But what about the shoes? That’s what you’re here for right? Point taken. Let’s play some music shall we and talk about what your favorite pro’s are wearing when they’re not shooting up with chemicals and inorganic matter. Keep the science in the soles fellas so we all can play along without paying twice as much to ride our bikes. Thanks in advance.

It was easy to see lots of pretty shoes mashing the pedals on the Tour of California’s course this year. Shimano’s crown-jewel, the R315 was by far the most frequent shoe in the peloton. It’s also always in white like on Tom Zirbel’s feet. In fact Shimano R315′s are unanimously on each rider of Team Type 1, Jamis-Sutter Home, and Rabobank.

The peloton of the cycling elite seems to be naturally finding its roots and already turning its back on Armstong’s penchant for black feet. But if I were buying a pair of new kicks to spin the coming summer months in I don’t know they would be Shimano because the shoes are kind of boring and the technology is the same custom-molding that can be found pretty much everywhere now. Shimano was one of the first companies to pioneer the wonderful world of custom to our bike closets but the design of their high-end shoes for over $300 (even online) are simply ho-hum. There’s simply a lot more fun out there for your hard-earned dinero.

Spoiler alert: Chris Horner (RadioShack) won the whole-dang-race and as he is company guy he stays close to his Trek sponsor with a pair of red Bontrager RXXXL’s and a relaxed interview relevé. So does RadioShack MVP Matthew Busche for his tireless efforts on Saturday’s climb up Mt. Baldy protecting Horner and Levi Leipheimer from meddling attackers. However, Levi is the first man to jump ship with his own pair of black Giro Prolight SLX. Lance Armstrong may be gone but Levi is the one stronghold to carry on the black socks, black shoe tradition. But those Giro’s will set you back $350 in the US. Don’t worry, they are also offered in white.

Levi is not the only Giro-footed racer on RadioShack. Ben King who had his final race in his stars-and-stripes jersey as the reigning 2010 US road champion. King may have the stars-n-stripes but he doesn’t race in the Prolight’s. Instead he has a more modestly-priced, more fashionable Giro Factors in red and white that sell for $279. King does have a chance to win another national champ jersey next weekend, he enjoyed a shortened stint as US pro road champ when US Cycling moved the Championship race from late August to Memorial Day weekend when most of the rest of the world also crowns it’s victors.

As I was walking through the team rigs noting both racing and podium shoes, I turned and recognized newly crowned Paris-Roubaix winner Johan Van Summeren (Garmin) in a spry pair of Bont Vaypors. Even some of Garmin’s mechanics are spoiled with MBT Mahuta trainers that will make you $230 lighter. The only better ride on this team was Coach Vaughters’ temporary team car.

Jelly Belly’s shoes are as mixed as a bag of their beans. Ken Hanson is all kitted out even before his water bottle but Jeremy Powers tries to relax before a long day in the saddle, even during interviews. And if you had to abandon the race early like Alastair Loutit did after a bad wreck, this is your new shoe of choice. Don’t worry, they know how to keep from swappin’ sweat. It may not be euro but I think it brings his whole Brad Huff look together.

Andy Schleck straps on a rare pair of Northwave’s while his other Leopard Trek teammates prefer a little more click. Jason Donald (Kelly Benefit) is one of the few Mavic riders, Taylor Phinney is so young he still goes casual until racetime, and Frank Pipp seems to enjoy his DMT shoes along with the rest of his Bissel Cycling teammates even if some of them go with wind covers every day (even pro’s ride with holes in them.)

Liquigas-Cannondale keep it classy in their Italain-made Sidi Ergo 2′s and Team Saxo Bank follow their bike-supplier Specialized. But I wonder if Juan José Haedo isn’t thinking tonight that he could have won the stage’s sprint finish if only he kept his shoes as clean as his brother Sebastian does. Juan José came in tenth both at the finish line and second to his team bus door when he tried to avoid me taking a picture. At least one time in my life I can say I beat him.

[View with PicLens]

12►

Feeling the rush of the excited crowds I wondered into the shoe and pedal side of the TIME booth for a first-hand peek at the new iCLIC pedals I had been hearing about. I wasn’t expecting a to run into a pro team mechanical manager, but that’s what I got. Straight from the drenched countryside of Northern France was Time’s Product Manager, Dominique Faure. His strong French accent made me sure of two things, I wasn’t about to beat him in a 200M sprint or in a fight for the ladies.  But that’s the magic of Interbike and I didn’t hold the language barrier between us to keep us from coming together as cyclists at heart. I came for the pedals but stayed for the conversation no matter how muddy it got.

