# Man, how many guys did you see with full USPS kits on your ride this morning?



## pitboss12 (Mar 16, 2003)

A hell of a lot of local riders are sporting USPS team kits this morning. Most of theses guys I've never seen before. I guess its understandable. Too bad the jerseys and shorts look like they are 2 sizes too small on some of these folks. Two pounds of ...in a one pound bag.


----------



## Flav (Jun 24, 2004)

*Well*



pitboss12 said:


> A hell of a lot of local riders are sporting USPS team kits this morning. Most of theses guys I've never seen before. I guess its understandable. Too bad the jerseys and shorts look like they are 2 sizes too small on some of these folks. Two pounds of ...in a one pound bag.


At least they're out riding. That's more than I can say this morning.


----------



## the mayor (Jul 8, 2004)

*Sometimes it's the real deal.*

Back in the late 90's, I was heading to sign up at a mtb race in Sunapee, NH. There was a guy walking ahead of me in full Postal kit...and I'm thinking to myself ,"What a dork". We go into the building and I head for the forms table and this Postal guy goes to the sign up people and says" This is my first mtb race...how do I sign up?" He's told the beginer class has already run and he says," That's ok...I want to race the pro race". I look up and it's Tyler Hamilton! I had to show him what to fill out...he was laughing because he hadn't done that stuff in so long.
And yes...he won...and made the race soooo hard. And yes...he can handle a bike very well!

It's not unusual to see him, Tim Johnson or the McCormack brothers in full kit riding around here in the spring and fall. When I first see them...I always figure it's some "Fred".


----------



## MJCBH (Nov 25, 2002)

*I was one of em'............gasp*

I am a proud owner of a Postal kit, and do I dare go further to say that I also ride a Trek and wear a Pneumo.......I understand that in many eyes I am a "complete Fred". I don't claim to be a great rider - just a huge fan of LA (plus the fact that I think USPS gear is just very cool looking). I wouldn't think of wearing a full kit on a group ride/race (which I actually don't do much of anyway), but I am a self-proclaimed wanabee who's going to continue to wear whatever I want - at the expense of being laughed at on the road! 
Happy riding.................


----------



## PaulCL (Jan 29, 2000)

*Funny you should mention this*

I did a solo 65 mile ride today that covers about 35 miles of a road that is used heavily by cyclists. First off...I saw more cyclists this morning than I ever see. It might be becuase this July morning was incredibly cool at 60 degrees. But I did notice at least 6 or 8 of the +/- 20 cyclist I saw were wearing USPS colors. I think its' great. No one makes fun of Bubba with his NFL jersey on, so I won't make fun of these cyclists. Yes, they were out riding - that's the best part. Were some of them slow -yes, overweight - hey we can all lose a few pounds, emulating Lance -yes. Who cares?? They were riding on a beautiful morning just like me. I even had a guy in a car yell out to me "Go Lance!" I waved.


----------



## CFBlue (Jun 28, 1999)

Amen, Paul. As long as we're on a bike, that's all that matters. There's a little bit if Fred in all of us. Hey... that doesn't sound right.


----------



## Lou Now (Mar 5, 2004)

*Just do it!*



MJCBH said:


> I am a proud owner of a Postal kit, and do I dare go further to say that I also ride a Trek and wear a Pneumo.......I understand that in many eyes I am a "complete Fred". I don't claim to be a great rider - just a huge fan of LA (plus the fact that I think USPS gear is just very cool looking). I wouldn't think of wearing a full kit on a group ride/race (which I actually don't do much of anyway), but I am a self-proclaimed wanabee who's going to continue to wear whatever I want - at the expense of being laughed at on the road!
> Happy riding.................



Whatever anyone else wears is their business. I'm all for anyone getting out and participating in this wonderful sport or for exercise even if they wear a Lance-a-like outfit. Anyone with an eliteist mentality about other riders needs to think more positively about the wannabes and new comers to 'our' roads. Hopefully, the number of riders in this country will grow and this can only help everyone in cycling as maybe the awareness of more drivers will improve making our rides safer. As far as the overweight newcomers....glad to have ya as I used to be one about two years and 30 lbs. heavier ago.


----------



## limba (Mar 10, 2004)

Nobody had it on but I'd wear it if I could find the real stuff.The Nike bib shorts and Lance shoes are supposed to be nice.The gloves look sweet.The Atmos is a great helmet.I wear Oakley Mframes already.I might buy a Trek next year.I've always liked the carbon Treks.
It's all good gear so why not wear it?Avoiding it because Lance wears it is dumb.
What's wrong with liking Lance?He's the Man.


