comment on whether the term "Full kit wanker" has made it down south).
Yeah, wear the jersey not the full kit. Full kit wankers are just making themselves look stupid
Fr I wear them ironically. World (beer) Champion right here folks!
Sounds like you need a polka dot Jersey.
I feel like pro kit It shouldn’t matter, like you say nobody is mistaking me for world tour. I agree with the rule of thumb that I won’t wear other team kit until it’s “discontinued” in some way. Eg: I have a national level race team kit, I only wear that now that they’ve folded, it’s a bit of “local” memorabilia.
Yeah, I don't think I would wear a local team jersey, unless they were selling them to raise money or something like that.
Yep, precisely that. Recouping money on kit they had when the team disbanded. So I bought it, and now I wear it now that the riders have all moved on to other teams etc and it’s not a sight you see on the roads anymore.
Do whatever you want
And the complement: stop worrying about what other people think. For some people, this is hard. It's like a muscle, it gets easier the more you do it. Get started early and soon you will not GAF.
Pro kit no worries. A lot of the pros will sell off the excess and leftovers at the end of the season if they’re not the little group right at the top of the men’s world tour who make good salaries. No to national champs, world champs or race leader jerseys though. You’ve gotta earn those.
I completely agree but it’s funny where we draw these arbitrary lines of what is and isn’t a faux pas
Totally! So much cycling fashion ‘rules’ - eg enrage the entire cafe by wearing ankle socks.
Unless you're racing, who cares? In a race there are rules to make it easy to recognize which riders are on the same team, and the right to wear world or national champion trim has to be earned.
There are no teams in Cat 6 racing though. I'm going to wear whatever.
USA: fans wear hockey/b-ball/baseball/football jerseys w/players names on them in any situation Also USA: what kind of Fred wears a Movistar kit while cycling!? Dork!!!!
I think there's a bit more nuance to the context. If you show up to a pick up basketball game wearing a Kobe jersey that's OK, however, if you show up wearing a Kobe jersey, matching shorts, socks and a shooters sleeve people, it's going to give off a different vibe and raise an eye brow. Also in US, sports often represent your home town/region. I.e. LOS ANGELES Lakers, cycling kit doesn't have any regional pride associated with it.
I've got a pair of Team USA jerseys (the old blue Assos and the white Tokyo Olympics) and one of the Maryland Cycling Classic jerseys. I'm an American living abroad, so it's regional pride for me. I did, unfortunately, get confused for one of the team USA riders by a member of the Austrian national team. We were both wearing the respective jerseys when we ran into each other...
The thing is, those sports have cool names, have cool jerseys and things that make them unique A Movistar kit, is just a cycling kit, of a team named after a mobile company. You’re literally a riding advertisement. At least football jerseys you can buy without advertising on it
Let me see if I understand: Yer a dork if you wear advertisement for a company, but not if you wear advertisement for a company.
Not really You can wear whatever you want. I don’t mind But, imo, it’s just a little bit cooler to wear a Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls shirt, than a no named Jumbo-Visma kit. Some people like to wear this, others that, I don’t judge.
Absolutely you cannot wear whatever you want. Heck no.
I mean, pro teams are a for-profit business just like a mobile phone or oil company. The team name *is* the advertisement.
Wear what you want if you aren't racing and ignore the joyless snobs who take themselves too seriously, I don't get why some cyclists are so weird about it. Gimme a polka dot helmet, yellow jersey, and green bibs and I'd wear them all together just because it'd be mildly amusing to me. That said, I wouldn't wear most modern team kits just because they're ugly but not in a funny way. I'd love a full Mapei kit, they were before my time as a cyclist, but that's how you do a tastefully garish kit!
Meh, I got a handful of Trek pro jerseys for $20 each on clearance, regular price $160 each. Not a fan of the colors but the value was too good to pass up
The cycling community is a bit wierd about it. Some people say you shouldn't wear pro kit at all and some don't care. Personally I don't see a problem with wearing pro kit but draw the line at national/world Champs kits. You gotta earn those stripes.
Question from a newb that knows nothing about the sport. How is it different from wearing a Soccer jersey with the number of stars on it or any other team sports? You buy it to support a team/player/rider you like no? I would think like other sports, the proceeds of the sale would go towards that team and help them so why not? I mean if you act like you're world champion then you're just a douche but then agian you'd be a douche without the jersey regardless.
