Goin' to New Jersey

I've never been one for flashy, colorful jerseys. But I'll make an exception for this one. My mother-in-law sent it for my birthday a few weeks ago. I'm 43 now, so maybe I need something colorful to make me feel fast. Besides, the ASU jersey has been on my wish list for a couple of years. I'm a Sun Devil, class of '87.

For years, especially when I lived in Arizona and New Mexico, my friends and I were old-school, dirt-bag mountain bikers. Cotton T-shirts, decent shorts and some gloves got us far. Later, I learned to love moisture-wicking jerseys, but I didn't stop being a cheapskate. Eighty bucks for a shirt? Solid-color jerseys from Nashbar and Performance are good 'n' cheap. Who needs graphics?

I'll be stylin' this season. My wife gave me an "Gold Rush" Alaska jersey by Kathy Sarns for Christmas, as well as a fire engine-red jersey from Sugoi for riding in cold weather. Her mom sent me a flashy yellow shop jersey from the Bike Barn in Phoenix. That was my old neighborhood shop back in the '80s, before it had a website and neon shop signs.

Which is another reminder that the birthday numbers are climbin' up there.