Monday 30 September 2013

Winter Spring

In February 2005 Dave was diagnosed with a brain tumour.  He was operated on in Hope Hospital, Eccles.  The hospital is on the edge of a mill town, once Lancashire and now engulfed by Greater Manchester.  The ward had only small windows, high up, rectangles which made a mockery of the orientation landscape.  You couldn't sit and see out of the windows but you could lie down, as of course the patients do, and look up through them.  It was cold.  Through the windows Dave could see the scrawny upper twigs of the winter trees, and falling through those twigs were huge flakes of snow, slowly tumbling.  With a look of imploring, willing me to understand everything he wished to communicate, he said to me "I like trees" and with that phrase pleaded with me to know.  I knew.

By autumn he was really sick.  He couldn't be left.  Some afternoons we had a longer visit from a carer, an hour which gave me time to walk the mile to Morrisons and return home with essentials.  I got to go outside the house which we were both now tied to, curiously held indoors by no obvious force other than the inability to leave.  Dave had always lived as much outdoors as he could, as had I.  But I got to get out there and walk home kicking the piled up horse chestnut leaves and prickly cases.  I picked up three conkers to take home for Dave, to share with him the autumn which was taking place somehow without us.  He barely glanced at the gift.

Today I walked back from Eccles and saw the first of the season's conkers on the pavement with the first fallings of the leaves.  I let them be.

Saturday 14 September 2013

Team Kit

I was going to say I am conflicted over the issue of whether it's kind of OK or good or ludicrous or just unacceptable for the simple leisure or sports cyclist to wear replica kit.  You know, the stuff the pros wear. 

I am no longer conflicted at all.  I say, go out there, acquire the kit for the sport and the team for which you have a passion and a belief in, and wear it with pride.  Show the world that you're a cyclist, and that in this accessible to all activity you have an allegiance to something higher, or an aspiration perhaps to one day merit that kit yourself.  Above all, never feel ashamed or embarrassed to be associated with the sport and the team you support.

I am deeply disturbed by the kind of sites popping up like this one: Full Pro Kit Wankers.  I mean, where do these people get off categorising those wearing with pride their pro peleton kit on their own, possibly cheaper versions of the pros bikes as "wankers".  If your 11 year old child wanted, for example, a Team Sky jersey for Christmas, would it put you off, knowing he might be coming in for the "wanker" badge?  Isn't that just a little cruel?  Wouldn't it be good to know in the UK kids aren't mocked for being cyclists, wearing lycra and hero worshipping their role models?  Would you want that 11 year old to be known as a "wanker" for the simple sin of wearing a jersey which says s/he is proud to be a rider, proud to associate with something bigger than them, bigger than their club, looking up at the best.  Isn't it rather cool knowing that the British are indeed up there with the best in this sport.  Why shouldn't we show our pride on the street?

That kind of derogatory name calling does nothing at all for the sport.  The wearers of these figure hugging jerseys emblazoned with team names and sponsors have not taken the purchase lightly.  These things are not cheap, and where do you think the money goes?  Yes, it goes to the team, well, some of it, as well as the clothing manufacturer, retail outlet, etc. etc. etc.  It is an income stream for the team.  Those who compare cycling to sports such as football and the investments, the money, the payments to athletes would do well to think about how those sports are funded.  Merchandising plays a part.  Sponsorship plays a part.  Cycling don't do well on gaining money from spectators, although media including TV must gradually start filtering down some of the readies. 

Teams need sponsors too.  The sponsors are in it largely to get their name out and about in public.  Imagine even an out of date kit riding our roads with the sponsors' investments continuing to pay back with their name out there every sunny weekend. 

I rode around the roads of Switzerland, France, Germany and Belgium for 8 weeks.  Coming from this country where the instinct seems to be to belittle and mock those who wear the kit it was an eye opener.  Switzerland was full of people wearing not just the BMC jersey but also the shorts.  France similarly with every trade team under the sun represented, and Belgium just the same.  Amongst those were club kits, smaller team kits, people happy to make public their allegiance.  Sometimes it's just because the kit happens to be stylish.  A complimentary nod to the marketing folk who are clearly doing their job right.  It was a wonderful sight to see all shapes sizes ages and genders resplendent in their various outfits.

I felt ashamed of myself that in the UK I feel I would be mocked for getting out the Team Sky jersey which I happily wore all over France.  And I'm not a wannabe.  I'm a 45 year old woman who has had a road bike for just over a year.  I know my place in the grander scheme of things on the road.

Arguments against it, well, the considered arguments go something like this:

  • It's something which has to be earned
  • It's an honour to represent a team and for others without that ability to dress the same belittles the achievement
For sure for National kit this might be the case, and perhaps for World Champion stripes.  And yes, maybe I do remain conflicted about Polka dot jerseys, but mostly that's a hangover from the horror of 2013 Tour de France King of Mountains matching shorts, an unpleasant image which will take some time to erase.

I suspect the pro riders  seeing someone wearing their kit simply smile, maybe even in a slightly approving manner, sometimes I would guess in a humbled manner, after all, that person has bought the kit because it means something to them.  The riders on the team mean something to them perhaps.  I feel one thing is for sure, they are not offended by this.  My Team Sky jersey has Wiggins down the side, not through planning, just through bulk ordering vagaries.  His wife approved.

And in general applause for those brave enough to go out there and take on the chin their mates comments, and sometimes those of strangers, here's me, resplendent,