Two deaths in sport really touched me last year. One was the death of Marco Simoncelli in MotoGP. Sic had quickly become my second favorite rider in the series behind Vale. I loved the excitement he was bringing to the sport. I had gotten to like watching Sic off his Honda almost as much as on it. With his hair, his magnetic smile, and a general happiness about him, he was a breath of fresh air compared to some of the more seemingly snobbish riders in the series. Seeing a future World Champion and a good person snuffed out at only 24 years of age is just not right.
The second was the death of Wouter Weylandt in the Giro. Unlike Marco who I closely followed, I had only heard Weylandt‘s name a few times before Stage 3 last year and knew very little about him. But being a roadie, I more closely identify with professional cyclists than most other athletes and better understand the dangers of that sport. No, I don‘t regularly bomb down descents at 60+mph in a large group or try to hold my line in a 45 mph sprint, but we‘ve all had close-calls on the road that we thought could have ended much worse. Unfortunately for Wouter, his crash was more than a close-call, and seeing a death in the sport of cycling was tough.
It was soon after Wouter‘s death that I first heard of Stomach of Anger and their cycling themed tees. Stomach of Anger made a memorial 108 (Wouter‘s number in the Giro) tee, with proceeds of the sales going to Wouter‘s family. According to their website, Stomach of Anger was able to raise over $38,000 for Wouter‘s family in just a few weeks. I‘m glad to say I ordered one and still proudly wear it.
I‘ve since ordered several other tees from SoA. You‘re not going to find any generic “Bikes R Cool” shirts from them. So if that‘s your thing, no need to read further. But then again, that‘s not really what you‘d expect from a company who takes their name from Schleck‘s verbalization of his frustration regarding Contador‘s attack after the infamous chain-drop.
Stomach of Anger tees are more along the lines of “if you get it, you get it.” Some of my favorites are Welcome to Hoogerland, Shut Up Legs, and L‘Enfer du Nord. You crazy not-quite-roadies, not-quite-mountain-bikers, let‘s-ride-at-max-effort-for-an-hour-and-jump-off-our-bike-and-over-barriers-we-purposely-put-in-the-middle-of-the-course CX riders and fans are well-covered too. And all of us cyclists can proudly show what powers us with their I Am The Motor tee. Their entire range can be found at www.stomachofanger.com/collections/all
Their shirts are super soft and lightweight “100% combed ring-spun cotton.” They are incredibly comfortable. After wearing one, when you hear that something is “as comfortable as your favorite t-shirt,” you‘ll compare it to your SoA tee. Sizing seems more true than some other brands of cycling tees I have worn that seem to usually fit on the small side. However, note that not all of the shirts are sized the same, so be sure to look at their sizing chart when ordering.
If you‘re looking for reasonably-priced, witty, and comfy t-shirts sure to get you a nod of the head from other cyclists, look no more. Stomach of Anger has you covered. They fairly often update their product line, so be sure to check the webpage often or follow them on Twitter or like them on Facebook to be kept abreast of the new gear.
TwoSpoke members, keep an eye out over the next little while for a special announcement regarding Stomach of Anger. As a hint, I‘ll say it might not be a bad idea to go-ahead and pick out your favorite tee.
– Alex
I see this article was posted a little over a year ago but do you know if Stomach of Anger is still operating? My husband, daughter and I just did our local equivalent of L’Enfer due Nord and I wanted to surprise them with a tee-shirt.
I assume they have stopped trading because I can’t find their site.
Yeah, it’s not looking good. I searched also and the latest update I see is back in July on their Twitter feed. It says they are “on hiatus” for a while. I will email Michael and see if I can get any more info.