As a consumer, I like to know the ways and means a company (especially in the cycling industry) came out. Regardless as to what my relationship is to Sean Talkington of Team Dream Bicycling Team, there was something about what he started doing last year that piqued my interest.

So, it’s a team, but it’s not a team. It’s a team for people who aren’t on teams, which makes it arguably one of the biggest teams in the world. That’s kind of like a dream team, right? Something like that.

When Sean began working on his Rizzle Dizzle kits, and his Mondrian Homage vest, we wanted to do a little something more than just post photos and send people over to his store. Below is a backstory, or a history as to what inspires Sean to continuously push Team Dream’s product line.

Team Dream Inspiration
Words by Sean Talkington / Photos by Jesse Carmody

Many years ago, long before I even owned a 10 speed, I bought my first cycling cap and jersey at a yard sale in my neighborhood. I picked them up just because they looked cool and made no connection to their actual purpose. There was absolutely no road cycling scene where I grew up, so I thought the Campy cap was a really cool painters cap and the wool jersey was just a crazy shirt with pockets on the back! But it was definitely those two pieces that helped ignite my interest in the sport.

A few years down the line, when I got into cycling more seriously, I was disappointed by the lack of character and soul in the current available apparel. I was looking for the bold colors and patterns that existed in the classic pieces I picked up at that yard sale and I just couldn’t find them. As time went on my appreciation for those bold colors and patterns turned into a career in design and my enthusiasm for cycling has become an obsession. The eventual result of bringing those things together, to make the cycling apparel that I wanted but couldn’t find, is Team Dream.

I am not suggesting that Team Dream is leading the movement to marry good design with cycling. I think we are in something of a cycling renaissance right now and the list of people I respect who are involved is long. Rapha has obviously been a huge part of bringing good design into cycling apparel and the emergence of fixed gear culture into the mainstream has brought a lot of attention to the community. Fortunately, people like Fyxo, Tracko and John Watson really hone in on the good parts. Each of those people bring their own unique perspective to the table and I am excited to have the opportunity to do the same.

It has always been my goal to inspire people with Team Dream and these new pieces are a tribute to being inspired. To be honest, the process by which most of this stuff comes to life is pretty simple. It doesn’t happen every day, or even very often, but most of the designs are born from a moment when I think “If that were a kit, I’d wear it”. These pieces represent a couple of those specific moments, but they are also a tribute to the fun and playful nature of the vintage looks that sparked my interest in design and cycling in the first place. Like my friend Kyle once said, “We have the opportunity to be a part of making cycling cool again” and we don’t have to tie ourselves to modern cycling conventions or trends to do that. I want people outside of the cycling community to be excited by and appreciate these pieces as well.

In the short term it feels really awesome to help people look rad on and off their bikes. Down the line, I think it would be spectacular if a piece of Team Dream gear ends up in someone’s hands at yard sale 20 years from now and serves to inspire their interest in cycling. Even if its just a kid who thinks he found a cool painters cap and a goofy shirt.

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Both the Rizzle Kits and Homage vests are up for pre-order now on Team Dream.

Follow Team Dream Bicycling Team on Instagram and Jesse Carmody on Instagram.