rainbow stripes - how could you even consider it !

[Redbull]

Bernard Hinault believes that any cyclist wearing a special jersey (leaders, points, mountains,wc, etc) that they didn't earn should be shot. Team jerseys he thought are OK - like supporters jerseys.

I'm with the badger on this.

[im_no_pro]

you don't even have a choice when you buy a frame with rainbow bands.

Ummm.... you have exactly the same choice you have with shoes/jerseys/caps........ don't buy it. Not saying you shouldnt. just saying the choice is exactly the same.

[Peacewise]

but the rainbow colours are so pretty.

[Drunkmonkey]

Well it was a BOOK signing

I bought 2 copies

Great book

[Mean Machine]

you don't even have a choice when you buy a frame with rainbow bands.

Ummm.... you have exactly the same choice you have with shoes/jerseys/caps........ don't buy it.

No, you don't. You can buy exactly the same jersey but without the rainbow bands, the choice is yours. With a lot of frame brands, you don't have a choice, if they won the World Championship, there will be a rainbow band and if you want one particular brand, you'll have the rainbow bands on your frame. Besides, these are completely different things as I said before. With the frames, it's just a marketing tool to sell frames while the rainbow jersey is given in recognition of a very special achievement. It's a statement too, "This is a World Champion". To pay 60 bucks for it and wear it in public is lame.

[Mulger bill]

you don't even have a choice when you buy a frame with rainbow bands.

Ummm.... you have exactly the same choice you have with shoes/jerseys/caps........ don't buy it.

No, you don't. You can buy exactly the same jersey but without the rainbow bands, the choice is yours. With a lot of frame brands, you don't have a choice, if they won the World Championship, there will be a rainbow band and if you want one particular brand, you'll have the rainbow bands on your frame. Besides, these are completely different things as I said before. With the frames, it's just a marketing tool to sell frames while the rainbow jersey is given in recognition of a very special achievement. It's a statement too, "This is a World Champion". To pay 60 bucks for it and wear it in public is lame.

Agreed. If you want a certain bike you've gotta take it with the stripes.

[Solirossi]

No different to buying a 2010 Collingwood premiers tshirt and wearing that.

I think it is different. Wearing a footy jersey, as a supporter of a team, is culturally accepted practice in that sport while wearing a TdF yellow, Giro's pink or the rainbow jersey is not. These jerseys are a little bit like war medals, they're given to [b]individuals, not teams,[/b] for some very special achievements. Wearing a duplicate is cheap and not cool.

Whilst you are correct in that statement, we all know that the jersey was earned by the whole team. The same way that a Collingwood premiers top or something is earned by the team as a whole. Cycling just has a different dynamic. But the point remais that a jersey or top is earned by professional atheletes.
Dont get me wrong, Im a fan of plain cycle gear, Rapha, Assos, Sugio etc... that said iv got no real issue if a guy wants to wear the rainbow stripes. Iv got a mate who is an avid Hincapie fan, he is a strong rider and often wears the 2010 BMC Stars and Stripes kit. Sure he did not earn it but he is a fan of the guy who did, so he is showing his support for him by wearing it. Not for one second does he actually think that he is the USA Road Champion.

Sure if you are racing in a UCI event then yep, Id say steer clear. But otherwise whats the big deal, its someone showing their support and affection for a certain rider, which i think is good.

[m@]

I have (and wear) a Campag cap with the stripes on it. I have (and won't wear) a World Champion Jersey I bought at the UCI's. I bought it to get Cadels signature on, mount it and hang it in my study. Chiara wouldnt let him sign it. And I though I was whipped

He had that policy at his book launch - book signings only, no personal items. He said its so people dont go flogging the stuff on Ebay for a profit.

In Hobart he signed anything and everything after everyone's book was signed; there was a fair queue for books and then a second one afterward for jerseys etc. One bloke even brought his bike up!

Never made it past the first few pages of the book, TBH a bit disappointed with the quality of writing and the fact it's written by a ghost writer as I was under the impression it was an autobiography... should probably persevere I guess.

Um, rainbow stripes... I'd wear 'em commuting on the MTB with toe straps and baggy shorts, not on the roadie tho. Don't really care either way what others wear though...

[Mean Machine]

No different to buying a 2010 Collingwood premiers tshirt and wearing that.

I think it is different. Wearing a footy jersey, as a supporter of a team, is culturally accepted practice in that sport while wearing a TdF yellow, Giro's pink or the rainbow jersey is not. These jerseys are a little bit like war medals, they're given to [b]individuals, not teams,[/b] for some very special achievements. Wearing a duplicate is cheap and not cool.

Whilst you are correct in that statement, we all know that the jersey was earned by the whole team.

Hairsplitting. While cycling is a team sport (at least pro cycling), some races, including WC, are won with little team support or no team support. Never mind situations with divided teams where some guys refuse to work for a particular leader for one reason or another. And of course some WC are won by guys who were not meant to win but defied orders and did their own thing at some point anyway (Ballan for example). Then there's Roche who murdered everyone working for Kelly but at the end ended up winning himself because he just couldn't stop himself from attacking every time the pace slowed down.

Point being, wearing fake "honour" jerseys is lame regardless of the excuse people come up with to wear them.

