Monday, July 23, 2007

I am a Giant fan boy! ( a comical view of brand /cycling team loyalty)

Okay tonight's post has nothing to do with my personal workouts ( I got about 3200 yds. in in the pool tonight) , or my boss not getting back to me about my request for a day off, or Ken, Angry, Bjoern, or Cristiano and training or racing glory. It has to do with le Tour and why I won't buy a freaking Barloworld Jersey. First and fore most my local bike shop is a Giant dealer, the bike I bought is a Marin, but I'm saving up for a Giant. Barloworld and Liquigas ride the overpriced brand know as Cannondale, ( unlike team CSC which rides the extremely expensive and OVERATED crap known as Cervelo.) to ride wearing a Barloworld Jersey would be cycling treason ( especially since it is my mission whenever I see some one riding on a cannondale, or especially a Cervelo to do my utmost to pass and/or waste them ( granted all those guys on the cervelo tri bikes are better trained and are riding equipment that is a good 10 to 15 lbs. lighter than my 25lb. Marin)) . I usually don a plain blue and black jersey (louis garneau), my Webster Bank Jersey ( stained from my close encounter with the asphalt kind), but on special occasions I break out my vintage Giant T-mobile jersey to show my loyalty to the shop and the oh so close to glorious tour riders past (Jan Ulrich, Josefa Beloki ( okay he was ONCE but they were still out fitted by Giant), Barne Rijis ( who has now been found to have been full of more EPO than the 1992-1993 Chinese Track and Swimming teams. But his bike was still sexy) Mick Rogers, Alexandre Vinokouov, Andreas Kloden, Axel "son of Eddy" Merckx ) sure all of these guys got beat by a Texan on a Trek who had only one ball and had come close to dying of cancer, or the pissed off mennonite with a trashed hip, and cortozone injections on an BMC. But the point is ( except for Rijis ) all of these guys were pure warriors on their Giants, fighting with Armstrong, Indurain, and Landis for the yellow jersey. Vinnokorov ( except for this year's tour) made his name riding on a Giant. Beloki took the tour lead on a giant before crashing and breaking his hip, and collar bone) Rogers ( samething minus the hip). If all goes well in a few weeks I will have my giant time trial bike, ( and perhaps a TCR for straight up road racing)and I will ride my steed of choice to victory. But come on riding a giant in a barloworld, or worse a CSC jersey is like all those guys on recumbents and mountain bikes donning US postal, or discovery channel or worse the 2005 discovery channel yellow jersey. It has no place . Seriously in one training ride I must have passed 3 or 4 guys in the replica yellow jerseys. At least be original, when's the last time you saw a guy with a replica green jersey ( Angry Runner not included) or a dude with a replica polka dot ( king of the mountains jersey: Christmas gift idea: I'm a size large I perfer long sleeves but if you get me a long and short sleeve I would be most greatful.) Or even better a replica white jersey ( for best young rider: don't get it for grandpa or your post 25 year old cyclist going through a mid-career crisis. granted this will probably have a discovery logo on it because Contador is kicking serious ass.) Seriously somebody out there toss me a vintage yellow Once Jersey, or one of their pink ones, something that's true to my brand.

3 comments:

Angry Runner said...

Someone's talkin trash. Just remember that an overpriced brand name bike got a seriously less conditioned but pissed off guy to beat your bike split on a course of your specialty. As for my team- Mind you I have two riders both 2nd in point standings with the lowest budget of all the teams. Oh yea, what does Faris Al-Sultan ride again?

Bob Almighty said...

Michillie Jones ...nuff said.

Angry Runner said...

Desiree Ficker's ass. Seriously...watch the IM Kona dvd...glutes workin overtime!!!

(this comment has nothingto do with bikes)