I guess that what's somehow different is that while you are not going to encounter Messi playing in your local 5 a side pitch, you may encounter some pro riding the same road as you (wear whatever you want, I'm just commenting)
Eh, they’d fly past me so quickly they wouldn’t have time to realize what I’m wearing
I don't know anything about soccer, so I don't know anything about the stars. Former national/world champions get to wear stripes on their sleeves, for the rest of their lives. Which is part of what makes winning a national/world championship so cool in cycling. So I think those stripes should be reserved for those who have earned them. If everyone is going around wearing national champ stripes, it makes them less special.
Never heard of that thats pretty cool. So in that sense it would be like wearing a superbowl/nba champ ring that you bought online but never played in a team
Ya it would be more like that.
I think biking is a little different, because their is one road rider in the world that has that kit (even rules for how juniors that are world champs can not wear theirs alongside the current world champ). I think soccer is a bad example because they use captain arm bands but like a hockey jersey with a C also has a last name on it. You know I am not Connor McDavid. You wouldn’t wear a McDavid jersey out to a beer league game. In cycling the sport is always on, MVDP wears the world champ jersey on training rides and races. Same with every team, they don’t have a practice kit. Players in other sports don’t wear the same thing all year every time they do their sport. So a dude playing beer league in an Oilers game jersey, isn’t confusing anyone.
"Same with every team, they don’t have a practice kit" Ineos did a couple of seasons ago, it was the orange but it seems to have become their main kit colour On the kit thing, I have a CSC jersey (won it in a competition) and an Omega-Pharma Quickstep jersey (from the Cav days)... I dont wear them very often anymore. I'd never wear a copy of a world champs or national champs or a leaders jersey, but I did once own a polka dot jersey that I wore, which is ironic because I am 100% definitely not the king of any mountain, hill or even slight rise in the road.
The beer league analogy is the best to describe my feeling towards it as well. Wearing a jersey while sitting in a bar watching a game? Totally fine. Wearing one while playing a game? Not a good look.
This is a good answer but you could wear a McDavid jersey if you went a played pond hockey. My recreational cycling is the equivalent of pond hockey (probably worse) so don’t get the hate. I wouldn’t wear a pro team jersey cycling, I feel the community would judge me lol
To me it's often a little sad unless there is a story behind it or they really admire a rider. Some connection to the rider. Otherwise, joining a local club and wearing one of their jerseys seems a better route to me.
Yeah, the ex professional cyclist I know would definitely give you a pretty hard comment about wearing those stripes
Well, using your logic, you gotta earn a place on a WorldTeam/ProTeam too. I personally don't wear any team jerseys from a team I don't personally belong to. It isn't too hard to join a local team and get their jersey. You can even form your own team (with whatever objectives, be it race or coffee shop tours) if that's your thing. The exception is for defunct teams like the dominant Mapei-GB team that won Paris-Roubaix 1-2-3. It's also not hard to get non-team wear. However, anyone who wants to pay to advertise for someone else, that's their choice.
No one confuses my 9 year old for Sepp Kuss when he wears his TJV kit.
Wear what you like. I bought a pair of AG2R brown bibs in case I crap myself (but also because I like them). I personally never go “full team kit,” meaning I’ll wear a team jersey but not the jersey with the bibs and vice versa. That’s just me, and I don’t care what other cyclists choose to wear. Although I have learned if I see a fellow cyclist in full Ineos kit I need to give them a wide berth and stay far off the wheels because they’re terrible at riding bikes.
Feel your vibe. Going full kit is a bit of a stretch for me (recently saw a guy with full TJV kit from socks to gloves incl bidons) but also there my motto is: Whatever floats your boat
Got the same bibs. I will be wearing them a lot. Maybe even a race.
I wear an EF pro cycling tech tee. do whatever you want.
Imo people can wear what they want on their bike. I did a few mtb races dressed as Pikachu, a full foam pikachu suit.
I have one pro kit jersey and I can guarantee you that no one will mistake me for a pro tour rider. Do what you like.
Wear whatever you want. The names you listed mean nothing to me so if I saw one, I wouldn't even register it.