THERMO MOLDING: INNOVATIVE RACING CONCEPTS

Dominique started by giving me a tour of Time’s pedals and the customizable shoes he’s been putting through the ringer for over a year just to get them ready for weekend warriors.  Most of the lessons he’s learned arrived from his personal experiences in the field supporting young-professional French racers on the Bbox Bouygues Telecom development team Vendée U.

Vendée U probably stands for Vendée University, as a place for the new crop of France’s next generation of racers to be cultivated in the Vendée region.  Northern France is known for having extremely wet and windy Spring seasons and the racing is notoriously uncomfortable. It doesn’t matter how fast you are the cold wind is going to make your ride miserable. That kind of Spring weather is something known to American Pro Tour racers as “getting Franced on” when referring to riding on an incredibly cold, windy and wet weather. The kind of day so wretched that staying inside on a set of rollers might actually seem attractive.

Dominique recalled one dreadful, wicked day when some of the young bucks on Vendée U came back after a harsh flooded ride and instinctively put their soaked Time shoes on top of the clothes dryer to dry them out and warm them up. Not long after their shoes had dried, the unattended kicks lost their custom fitting due to the extended exposure to the dryer’s heat. The racers called Dominique fearing the worst, that their premium shoes were probably ruined and worthless. But unlike some shoes that require a specific temperature process to mold from Dominique instructed the racers to refit the shoes themselves as they were without the need of driving into a big city bike shop.

To custom fit a pair of 2010 Time cycling shoes it doesn’t take a big production. The Time ULTEAM RS CARBON shoes have a THERMO SHAPE membrane (or TS SYSTEM) inside the upper. All you need is a hairdryer and four minutes to bring the shoes up to temperature and ready for fitting.

Hold a hairdryer at 45 degrees and 15cm from the entrance of the shoe for four minutes and then put the shoe on while wearing a pair of cycling socks. Then sit on a bike held by a rear-wheel trainer and clip in. Don’t pedal, just sit normally and patiently let the shoes cool. This idle position is beneficial because as Dominique notes, “your foot on a bike is not the same as it is walking or standing.”

After the shoe cools, the TS System has retained the shape of your foot and custom molding is complete. As for the racers Vendée U found out, these new Time shoes can be remolded and fitted repeatedly over and over. Dominique told me he molded his own pair every day for over a year while the Ulteam RS Carbon was in its developing process, “I’ve molded my own shoes well over 200 times,” he said.

And in case you forget, each pair of shoes comes with a nice instructional card inside each box. This can also be passed along with the shoes if you ever sell them or give them away giving new meaning to customization. “With the TS System you can feel the difference instantly,” Dominique added.

The TS membrane also helps with problem feet. The shoes don’t come in different widths yet, but the membrane is able to conform to almost any problem. Dominique told me one story of how he helped a racer finish an important stage race. The rider had fallen and had a severe foot injury that made pedaling very difficult and painful. Dominique went to work and after some bandage adjustments with foam and gauze he remolded his shoe using the same process allowing him to ride and finish the race for team Vendée U. Then as the rider’s foot healed they molded the shoes as the swollen foot went back down to its normal health and size.

Dominique has also learned a thing or two from triathletes like Cedric Fleureton. The lessons he has learned might help any racer ride survive a difficult effort when equipment not only needs to not just be working but performing outright.

Take for instance the external toe box on Time’s New ULTEAM TRI CARBON. Dominique noted how Cedric Fleureton once came out of the water only seconds behind the leaders and needed to keep his pace to stay in reach with them. Cedric’s weakest leg is on the bike and after he had a poor transition he couldn’t quite take the time to get his foot in his shoe. The only thing he could think about was pedaling so he rode with his foot on top of his shoe and kept his foot out for the first 10km. Because his Time shoe has a hard external toe box Cedric’s powerful legs didn’t crush the toe completely and when he had a chance he was able to slip his foot inside without being dropped or losing any time.

Listening to Dominique made me feel like I had been there myself and it was reassuring to know that most of the developments came directly from the frontlines of a pro team racing on the rainy roads of France by a product developer who has seen what it means to be race ready.

There is more to tell about Time’s shoes and pedal systems. Stay tuned and we’ll bring you more details from Time’s Interbike booth in part two of my discussion with Dominique.

