The beginning of the Grand Tour Cycling Season
Spring has raced onwards, and the long-sleeved jerseys of the early, spring classic races and sportive events are now a part of our cycling history. Yes, we’re all racing towards the summer sun on our bikes, and the Grand Tours have begun in earnest, with the women’s Vuelta opening proceedings in Spain. As you read this blog, the men’s peloton will be taking to the streets and mountain roads of Italy, in the 2025 Giro D’Italia, with many of the riders wearing Lake Cycling Shoes on their hard-working cycling feet.
From the leisure cyclists on the Chicago boardwalk, riding for coffee with friends, to club cyclists all over the world, and to the greatest cyclists on earth in the pro peloton, Lake has a cycling shoe that fits your feet perfectly. No other cycling shoe brand has such a varied range of cycling shoes, whoever you are, whatever your foot shape and whatever your chosen cycling style. And that’s why, as the grand tour cycling season begins, we wanted to help you out with a few suggestions from probably the world’s best range of high-performance cycling shoes for all riders.
Dare to dream of cycling glory
For those riders dreaming of cycling glory and wanting to imitate their cycling heroes, we’d first like to add a word of caution and advice. All of us are unique, and that includes in our feet: in their size, their shape, their volume and how we use them on the bike and off the bike. Ultimately, that’s why here at Lake we recommend cyclists visit our retail partners around the globe and have them measure your feet properly. We want everyone to ride in comfort. It’s okay to dream of cycling glory – in fact we actively encourage it – however, do so with your feet wrapped in a second skin of cycling shoe comfort, by Lake.
In the main, most members of pro peloton have feet that are narrower than the average rider, as they’ve spent so much time since childhood seated on a bike and not weight-bearing as much as the rest of us. Even so, they still take time to have their feet properly measured and to have their cycling shoes properly fitted. When you think about it, our feet and our legs do most of the work on the bike, and it all makes sense. Yes, dreaming of cycling glory in a grand tour such as La Vuelta or The Giro is a good thing; however, let’s all ride more comfortably in cycling shoes that are properly fitted, and give you the best possible performance, with the best cycling comfort in the world.
Cycling shoes for warm summer days
Lake CX20R
Riding all day, every day is tough going, and our feet need to be able to move in certain aspects, whilst remaining firmly fitted in others. A well fitted heel cup, a supported arch and a toe box that doesn’t constrict your feet is the goal for cycling feet, allowing all your effort to go into forward momentum, without you being in unnecessary pain or discomfort. Featuring a slightly narrower toe box and tighter heel than the Competition last and less overall volume than the Sport last, our Lake CX20R comes on our CX Race ‘Last’, and is a high-performance cycling shoe designed for very high-cadence riding with a slimmer fit. Awide version is also available, which offers 15mm of additional volume at the ball of the foot.
The CX20R is a lightweight, stylishly modern cycling shoe that offers a very lightweight, breathable and extremely adjustable upper, available in 3 widths and women’s specific sizes too. Utilizing Clarino microfiber, a breathable mesh up, laces and Lake’s Handmade CFC 3K carbon fibre sole, this cycling shoe that can really do it all - from hot days on the roads and in the mountains to indoor riding on Zwift and other platforms. IT’s a cycling shoe used by many of our Lake pro cycling ambassadors and will be on the feet of some of the riders during La Vuelta, the Giro and the Tour de France. If it fits your own unique feet, it’s a cycling shoe to race you towards your own cycling summits this season.
Lake CX302
The Lake CX302 is the ultimate light weight climbing shoe for cyclists, without sacrificing comfort, a secure fit or power transfer. Utilizing our Clarino microfiber and coming with dual BOA® Li2 dials and Lake’s handmade CFC 3K carbon fibre sole, you have a cycling slipper that weighs an amazing 195 grams (size 44, not including the insole). If you’re following the races on the road, or riding at home in your own local hills, the Lake CX20R will power your performance to the front.
Using our Lake Race 100% Carbon Fiber Sole, the CX302 is available in a 3-hole cleat pattern and utilizes our Lake patented double sole system. The inner sole is a semi flexible carbon fibre platform that allows the foot to have some flexibility at the ball of the foot, where the foot tends to swell and typically hot spots or numbness would occur. The inner sole is then suspended over the outer rigid carbon sole. This unique and innovative system enables us to use an extremely stiff carbon outsole, without sacrificing riding comfort, and ultimately delivering better performance. It's a stylishly modern cycling shoe for climbers, with the Clarino Microfiber and mesh upper, giving the perfect blend of secure fit and breathability on the warmest of summer cycling days. We’ve also used a Carbitex Medial Support panel for stability, giving a more secure and stable fit.
Create cycling memories this summer – with Lake
Whatever are dreams may be on the bike; be it a place in the world tour peloton, riding in Rome at the head of the race, or climbing our own classic route in the Alps, as we imagine ourselves leading the way to victory, having our feet properly measured by a Lake cycling shoe expert is always a good starting point. We are all inspired and yes, influenced by the cycling legends that grace the world tour. Yes, we want to ride their bikes, to wear their kits and to ride as well as they do – albeit in our dreams. The reality is that we can, in some instances, if we ensure that we first find or own fit with Lake cycling shoes.
Then, there’s a whole range of some of the world’s best road cycling shoes waiting for you, and ready to deliver performance, style and comfort in equal measure. Yes, you can create lifelong memories on your bike this summer. Ultimately, that’s what we at Lake have always set out to help you with, by designing some of the best cycling shoes in the world, for riders everywhere.