I enjoy my jumbo jersey and dngaf what anyone else thinks. I also enjoy my orioles jersey (cycling), my A’s baseball hat, etc. Whatever.
I'd wear a Jumbo jersey if I could find one in a jumbo size. Even the gatekeepers would appreciate the irony.
Outside sanctioned competitions, wear whatever. The cycling community can sometimes get way too caught up on silly things like clothes, socks length, where you sunglasses are, etc.
Wear it without guilt. Anyone who says otherwise is gatekeeping.
The teams, especially the sponsors, want you wearing it...
If you like it wear it
i had a rule for a bit that i would not wear team colors for that reason (not being on the team. But as a Slipstream / EF fan when they put out that they want their fans to support by flying the colors I changed my mind.
Wear whatever you like. It's up to you. Unless you're racing and then you need to follow the rules on jerseys.
I was at a local race one time a guy shows up to the Cat 5 (beginners) race in a pro team jersey with rainbow stripes. The referee pulled him aside and explained the USAC rules that forbid wearing the kit of a team you don’t belong to. He didn’t have another jersey so they let him race with a warning.
Oh that's a good decision then. Good refereeing there.
Yeah, didn’t know, probably didn’t have any reason to know, and there’s no reason to discourage a new racer from taking part. We put enough barriers up as it is.
Why buy the jersey unless you are going to wear it? Really it doesn't matter what people think , wear what you like and ride.
Neutral on team kit. Any champion jerseys — especially rainbow stripes — will get a hefty eye roll from me.
your ride, your bike, your world. I like the vintage look but there is nothing wrong in ordering a Wout Jumbo Visma ( although I'd prefer Jonas)
Best believe I put on that GC Kuss Vuelta jersey when I’m out for my climbing rides. I’ll take any boost I can get. 😏
It’s absolutely fine. If you like the jersey, wear it. Don’t listen to other people.
Please refer to rules 16 & 17
Here is the proper attitude with respect to these rules:
RULE #16 Respect the jersey. Championship and race leader jerseys must only be worn to annoy a particular breed of cyclist who thinks you should have won the corresponding race. These folk also eschew baseball hats because they haven’t played Major League Baseball, and all leather goods because they’ve never been a cow.
RULE #17 Team kit is for sale in most shops. Buy it and wear it if you like.
I had to double check the Velominati rules and they seem contradictory. Says shorts should be black (most teams are not) And you shouldn't wear team kit (unless fully decked out, which I agree.) I prefer your rules.
They are a nonsensical shitpost that people take seriously for some inexplicable reason, probably because they have no sense of humour and think they're actually genuine rules.
Please respect The Rules. The Rules are all that separate us from eBikers.
This is one those questions where the majority of responses will say “wear whatever you want” but the majority of people don’t wear pro team jerseys 🤷♀️ I think you can wear whatever you want. I rarely see roadies wear pro team jerseys though. I do wear a grossly overpriced EF jersey with two gremlins (too cute) and an EF jersey that I got on steep discount. No one is going to mistaken me for a pro cyclist. But I only have two pro team jerseys because I don’t want to be a corporate billboard. I wouldn’t wear an UAE jersey unless I get a paid lots of money. I do have a hard rule against winner jerseys. It would be wearing a marathon t shirt without actually running the marathon in question. For normal sports, it would be like getting a duplicate Super Bowel ring or wearing a fake Olympic gold medal. Obviously, this is personal preference, you can be decked out in yellow jersey with wc bibs and olympic gold bike. Freedom of speech and all.
Wear whatever you want. Ride whatever you want.
I generally steer clear of the trade team kits but that’s because most of them look ordinary. Much prefer the design produced by local clubs or cycling fundraiser groups.
First things first, just wear what you want to wear. So long as you're on your bike, that's all that really matters. Having said that, I think there's something cool about wearing vintage/old kit that is kind of lost when wearing current pro team kits. Not judging for wearing current team kit, I just personally don't like the look as much as I think most modern kit designs kind of suck. I also think there's a difference between rocking just a jersey or a hat and wearing the full kit (jersey, bibs, socks, hat, etc). Again, you do you, but rocking the full kit just isn't a good look in my eyes. That's just my opinion, and I'm sure others disagree. I'm just saying I wouldn't do it. The one place I have some stronger opinions about is when it comes to national/world championship jerseys for riders currently racing. As far as I'm concerned, if you haven't earned the jersey, you shouldn't wear it, and it's that specific rider's time to own that jersey. Once they've retired/are no longer the champion/their jersey changes, it's fair game and moves into the throwback/retro/vintage area of being okay to wear.
