Remco Evenepoel is riding what appear to be unreleased Specialized lace-up shoes at the Tour de France. Black Specialized branding on the toe and outside of the shoe, and a black heel cup differentiate them from the American brand's existing lace-up racing shoe, the Torch Lace. They could be an update, a lace version of the S-Works Ares 2, which has similar styling, or an entirely new model.
The double Olympic champion, who is currently fourth in the general classification, is wearing these shoes with red laces, potentially to draw attention to the fact that they are new. Remco is known to test unreleased kit in the open, as we saw at the opening team time trial in Barcelona, where we spotted him riding an all-new Specialized S-Works Shiv TT bike.
Some of his Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe teammates have gone white-on-white, as have riders from Soudal-Quickstep, which is also sponsored by Specialized, such as 2022 Paris-Roubaix winner Dylan van Baarle.
Despite Specialized having named the S-Works Torch Remco after him, claimed to be one of the peloton's lightest and best cycling shoes at 287g a pair, Evenepoel has worn these shoes at several races this year. Laces are generally considered to be more aerodynamic than Boa dials and straps and can save weight. They are possibly something Dan Bigham, Red Bull's head of engineering, has pushed the already very aero Evenepoel towards.
The use of these lace-ups could also be a move to improve ventilation and avoid hot foot and other temperature-induced conditions, in what has been described as one of the hottest Tours de France on record - Stage 9 was shortened due to exceptional heat.
In addition to the different branding and heel cup, when seen side by side with the Torch Lace, the unnamed shoe appears narrower, with lace eyelets spaced closer together. This could just be the way Remco has tightened the laces, or it could be an attempt from Specialized to smooth out the front-facing part of the shoe to further cut drag.
In the intense heat of this year's Tour de France, the apparent ventilation of these shoes would seem to be advantageous. Like on the Torch Lace, the upper is dotted with tiny holes for airflow. That said, many of Evenepoel's teammates, including his GC rival Florian Lipowitz, are apparently happy with the ventilation and weight of the S-Works Torch and S-Works Ares 2.
We have contacted Specialized for comment and will update this article when we have more information.