Why is a cardinal sin to wear a Pro kit? The World Champ's Ranbow Strips? Le Grimpeur's Dots? The Maillot Jaune? Every other sport in the world shows respect to players, clubs, sports, teams, and leagues by adorning a jersey, a hat, jackets, you name it, emblems and numbers, names and advertisements are on anything conceivable. Why is it that we look upon someone as a poseur when they wear a Radioshack jersey to a practice crit or on a group ride?
I played hockey for a few years and you can wear a Gretzky 99 jersey and nobody will say a word, now wear 99 as your number on your club team and you will get heckled. It seems to be a way of honoring the "greatness" of a hero by wearing "their" jersey, but not their number. Other ways to honor your hero is to wear their number or a combo of that number, just don't do it with 99. Teams will retire numbers to show the highest of honor, and that protects that number from another player wearing it.
Cycling is a sport based on "earning". You have to earn everything in cycling. You pay for fitness by training and putting countless miles into the legs. Pain is a currency that cyclist use to gain what they have. For a cyclist you cannot wear Rainbow stripes unless you earn them, so to see someone in the "stripes" is a form of disrespect even though the intent was most likely the opposite. Even in the club team ranks you have to earn your jersey. Yes, I know...there are some clubs that allow anyone to join as long as they pay dues. There are teams that will invite you to join, thus requiring you to "earn" your spot.
I see it as an honor to wear a ProTour kit, but if I saw someone wearing my team kit I would not be honored, I would be P!$$ed. They did not earn it and do not have the right to be in the colors that I pay for every time I turn a pedal over. It is disrespect to my teammates who have labored with me in the heat, cold, wind, rain, through road trips, and road rash. That's fine buy your ProTour kit, and put it in a shadow box and hang it in your office, over the mantel, in the living room. Just don't wear it out on a club ride, save that for NASCAR.
If you want to wear something to show your allegiance to your team, buy a euro cycling cap and proudly wear it under your helmet. Find a team t-shirt, or a cool track jacket and wear it to the local pub. I love the KOM competitions in the Grands, I wanted to start a collection of as many jerseys that I could. I have the KOM from the first California, and I have the Dots from le Tour. I would wear these out on rides, but now I straddle the fence as to what is acceptable fashion. I want to honor these jerseys, the people who have worn them and the riders that vie for them, but I do not want to appear to have something that I did not earn.
Words of wisdom that should be affixed to new cycling apparel. Well played.
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