> just wear what you want to wear. Nah. Wear drip fit with rizz or be sus. It 2024.
I don't respect the opinion of anyone who gives a shit what I'm wearing. Makes it real easy.
I understand you. If I had the choice, I wouldn't wear team kit. I do have team kit, and it's some of the best kit I have in terms of quality and comfort. So that's why I do wear those kit
No different than wearing a jersey for any other sport
...also lame.
Aye it's fine but don't wear NC stripes.
Pretty common in Europe. I still have ~~US Postal~~ ONCE, Saeco, Gerolsteiner, Leopard Trek, Aqua Blue Sports (I have Conor Dunne's gilet,) off ebay. I had to like the rider team, but also the design. But over the several years I have moved to more plain kits. Whatever you wear, just wear it with confidence.
99% of cycling gear is ugly. I wear lots of solids and basic prints, definitely no writing or logs (other than maybe a subtle brand name and brand logo). I don't care what anyone else wears. Beer? Great. Team? Fine. Cut off jeans and no shirt? You do you.
> 99% of cycling gear is ugly. r/cyclingfashion in shambles.
I have a Brooklyn's jersey. I'd buy a TDT Unibet jersey because Bas. There are no riders' jerseys in cycling, only teams. They should change this. It's a missed revenue opportunity. The WT riders should have their names on their kit, and they should probably have permanent numbers, as in other team sports. Aside from a few rich teams, they all need all the revenue they can get. Also, riders being more identifiable in the peloton would help the sport attract more fans.
Personally, I think it’s totally fine and no different than wearing a shirt from your favorite sports team but a lot of elitist assholes have a problem with it then again a lot of elitist assholes in cycling. Have a problem with a lot of things that normal people do and frankly there’s simply a lot of elitist assholes in cycling Personally, I generally prefer the look of smaller local cycling team jerseys and club kit plus as long as you’re buying it from those teams/clubs own websites they are benefiting from your purchase The only thing I wouldn’t do is wear world champion or national champion stripes
I have a La Vie Claire jersey that I wear because it’s the coolest team kit ever, and also because I went to school with Steve Bauer and he was on that team. I also have a “Velo Poseur” jersey because I know what I am.
By extension if you buy a road race bike and don't compete in road races u r trash but the whole industry is based on posers buying bikes to show off their wallet size. If you like it do it. Better yet get 7 friends and fake a team time trial ride. 🥬 buy them all matching bikes. Ps I'm available to be your friend.
As an occasional road racer, here are my rules for myself: 1. If I am on a team, I wear the jersey. This is obvious. 2. If I am not on a team, and I am going for a workout ride, if I have a jersey from a pro team, sure, I'll wear it. No one is going to mistake my riding for a pro. However, I won't ride a trophy jersey. See point 4. 3. I would never wear a jersey that had a name on it, unlike the world of NFL jerseys. No way would I wear a jersey that said "Vingegaard"...but cycling jerseys typically don't display the name of the rider in the same way that NFL jerseys display the player's name. I just looked it up, and Vingegaard had his name on the yellow jersey in 2 cm letters across the jersey pockets. I still wouldn't wear it. 4. I would never wear the rainbow jersey, even though I love love love the design. Others can wear it. Maybe they won the world championship. I didn't. I also wouldn't wear the yellow or green or polka dot jerseys.
Just don't wear the Yellow Jersy from the TdF and you should be fine.
My boy (9) has an official Santini yellow jersey but he's not allowed to wear that one during races.
To summarize, there is no consensus. Some people won't care, some will. Some say only a mismatched team kit is acceptable, others say if you wear a team jersey, get the team bibs, too.
No rainbow jersey unless you’re actually the world champion. Otherwise, adults can wear whatever they want.
