Jerseys that make you stronger

Jersey Makes You Stronger

Many cyclists (whether road, mountain, cross, or otherwise) have a common sensibility, and a common bit of insight that others may be missing.  While this may not be a revelation to other cyclists, I’ve discovered a new way to frame it: we wear jerseys that make us stronger (read below for the full story).

Cyclists / bikers are enthusiastic about a hobby that actually improves their lives, health, and perhaps their quality of life.

Action item: I’d like to see some blog posts, Facebook updates and Tweets from others that incorporate one of the follow themes:

• #BikeForLife - use this hashtag on Twitter or incorporate this phrase in your blog or status update if you believe that cycling has the capacity to extend or improve your life

• #JerseyMakesYouStronger - use this hashtag on Twitter or incorporate this phrase in your blog or status update to identify your reactions to the idea/story below.

If you write stories, bogs, newspaper articles, etc., please consider writing your own reaction to or version of this story (please give authorship credit to RideFatbikes.com).  The catchprhase is: Cycling jerseys make you stronger  

Here’s the full story.

Cycling jerseys make you stronger

How can a jersey make you stronger?  Consider this.  I recently saw a guy standing on a corner waiting for a bus, wearing a football jersey.  The name on the back of the jersey was the name of a famous football player, and the guy wearing the jersey was not that famous athlete.  The guy named on the jersey is in fact an athlete, and is likely the epitome of the theme “wear the jersey that makes you stronger”.

However, the guy I saw wearing the jersey appears to be someone who just bought a jersey, and was not given the jersey to play football in a packed stadium for a nationally televised game.  In fact, judging by appearance and initial impression alone (which I try not to do except for this story), there is a good chance the guy sporting the fancy football jersey does not currently play much football, if he ever did.

By contrast, nearly everyone I see who is wearing a cycling jersey is actually riding their bike while wearing it.  While there may be people out there who wear a cycling jersey to watch cycling, I don’t run into those people.  Instead, nearly everyone I’ve ever seen wearing a cycling jersey is riding their bike.

So, if you were to put on a football (or other professional sport) jersey and watch your favorite sport for 4 hours, or put on a cycling jersey and ride your bike for 4 hours, which do you think will result in you getting stronger?

Conclusion: Cycling jerseys make you stronger

Obviously this is an illustration, and I’m not suggesting that people have actually become stronger simply wearing a cycling jersey.  Of course cycling could be replaced with other activity too, so I’m not suggesting cycling is the only activity that will improve your health.

However, here’s the “science” behind the idea.  Cycling is a sport that people often participate in actively, rather than just watching it (though we may also watch it from time to time).  Since popular society doesn’t endorse wearing cycling jerseys on “game day” when a televised bike race like the Tour de France is taking place, it’s more common to see someone who doesn’t play football wearing a football jersey around than seeing someone who doesn’t ride a bike wearing a cycling jersey around.

We are a society that has grown obsessed with watching sports and reading about sports, rather than actually participating in them.  News flash – watching sports (without participating in sports, training for sports, or general exercise) will not make you an athlete.  Meanwhile, we are growing more sedentary, overweight, and having more significant health problems, as a society.

Maybe if we all spent as much time participating in activity as we did watching activity, that trend might reverse.

If you like this idea/theme/article, please share it with your friends via social media, or you are welcome to contact me to republish it elsewhere.  Maybe we should get health clubs, schools, sports clubs, mainstream media, insurance companies, and the medical industry to all rally around a common cause – #BikeForLife (insert your favorite sport/activity in place of “Bike”).

If you use the hashtag/theme #BikeForLife or the hashtag/theme #JerseyMakesYouStronger please give idea/authorship credit to RideFatbikes.com and our company, Ride Enterprises, LLC