The Spaniard

Photos by Dan Sharp

Following a fantastic post from the other day titled My Favorite Jersey by Joe Hall we received top honors from National Geographic Adventure in their Gear of the Year Awards. While it is not the Brive-Agen jersey that Mr. Hall speaks of, the Spanish Country Jersey held its own through the mountains of California a few short weeks ago. Riding the upcoming Tour of California route (and really learning how to climb) with Professional Road and Cyclocross Racer Tim Johnson we put all the new jerseys through the paces.

The red and yellow jersey that pays tribute to the "The Spaniard" stood out nicely with its accented gold zips, and because it helped me to drop Mr. Slate Olson on that day (he got me the next.) While I cannot say that the following statement is true in my case, it is scrawled into the inside of the rear stow pocket, and it sure sounds nice.

When the timing is right and he explodes from the gate an unstoppable force on two wheels is unleashed. Dancing in the mountains and fierce on the flat, a crescendo of speed and rhythm: The Spaniard.