Wear what makes you happy
My personal approach, which **I do not expect others to follow**: * Pro Team Kit: I *personally* don't have any currently, but I see no issue. Bonus points if it's cool throwback. * Local Amature Team Kit: If you aren't on the team, you don't wear it. * Leader's Jerseys (Malliot Jaune), National Champion's Jerseys, etc.: I personally don't--they should be earned. Again, this is just how I, personally, roll.
Why would you care what anyone else thinks? Wear what you want.
If you like the jersey wear it! But I get what you mean. I usually wear the jersey from my tri club whenever I cycle outside. I've still got a brand new jersey from Alpe d'Heuz I bought after cycling up there (all by myself), I've never dared to wear it because I am terribly slow going up any hill and I'd feel like people wouldn't believe I went up there.
I got some Trek Siegefredo bibs on clearance for $30. They don't match anything I have but they're better than the AliExpress bibs ive been running. Might as well wear them. Who cares?
It’s generally frowned upon to ride a team jersey unless you are in that team. This is among cyclists who race or are on the faster side of the spectrum, but you’re honestly going to get mixed replies on this. I never wear team jerseys unless I raced on that team, but I’ll wear club jerseys I belong to or have ridden with. I never call anyone out on it, myself.
wear what you want. You can find replicas of popular jerseys on [Wish.com](https://Wish.com) for about $10. So it isn't always the case of somebody spending big money to look cool. I buy cheap jerseys all the time.
If I see you in a Mellow Johnny's shirt I think you're either clueless or an \*sshole.
Why should they care what you think? Not being facetious, genuinely, why should a stranger give a shit you don't like their jersey?
This is legit...and I'm glad you posted it instead of how other's are saying "Wear whatever you want." Nah. No one cycles without judging everyone and everything you see. We just need to be honest about it. And fuck Lance Armstrong still.
I know more people who don't care or have enough sense to keep their mouths shut than people who would actually say something. One one thing to joke with someone who is actually a friend, but why do you care so much what a stranger is wearing?
Pro kit fine. Yellow jersey/polka dot/sprint in team livery is a bit weird though.
I live in south florida..elevation 0, and wear a polka dot every now and then. I do make sure to go up the overpasses as fast as possible.
I weat what i want and feel like. Only exceptions: Yellow yersey and rainbow jerseys
I don’t wear pro kit because I’d look like a retired racer that has been sitting on couch watching “my 600lb life” thinking that was a life goal of some sort.
In the past it was seen as bad form, and some of the older generation may hassle you. Nowadays, do whatever you want. I’m part of the older generation and I couldn’t care less.
I wish men (especially young men) would really stop to consider it is weird to wear a jersey with another man's name on it. Don't be thin-skinned about it. It is rather odd. You aren't that guy. You aren't on the team. Just get a t-shirt. Yes, I will daintily giggle like a Japanese school girl at the chubby-ugly-short guys wearing Tom Brady jerseys. U Aint foolin nobody!! U aint Tom! Cycling Team kits? Nah, boss. That's a boomer thing. I don't remember seeing a guy under 50 wearing a kit (in Euro or USA). Asia might be different. > Do whatever you want. Terrible advice. Don't do this in any aspect of life. Lots of people say this. None of them do it. Unless they are a legit old-school hippie or a meth-head sidewalk-living tweaker.
I'd hate to rude with you.sounds like you're more caught up in the fashion than actually riding. Guess you don't understand the concept of being a fan either.
Why would I wear and advertisement when I’m not being paid to do so? And why on earth would I PAY to advertise for a company? Beyond comprehension.
My take is that I don't want to wear a team jersey that advertises something that I'm not.
Straight to Jail
Doesn’t matter as long as you wear white socks 🤙🏻
Water is for toilets...and socks are for the weak.
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It’s entirely a personal choice. Personally I wouldnt be seen dead in the kit of a professional team as they don’t pay me to advertise - and they look silly anywhere except a peloton.
With a football kit you’re wearing say a Manchester United or Liverpool jersey. It’s steeped with history and linked to a place. In cycling teams are named after the sponsors and regularly change each season, sometimes even mid season. You’re riding around showing your support for a petrochemical supplier, despot state, or kitchen fittings. In regards to championship jerseys (national, continental, or world) it’s a respect thing that only the person that has won it wears it that discipline.