----------



## Drone 5200 (Mar 3, 2003)

My postal jersey (2003) was dirty from wearing it the day before, otherwise I would have worn it yesterday. 

Yesterday I wore my 2002 Stars and Stripes. Ha! I couldn't care less what you guys think of that. It looks great on me, as does the postal jersey.


----------



## Guest (Jul 25, 2004)

Haven't been out yet today - probably this afternoon - but -it's already 98 degrees out there!

Never worn or even owned USPS kit before. My wife and kids went to visit the cousins for a week and they brought me back a USPS jersey - the real deal - even the "Discovery Channel" in the red Stripe.

Don't want to think how much they paid for it, or even where they got it, though I guess Brother in Law's business would get him in a lot of doors so he may have got it for them.

Anyway - I wore it yesterday - first time ever - no shame!


----------



## biomer (Sep 23, 2003)

*totally*



PaulCL said:


> I did a solo 65 mile ride today that covers about 35 miles of a road that is used heavily by cyclists. First off...I saw more cyclists this morning than I ever see. It might be becuase this July morning was incredibly cool at 60 degrees. But I did notice at least 6 or 8 of the +/- 20 cyclist I saw were wearing USPS colors. I think its' great. No one makes fun of Bubba with his NFL jersey on, so I won't make fun of these cyclists. Yes, they were out riding - that's the best part. Were some of them slow -yes, overweight - hey we can all lose a few pounds, emulating Lance -yes. Who cares?? They were riding on a beautiful morning just like me. I even had a guy in a car yell out to me "Go Lance!" I waved.



awesome....I was climbing a hill with a group and getting slowly dropped by the lead....guess who eases up to come back and pace me up?.....a 'fred' in us postal kit...bike, helmet and all....if it weren't for that guy I wouldve had a real crappy day on my steed.


----------



## jfct (Jul 24, 2004)

*How about the new kit with the yellow!*

Now how soon till we can get our hands on the new color scheme. Boy that looked BAD A**!


----------



## NeedSpeed (Mar 12, 2002)

*Perspective*

There's nothing wrong with showing support for Lance and the dominance of USPS. It's just like people shooting hoops in Jordan jerseys.

Here's a quote from Lance (cyclingnews.com) that puts it all into perspective. It's what I feel each and everytime I get on my bike and maybe you might feel the same:


"I think the biggest difference is in my head, the morale and the motivation, the pure joy of racing," he said. "It's as if I was with my five friends and we were 13 years old and we all had new bikes and we said: 'Okay, we're going to race from here to there.' You want to beat your friends more than anything. You're sprinting and you're attacking. It was like that for me this year, a simple pleasure."

I for one, hope that there is some 14-15 year old kid somewhere in a USPS jersey or something else, outside riding the hell out of his cheap bike, pretending he's Lance or any other American racer kicking the peleton's ass. Lance watched Lemond and was inspired. Who will we see in 5-10 years inspired by Lance to win the greatest bike race on Earth?


----------



## NeedSpeed (Mar 12, 2002)

*Perspective correction*

Oops. The quote is from velonews.com.

Here's the link:

http://www.velonews.com/tour2004/details/articles/6665.0.html


----------



## Trevor! (Feb 28, 2004)

pitboss12 said:


> A hell of a lot of local riders are sporting USPS team kits this morning. Most of theses guys I've never seen before. I guess its understandable. Too bad the jerseys and shorts look like they are 2 sizes too small on some of these folks. Two pounds of ...in a one pound bag.



I have noticed tons of new faces out on the roads recently, lots sporting team kits and some even with the Trek bikes to match. Funniest I saw was a complete kit with the hat under the helmet, arm warmers leg warmers, bike and all. Laughable to an extent. 

Shareholders at Trek must be loving all the sales.


----------



## 4bykn (Jan 28, 2001)

*Didn't pay attention...*



pitboss12 said:


> A hell of a lot of local riders are sporting USPS team kits this morning. Most of theses guys I've never seen before. I guess its understandable. Too bad the jerseys and shorts look like they are 2 sizes too small on some of these folks. Two pounds of ...in a one pound bag.


I saw a few riders out there on my morning ride, but paid no attention to what they were wearing. What am I, the cycling fashion police? 

I've noticed that a lot of new people are here(check out the number of posts people have ). Despite what a few might care to say, wear what you like, ride what you like. Just ride!