Time Ulteam shoe sizes: 36 to 47 (half-sizes 40.5 to 45.5)

colors: Shiny White and Red (red sizes 39 to 47 and half sizes)

weight (size 42): 658 grams

[View with PicLens]

This will be no surprise to anybody but last Thursday Nike has confirmed it will to be the footwear and apparel supplier to Team Radioshack.

Unless team members are stars with their own shoe contract they will be required to wear Nike footwear and apparel in competition and training. This was confirmed by Nike spokeswoman Erin Dobson in an interview with The Oregonian. Nike is based in Portland, Oregon.

The spokeswoman declined to disclose the financial level of Nike’s sponsorship, but it will be minor compared with RadioShack’s. A title sponsor typically pays $10 million of the more than $15 to $20 million it takes to fund a Pro Tour team for a year of racing.

In this year’s 2009 Tour de France, Lance Armstrong sported black shoes with two of Nike’s large yellow swoosh’s on the side… with black socks of course.

custom kicks complete with a bull's eye...

(If only we could all have custom shoes and lettering like the pro’s do.) But what matters most in these shoes is the Boa S1 lacing system that will be available from Specialized in 2010.

Already Tour de France racers wearing shoes with the Boa Lacing System have sported 6 days in yellow, won 3 stage victories, and added 33 top 20 stage finishes to their resumes.

Millar doesn’t have any stage victories yet this year but the British cycling star took time from his rest and recovery to debut the upcoming technology and its ease of on-the-fly adjustment to the rest of the world. Watch the special Versus TV coverage below now. It’s worth checking out just for Millar’s daily choice in kicks.

Boa S1 Featured on Live Tour de France Coverage by Versus from dax kelm on Vimeo.

Nike has seen plenty of profits with Armstrong

The thought of a shoe company headlining a Pro Tour team might be closer than you think.

Even if Lance Armstrong doesn’t win the Tour de France this year you can be assured he will be riding and racing in 2010. The major change we can expect that he won’t be riding for Team Astana. Instead, the seven-time Tour champion and manager Johan Bruyneel will be writing a new chapter with another new team, specifically one called Team Nike.

After all the shoe-maker has enjoyed the power of Lance’s name even though Armstrong hasn’t participated in the Tour de France for a few years. Nike and Lance first teamed up to create the trendy yellow LIVESTRONG wristbands which have raised well over $75 million for Lance’s cancer foundation.

And now as Bloomberg news reports, Lance Armstrong’s recent mid-race rivalry with Alberto Contador may accelerate the seven-time champion’s efforts to raise money for his own team next year.

Armstrong currently rides for Team Astana, but started exploring possible development of his own team in May after the nation of Kazakhstan failed to pay some sponsorship money and fell behind with salary payments.

Armstrong and teammates Chris Horner and Levi Leipheimer went as far as to race in New Mexico’s Tour of the Gila in Mellow Johnny’s team kits supporting Armstrong’s local bike shop in Austin, Texas.

“Armstrong ‘possibly’ will leave Astana and Bruyneel may go with him,” Alexander Antyshev, executive director of the Kazakhstan Cycling Federation, supervising Team Astana said in a telephone interview. Johan Bruyneel directed each of Armstrong’s comeback victories with the U.S. Postal Service and Discovery Channel teams. “There will be discussions with Bruyneel in the next few days about whether he will stay with the team,” Antyshev confirmed.

But the writing is on the wall. The stars are aligning for an Armstrong team with U.S. sponsors including Nike Inc. and Armstrong bike-partner Trek Bicycle Corp. as secure investors. Each of these huge corporations are solid candidates capable of headlining a Pro Tour team.

A partnership with Nike makes sense. Nike’s global branding has deep pockets reaching out to many languages. Armstrong has already been riding in his own LIVESTRONG kit for most of the season, standing out in the peloton like a billboard in his black helmet, shoes and gillet – a wheel any sponsor would want to take a pull from.

Scott Harris, president and founder of Mustang Marketing in Thousand Oaks, California said, “Armstrong’s comeback this year will help him get more backing for a team than if he hadn’t taken a break. Even people who aren’t fans of the Tour de France or fans of bicycling, they love this story about this guy coming back.”

“There will be a lot of people who will want to jump on that bandwagon. Assuming he finishes in the top three, and if he’s very fortunate… wins… he’ll be writing his own ticket.” This could be true even while the sport of cycling is turbulent amidst a troubled economy as reported by the Bicycle Retailer and Industry News.

Contador has a contract with Astana through 2010 and would probably love to get away from Armstrong and his American teammates. Especially after his controversial antics at the end of Stage 7 when the Spaniard went off-book dashing away from Armstrong in the last kilometers of a mountaintop finish. That lack of confidence did not win Contador any more fans on his team (or sponsor opportunities.)