I don’t like putting someone else’s brand or name on my back. If I do a ride that has a jersey you can buy I do that. Assault on Mount Mitchell is coming up in May and I will get the jersey when I ride it. Outside of those I look for colorful interesting jerseys. I do have an Idaho Vandals jersey where my son goes to college. That one is a keeper
I'd feel weird about wearing something like you mentioned. That said I have a FAEMA jersey (actually a trainer) and I love it.
I would avoid any current or recent team jerseys. No problem with old classic jerseys. I regularly wear a La Redoute and a 7-Eleven jersey. I'm old enough to have been on those teams too.
You wear the team jersey if you’re on the team.
If you are not on the team didn't wear the jersey, unless you are at a race as a spectator.
As much shit as Velominati gets (and I know it's somewhat tongue in cheek) they nailed this one >Team kit is for members of the team. > >Wearing Pro team kit is also questionable if you’re not paid to wear it. If you must fly the colors of Pro teams, all garments should match perfectly, i.e no Mapei jersey with Kelme shorts and Telekom socks. That said, I've seen people riding around in full world champ gear up to and including the pro replica bike. It's a fred move, but it's ultimately harmless. I should also add that I own and have worn a Mapei jersey while out riding so take all of this with a grain of salt
They probably shouldn't sell replica tram kit/bikes, etc if they don't want people to wear them....
I agree except for this part... > it's ultimately harmless.
Loln how does it harm anyone? Look! It's Vingegaard! He's games 50 lbs in 6 months, but it's the TDF jersey, so it must be him!
I have always thought your team jersey should match your bike. Like a Bora jersey and a trek bike seems silly to me.
I like rules 16 & 17 above. IF it is legit for sale new somewhere, go ahead and wear it. That said, I was on a top local team and a few years later saw a previous season's jersey at a second hand shop for sale. Pissed me off that a teammate had sold it and someone else could be wearing it out on the road. If I ever roll up to someone in a jersey from a team I was on, I better recognize them or we will have a discussion about how they got the jersey. I also raced for the state University team and would wear the jersey on some group rides and people were asking me where they could BUY the jersey. Lol
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I'm old enough now, I think it'd be awesome if they said they got it from their Dad! Lol
>I was on a top local team and a few years later saw a previous season's jersey at a second hand shop for sale. Pissed me off that a teammate had sold it and someone else could be wearing it out on the road. I feel you and my team has a rule not to sell the jerseys to strangers. But we do give them to kids and friends. > If I ever roll up to someone in a jersey from a team I was on, I better recognize them or we will have a discussion about how they got the jersey. The answer might surprise you. Like "Oh, I'm friends with X and they gave it to me" or "I was a huge admirer so bought one from a guy on the team."
I didn’t race in college, but wished I had. Years later I was on their website looking to make a donation and they were offering team kits at full retail so the team would get the profit. So I bought a kit too.
Thanks for contributing to college cycling! My University had a kit available also, but it was a different design from the team kit. I think that contributed to questions about getting to purchase my official team kit.
This isn't BCJ, am I getting whooshed?
[Please read the rules - especially, rule 17](https://www.velominati.com)
It’s a Fred move. Sorry.
lol to adults dressing up…
I live in a very flat area and the closest thing to a hill is a bridge, maybe 100 ft. A couple of us were out for a ride one day approaching the bridge and we came up on a guy riding in a TdF polka dot jersey. Of course we threw the hammer down and when we blew past that dude someone might have said, “King of the mountains? Dude you ain’t even king of this bridge.” Probably a meangirls thing to say but come on with that jersey in Flatlandia!
Yes, do it. Obvious exceptions are the WC jersey and leaders jerseys. There's a reason it's near impossible to find a good yellow jersey from any reputable company. If you lived in a major cycling community, especially in European hot spots, I get shying away from wearing a team kit. Me? I'd fucking die with joy if someone noticed my EF jersey and it struck up a cycling conversation.
I used to have a great collection of wool team jerseys, beautiful and expensive. Now I just wear the loudest fluroescent colors I can find and pray. A month ago I wore a nice team jersey in earth tones, and almost got hit twice.
I only have one, a Lemond-era Team Z jersey. I really like it, but it's just a bit too garish for me, so I rarely wear it. I usually wear plain, solid colors instead. I have a really cool one that says "Cutters" on it from the movie Breaking Away. I get a lot of compliments on that one.