----------



## Hollis (Feb 28, 2004)

*Behold! The Cyclism in Tennessee!*

I thought I was asleep at the wheel. 
I was 3.5 hrs into a 4hr trip when all of the sudden 
I spy a sexy rump pumping pedals. 
I thought, "Wow! A very attractive woman riding at 7am 
in the middle of NOWHERE....How Cool!" 
Less than 1/2 mile down the road,
I see two guys cranking away on bikes with full on TT Gear 
(Postal shorts W/Red Aero Booties). 
The next hill over there are six riders working a paceline. 
I'm really doubting my grasp on reality at this point because 
I am in the middle of NOWHERE! (Walling, TN) 
Next mile down the road I see kids on really too big for them bikes, 
one of them was dancing on the pedals just like Lance (guess he had to LOL).
Further still, I see a row of Port-O-Johns and a crowd of 50+ clapping and cheering.

The really funny part...I had my Mountain Bike on board!!!
I wanted to whip it out and zoom across the finish!!!  

Hollis (a very slow Mtn Biker and even slower Roadie  )


----------



## rufus (Feb 3, 2004)

i'm not a huge lance or postie fan, and haven't seen the full stage yet today, but if that yellow and blue jersey comes out, as i'm sure it will, i could well be tempted to pick one of those up.


----------



## Flav (Jun 24, 2004)

*I agree*



rufus said:


> i'm not a huge lance or postie fan, and haven't seen the full stage yet today, but if that yellow and blue jersey comes out, as i'm sure it will, i could well be tempted to pick one of those up.


The yellow looks pretty nice... nice enough that I'd think about buying one.... Then again, I'd rather have something that isn't so common.... But, if the price was right.....


----------



## Just Mike (Feb 15, 2004)

pitboss12 said:


> A hell of a lot of local riders are sporting USPS team kits this morning. Most of theses guys I've never seen before. I guess its understandable. Too bad the jerseys and shorts look like they are 2 sizes too small on some of these folks. Two pounds of ...in a one pound bag.


So???


----------



## 996vtwin (May 11, 2004)

I wore my 2003 today on my recovery ride. Actually we plan to all wear them in our next race since we dont have a race uniform yet yet everyone seems to have the USPS kit.


----------



## The Don (Feb 6, 2004)

*USPS & Polka Dots*

I saw about 6-8 USPS kits & 3 polka dot jerseys from Marin to SF and back. By the time I saw the last polka dot, I shouted, "Hey, Ri-chard!" & the guy pumped his fist...


----------



## 633 (Feb 10, 2004)

I wouldn't personally buy USPS kit and wear it - just not me. I tend to avoid what's popular and trendy. Might go for a Liberty Seguros or Fassa Bortolo, if I could find them cheaper than the $79 I saw at Performance. But if people enjoy wearing them, great. What do I care what somebody else wears, or whether somebody who averages 12 MPH wants a CF frame or DA group on their bike. Good on 'em for getting out and riding.

(I do draw the line at those $400 Wipperman Ti chains I was making fun of in another thread - if you spring for that, it's just ridiculous. But then, what do you care what I think?)


----------



## CFBlue (Jun 28, 1999)

Flav said:


> The yellow looks pretty nice... nice enough that I'd think about buying one.... Then again, I'd rather have something that isn't so common.... But, if the price was right.....


Yep. I wouldn't buy the regular kit, even though I'm a huge fan, but the special edition with the yellow stripes from the final stage would certainly be an exception. Like a piece of history, really.


----------



## Suddha (Aug 2, 2002)

I stopped in at the LBS over lunch hour today looking for yellow wristbands to buy and spied one of last year's retro Postal jerseys (worn in the last stage into Paris) on the rack in my size. I almost got it. All that held me back was the $109 price tag. Ouch!

I can't help but think I'll regret not buying a Postal jersey ten years from now when these heady days of US cycling have subsided. Plus, now that USPS will start sponsoring NASCAR, wearing the jersey might win some friends out on the rural highways next summer.


----------



## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*my wife wears my*

1985 La Vie Claire once in a while. Rather see them in USPS livery than a car! In reality we're all Freds of one sort. Bless us all. saw a few myself, rather refer to them as George-alikes. Got weird stares as I passed them on my Ridley CX in 2000 era Pallmans Collstrop
kit. GO BELGIUM!


