We separately detailed the custom Ridley Arena TT bike setup that Belgian & European time trial champ Victor Campenaerts rode to a new Hour Record on the track this week. But tucked inside of the info from Ridley were a prototype pair of Gaerne road bike shoes with their own laces tucked away. Based on Gaerne’s top road shoe, they get around the UCI’s prohibition of separate aero shoe covers, by making the shoes aero from the start.
Prototype lace-up Gaerne aero road bike shoes
Here’s something we haven’t seen from Italian shoemaker Gaerne before – aero road shoes. Developed to get around the UCI ‘no shoes covers’ policy on the track, Gaerne created this new aero version off their premium G.Stilo road shoes.
The aero shoes share the same general G.Stilo construction with lightweight & stiff full carbon sole. And they get the same basic synthetic microfiber upper, just without laser cut holes for ventilation. The top of the shoe sews a new stretchy rubber cover over a set of small diameter laces. Gaerne even say that they are faster than their standard Boa dial G.Stilos with aero covers on top.
Campenaerts is apparently happy with the prototype aero shoes, having already won a stage of Tirreno wearing them. He says he will continue road racing in the shoes. And from what we hear, we expect they will get an official debut from Gaerne as a new offering very soon.
Got an hour to kill watching a powerful rider go in circles with dodgy commentary? The UCI has got you covered.
