Bike jerseys that rock

 

A marketing email landed in my inbox the other day with the happy, happy news that all Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Police, and Pink Floyd cycling jerseys were on sale through Sunday July 27, the last day of the Tour de France.

I'd heard that CD sales were in the toilet, but I guess I didn't realize how badly Mick, Angus, Sting, and Roger were faring. I mean, how desperate must a boomer rock band be to pin its financial hopes on the sale of tight-fitting cycling garments, which, by the way, run a cool 80 bucks a pop? The Stones have repurposed no less than 13 of its various logos for use on cycling jerseys, whereas The Police have managed only three. The Grateful Dead have determined that its male and female fans need 15 styles to choose from, while the folks who manage the Jimi Hendrix estate have concluded, no doubt correctly, that the clamor on the part of Hendrix devotees for cycling gear can be satisfied with only one design.

My preference is for bright-colored cotton t-shirts when it's warm and any-colored cotton t-shirts under those horrible chartreuse vests and jackets when it's cool. The point, it seems to me, is to be comfortable, but I have to admit that sometimes when I'm surrounded by swarms of riders in their matching green Webcor Builders jerseys, I feel underdressed.

Amount of carbon dioxide not produced since July 10, 2008 thanks to commuting by bicycle: 61.9 pounds