I spotted something among the world's best climbers as the fight for the podium began up the final ascent of the Plateau de Solaison on stage 15—due to Jonas Vingegaard's abandonment earlier in the stage. If you include the Dane, Pogačar, Evenepoel, Del Toro and Seixas were all wearing lace-up versions of the best road cycling shoes.
Well, we know Evenepoel is wearing a yet-to-be-released lace-up version of the Specialized Torch, but given Evenepoel has his own signature model, you have to question why? Pogačar has often favoured DMT dial-operated shoes and is rarely seen in laces. At this year's Giro d'Italia, I noticed Vingegaard had started switching between Nimbl lace-ups and dials depending on the parcours. Seixas seems to stick with his Giro Empire SLX II; this could be because he doesn't have the choice, with Van Rysel not offering the Decathlon CMA CGM team a range of shoes right now.
So, should you be considering the switch to lace-ups as well? If the discounts I have found are anything to go by, now is a great time to be doing a bit of shopping. You can get the Paul Seixas look with up to 40% off the Giro Empire SLX II at Competitive Cyclist, for example. For our UK readers, there is 25% off the outgoing version of the Specialized S-Works Torch Lace, and many more...
Why are the world's top riders switching to laces?
There are a number of benefits to laces, that is for sure, but it's not all about performance. Much of the reason for choosing a lace-up revolves around fit and comfort. Our Digital Editor Michelle Arthurs-Brennan praises lace-ups for the ability to fine-tune the fit for each individual, even across the same person's feet.
On the flipside, our newly appointed Tech Editor Aaron Borrill, who recently awarded the Giro Imperial AS a dial-operated shoe, our converted Best Overall cycling shoe, said that: for all-year-round cycling, laces can become brittle, take a lot longer to put on and off, and for hard efforts, the lack of regulated tension on the lace can become problematic.
For the racers, though, the main goal is efficiency. Especially when things head uphill. This is where the difference between winning and losing can be less than a single watt at the line. The better the fit, the better the power transfer and ultimately the more efficient the pedal stroke becomes. That is why we are seeing the world's best riders switch to laces for the biggest stages.
As Aaron mentioned, they aren't for everyone; dial-retention systems are very good also, and many of our top picks for the best cycling shoes feature BOA or similar systems.
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