[Baldy]

I wear a cap with the rainbow stripes under my helmet and have a couple of WCS bits on the bike. I got the cap while in Geelong for the worlds, its a good souvenir and good protection for my noggin[from cold/sun] I wanted white bar/stem and found the wcs stuff for a good price. Plus I was putting it on an entry level bike that no world champ would be found dead on

I wear team kit but draw the line at specific champion jerseys and state national team kits. I see team kit as something supporters wear and the others you earn them.

I dont know where merchandise fits in, im confused and lost interest in this post after "I wear a cap"....

[celeste boy]

I think it's sad that there are some really attractive jerseys for sale that have thin rainbow bands around the sleeves celebrating a win way-back-then that would be frowned upon by other riders.
I love the fact that 'my team' won the rainbow jersey in previous years and there is no way that any of us mugs who are flat out keeping up with the red triangle could even dream of earning one of these jerseys.

I'm not talking about someone turning up for a Saturday morning ride decked out in yellow including shoes. We cop enough crap from those who don't ride about our gear,it's a pity other riders are so critical of each other.

celeste boy

[Wee Jock]

Surely if the race committees, jersey maufacturers are willing to sell them to any schmo who can fit in to them, they can't be seen as that precious, and can be worn with the same delusions of grandeur/support for your favourite team (whichever applies) as any team kit.

[esseff]

I think it is great because you can immediately identify the schmucks, without having to get to know them first and wasting time on them.

[toolonglegs]

You calling me a schmuck!

[toolonglegs]

Hide your stripes under your knicks...or wear them over the top

[open roader]

I turn up to every ride wearing heaps of yellow...... (I'm a solo rider nearly always so who am I trying to impress......??)

Yellow Helmet, yellow and black jersey, yellow gloves, (black bibknicks) yellow shoes, even use yellow biddons..........

100% to do with safety, 0% to do with TDF general classification..........

[David_G]

I met a bloke on a ride the other day and he was on a yellow bike and wearing a TDF souvenir yellow jersey. He reminded me of Mario Cipollini except he was a bit older and a lot slower. He was riding along and all was well with his view of the world. He bought the gear and was wearing it and loving it. I wouldn't dream of slagging him off for what he was wearing, we rode along for a while and had a great chat. I've got a couple of Jerseys of the French teams and I know I would never have been or will be good enough be team member but I like wearing them when I ride. If someone was to rainbow stripes I would just think they were honouring that title, not pretending they were the winner of it.

And it doesn't matter how many syllables you use to try and insult Collingwood supporters, once you are Magpie Supporter, that's all you need to be.

[Kev365428]

Wearing a footy jersey (regardless of the code you follow) or a team jersey signifies support of that team.

Wearing a rainbow or national champions jersey should be reserved for those who have earned the right.

Would you wear a premiership ring if the footy team you support won the grand final?

Kev.

[Parrott]

Live and let live, people can wear what they like. You can't change em so why worry.

[Undertow]

Would you wear a premiership ring if the footy team you support won the grand final?

I'm sure plenty of people would if they sold the rings, but obviously the footy codes don't want just anyone wearing them.

However as the yellow/rainbow/whatever jerseys and associated gear are freely available, the respective cycling associations obviously think its okay for joe bloggs to wear them.

If you don't like people wearing them, complain to the powers that be and get them removed from sale.

[buzz]

I have a couple of jerseys with the strips on them. They were both presents from my sister and I had never even considered wearing them disrespectful or even punterish / try hard noob like! Upon reading this thread I don't think I will stop wearing them, but I would put consideration into when I wear them. For instances I wouldn't wear any strips to cycling event be it competing or spectator.

Realistically it is on some level disrespectful to wear the strips without earning them. Is feel it is much more disrespectful that company's are making money selling merchandise that displays the strips (not counting bikes etc that have rainbow as part of proud history of label). I don't believe it is the same as wearing a championship ring, as they are an exclusive item for only the winners, were as the merchandise sold displaying strips is obviously not exclusive. The jerseys that I have with strips are both team shirts that display strips and have signature of the winner printed on them, I wear them as more of an honor to the proud winners rather than trying to fool people into thinking I'm world champ!

Just about to go for a quick 80km and I shall be putting on one of my jersey with strips just for the he'll of it!!

[Zynster]

It's not a rainbow. The colours are in the wrong order. *ducks*

[David_G]

I've had a think about this and here is my conclusion on this.


As long as you're on a bike, it doesn't matter what you wear.

[Xponti]

Once heard a story about a guy that was talking to a 70+ guy at a Cyclosportif. The old guy was in the Rainbow stripes. Anyway, the young guy was talking to him and then said "So.....World Champ hey..." The old guy says "Well..actually..yes". Be careful who you assume is NOT a World Champ just because they don't look like it.

As for me, I wouldn't be caught dead in a Jersey I didn't earn. I have plenty of CSC team jersey's, but I got them as part of working for CSC and participating in rides the company wanted to advertise in. my 2c worth.

[nickobec]

So by the logic here it is ok to where a football shirt at a park for a social kick the ball, because you support that team. But you can not wear a number on the back of your favourite player because you did not earn it?

That is what is being argued with here.

Last year if you where a fan of Cancellera and his performance in Paris Roubaix and RVV, you could wear a plain Saxo Bank jersey but not the Swiss national champions jersey with Saxobank on it?