Michelle and I don’t really follow any “team sports”; we follow “spandex sports” like cycling, Nordic skiing, and alpine skiing. I don’t think it has anything to do with any particular love of spandex; it’s just a coincidence.

That said, we have a dirty little secret: we love college basketball. Anyone who follows that sport will know about the rivalry between Duke and North Carolina, and that the rivalry cannot be classified as “friendly”. After having lived in the Chapel Hill area, you simply can’t help but get swept up in it.

As with everything else in life, one has to choose a side. Michelle worked in Durham, so she swayed towards Duke. My choice to support Carolina was a little more complicated.

Back in 1992, Sidi came out with the Genius II cycling shoe. Up until then, cycling shoes were black and boring. The only “exciting” thing you could get from a cycling shoe was a set of velcro straps - if you could afford it. But the Genius II not only had a ratchet, but were also royal blue. They were awesome, and I fell in love with that color.

Carolina Blue just so happens to be pretty close to that particular shade of blue, so I had no choice but to choose their side. It also isn’t the first time this color has pulled me into a lifelong love affair: when I first met Michelle, she owned a freshly remastered copy of the Star Wars trilogy. As if that wasn’t enough to make me fall for her, she also owned a pair of those royal blue Sidi Genius II’s. I was a puddle on the floor.

I have to say, though, that one of the highlights of living with a Duke fan is that it’s the only time of year that I get to watch Michelle jump to her feet, shake her fist at the television, and scream, “SINK IT, BITCH!!”