Astana has more than $21.1 million dollars (15 million Euros) of this year from Kazakhstan companies including state-owned railway operator AO Kazakhstan Temir Zholy National Co. Contador endorses cycling equipment including Sidi shoes, but can’t quite compete with Armstrong’s marketing power. Contador’s face is known only to cyclists, not the general English-speaking public like Armstrong. Contador struggles to lure endorsement contracts because he doesn’t speak English and is linked to the Spanish doping controversy: Operation Puerto. Armstrong’s comeback from cancer story is also hard to compete against in the world of sports endorsement.

After winning the 2005 Tour, Armstrong launched a tirade against “cynics and skeptics” who suspected him of doping. Now in a change to lure sponsors, he’s presenting a “softer, warmer, more gentle approach” again according to Chadwick. He makes light of the quantity of doping tests he undergoes (once 3 times in 24 hours) and posts to 1.4 million followers of his Twitter feed. And during his appearance in the Tour of California last February Armstrong was given a hero’s welcome by hordes of fans crowding around his team bus excited by his return.

“He is probably the only personality in cycling,” Chadwick said. “He’s giving people a reason to watch the Tour de France again.” This is apparent as Armstrong’s comeback ride has given the North American broadcast network, Versus, a serious lift in its Tour de France ratings. After the first ten stages, Nielsen monitoring reported an increase of 78 percent – an average of 479,809 viewers in the morning telecasts.

Major Tour de France and Pro Tour team sponsors pay between $6 million and $15 million, and according to French newspaper L’Equipe, Armstrong was on the verge of presenting a new team for this year’s Tour before one of the partners pulled out. Was it Nike Shoes? Probably not, but the Armstrong marketing phenomenon is far from over. As they say, just wait ’til next year.

More than two things separate Lance from his team Astana: his helmet, his gloves and those nifty Nike shoecovers for a more aerodynamic time trial. The Nike swoosh is on the same side of each foot. Interesting.

Against the backdrop of the Alpes Christian gave a first-hand reaction to his Team Garmin blue and white’s.

What I want to know is how can a dude ride that hard and still look squeaky clean the next morning?

Click here to see the pro’s own impression.

As if it were as fashionable as white tie attire at a wedding, wearing a white shoe is the popular choice for cyclists who keep it on the road. It’s just another aspect for mountain bikers to rebel against along with their baggy shorts and hairy legs.

As germane as white shoes and matching socks may be, all formal correctness may change and the Euro snobs may be in for a shock. That’s because last week Lance Armstrong made his thundering reemergence to professional racing and with all eyes trained on his epic return to the Pro Tour, he had the unbecoming audacity to wear black shoes and black socks in the face of the best cyclists in the world.

It was ever apparent from the live streaming video online, Lance showed no fear as he protected Amgen Tour of California race leader Levi Leipheimer for 9 days whether rain or shine. As usual he rode near the front of the pack, and as usual Nike provided him with his shoes. Nike never stopped sponsoring Lance and his Livestrong Cancer Organization even while he was retired.

Now, it is true that 2008 did see an emergence of more UCI teams incorporating black shoes into their kit, but Lance’s image in California was more distinct because along with his black and yellow Livestrong gilet and black bicycle, his shoes were also different from the rest of Team Astana. Last week he just seemed to stick out more, divergent from his team and the rest of the racers who all continued to wear white.

Looking back to Lance’s career he has always been a proponent of a darker shade of shoe and the seven time Tour de France champion started rocking black shoes again in the Tour Down Under this past January. Only at the Interbike’s Cyclocross race last fall in Las Vegas did he wear a mix-colored shoe, a discipline fitting for black.

However, in the Pro Tour he is constantly surrounded by white kicks including those of fellow countrymen Christian Vande Velde, David Zabriskie, and longtime lieutenant George Hincapie. Even Rock Racing and their bad boy civil disobedience is consoled by their white feet, probably because their team is more populated with Europeans this season.

But even with Armstrong’s comeback, most riders and racers will probably stick with white for a while. White shoes still remain the chic and hip choice for club riders everywhere as each cyclist pays homage to the European roots of cycling. However, when applied with a black sock, a dark shoe can make a statement that might stand out as much like Rock Racing’s anarchy. But for now the tradition remains, and white shoes cast a brilliant reflection on a sun-drenched day drawing the eye to the center of the fun, the spin of the pedals, the power and the grace of our sport.