----------



## schills (Jan 16, 2002)

*In Los Angeles. . . .*

. . . . we see them all the time. At least half the time its the real deal. Tony Cruz lives in Long Beach, and when he's in town he does the local races. Saw him at El Dorado last Tuesday. Lance and Eki were to be seen when Lance was staying at Ms. Crowes house.


----------



## shokhead1 (Jan 21, 2003)

Thats where i ride,though the park,almost everyday. Plenty of usps on saturday mornings in the groups or the whole fricken group. Just go down PCH.


----------



## FatSlowGuy (Jul 17, 2004)

Yeah I saw a few guys decending Baldy this morning in the full USPS gear. I kept thinking, man Hincy really let himself go. I probably look like just as big a fred with my slow ass pace and cadence (no shame here). Some of those guys have some really slick rigs though!


----------



## daveIT (Mar 12, 2004)

*I saw*

some old Italian guy coming toward me and thought "no freaking way" and it just turned out to be a yellow Mercatone Uno jersey. I do see the occasional USPS jersey and there alots of Treks here. Many of the older white with red and blue highlights.

BTW, if I see any pansies in Domina Vacanze gear I'll be sure to chase them down.


----------



## Tail Wind (Aug 13, 2003)

daveIT - Guess I'll see you on the road. 

Tail Wind <<--- Panisee in Domina Vacanza gear


----------



## denversean (Jun 14, 2004)

I'll have to get some new jerseys. All of mine are MTB jerseys except for a Markleeville DeathRide jersey my cognato gave to me.

Does anyone know where I can find some jerseys with a a bit of celeste?


----------



## Fogdweller (Mar 26, 2004)

One of my training buddies told me about a huge, regular winter ride he did in upstate New York when he was in college years ago. Pretty big ride with about a 150 riders, frost on the ground, everyone in warmies. A new face shows up wearing a rainbow jersey and the wise-ass of the group rolls over to him and ask, "Who do you think you are, Lance Armstrong or something...?" The response was, "Uhh, ya."


----------



## telecaster (Feb 26, 2004)

denversean said:


> I'll have to get some new jerseys. All of mine are MTB jerseys except for a Markleeville DeathRide jersey my cognato gave to me.
> 
> Does anyone know where I can find some jerseys with a a bit of celeste?


Bianchi's website: www.bianchiusa.com

or your local bianchi dealer. I've got one of the Team Bianchi jerseys from last year--I think they're classy, plus I like Ullrich despite his poor showing this year.


----------



## seeborough (Feb 3, 2004)

*Watch out, Brother...*



996vtwin said:


> I wore my 2003 today on my recovery ride. Actually we plan to all wear them in our next race since we dont have a race uniform yet yet everyone seems to have the USPS kit.


That sounds like a set up to me! Funny to see one guy in thre group show up in a Postal kit - yes. A set up nonetheless.


----------



## Icefrk13 (Jul 2, 2004)

633 said:


> I wouldn't personally buy USPS kit and wear it - just not me. I tend to avoid what's popular and trendy. Might go for a Liberty Seguros or Fassa Bortolo, if I could find them cheaper than the $79 I saw at Performance. But if people enjoy wearing them, great. What do I care what somebody else wears, or whether somebody who averages 12 MPH wants a CF frame or DA group on their bike. Good on 'em for getting out and riding.
> 
> (I do draw the line at those $400 Wipperman Ti chains I was making fun of in another thread - if you spring for that, it's just ridiculous. But then, what do you care what I think?)


I just purchease my 1st true road jersey last week. It is a 03 CSC jersey. I just like them. It is my motovation to loose the belly, as you can not have a 6-pack on the front of a pony keg. 

633 here are a couple of links for you

www.cbike.com
http://www.bicyclinghub.com/2004preview.html

enjoy
Matt


----------



## KenB (Jul 28, 2004)

I saw one this morning. Riding a MTB -- against traffic. I was actually a bit frightened for the guy. Aside from the bike, he was in the full Postal kit as far as I could tell. I've heard the 'better dead than Fred' lines and all, but this guy looked well on the way towards both.


----------



## FatSlowGuy (Jul 17, 2004)

Better dead than Fred of a Dead Fred?


----------



## FrankTheDog (Jun 16, 2004)

Why do so many cyclists care what the hell everyone else is wearing? I fail to see what difference it makes if you wear a full postal kit or some mismatched clothes you threw together. Roadies are such weenies!!! 

So i guess if i had a full Euskaltel kit while on my Orbea then i would be cool????


----------

