What’s in a jersey? It’s just a small amount of synthetic fabric, designed to keep you from being naked while riding your bike. Cyclists love jerseys though; you see such a variety on the road.
Something interesting happens when everyone wears the same jersey. I first experienced it while riding for Team Climb On! – wearing our beautiful Maillot Orange. Just by slipping it on, you’re a team. When you stand or ride together, you’re a team. You also get more comments and double-takes as people try to figure out if you’re cycling celebrities or not.
Isn’t it strange what a little bit of colored fabric can do?
Last Friday, we celebrated Andy’s birthday at Stone Brewery. It was fantastic; we really had a good time – especially at the company store where Mark, Andy and I all got matching ‘Arrogant Bastard Ale’ jerseys. And that’s how we became the three ‘Arrogant Bastards’, riding 80 miles down the Pacific Coast Highway on Sunday.
We got a “nice jersey” comment on the train, riding to Anaheim. Some fixies discussed our team as they hid in our draft along the riverbed. A bunch of Luna girls exclaimed “Arrogant bastards!” as we passed them in San Clemente. The gate guard at Camp Pendleton wanted to know what kind of team we were. The bartender at Pizza Port gave me big thumbs up.
I love being a team, especially with these Arrogant Bastards.