Christian Knees has custom painted camo Lake CX 402 in Team Sky blue and black - Josh Evans / Immediate Media
At the Tour de France, Mark Cavendish wore shoes with handprints from his kids - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Cavendish's custom Nike shoes are a tribute to his two children - Josh Evans / Immediate Media
Frey is Cavendish's son - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
And Delilah is Cavendish's daughter - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Two simple retention straps feature on Mark Cavendish's Nikes - Josh Evans / Immediate Media
Rudiger Selig (Bora-Hansgrohe) wears Specialized's S-Works Sub 6 lace-up shoes - Josh Evans / Immediate Media
Julien Vermote has Quickstep team colours on his Lake CX 237 shoes - Josh Evans / Immediate Media
The majority of the UAE Team Emirates riders have Gaerne G. Stilo shoes in team colours - Josh Evans / Immediate Media
Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) cuts out sections of his shoes to prevent any pressure points on his feet - Josh Evans / Immediate Media
Another look at the UAE Team Emirates edition Gaernes - Josh Evans / Immediate Media
A team Fortuneo-Oscaro rider opts for lace-ups with the Giro Empire SLX - Josh Evans / Immediate Media
Taylor Phinney (Cannondale-Drapac) was the only rider to wear Giro's new Techlace Prolight - Josh Evans / Immediate Media
White socks and white shoes may not have been the best decision for the wet opening of the 2017 Tour de France - Josh Evans / Immediate Media
Stephen Cummings' Gaerne G. Stilos feature the British flag on the boa dials for the newly crowned national champion - Josh Evans / Immediate Media
French brand Ekoi provides this FDJ rider with its R3 model shoes - Josh Evans / Immediate Media
Adam Hansen wears his iconic handmade Hanseeno U95 shoes, which cost $2,000 and weigh less than 95 grams - Josh Evans / Immediate Media
Custom gorilla artwork for Andre Greipel's Gaernes - Josh Evans / Immediate Media
Greg Van Avermaet has worn Rocket 7 shoes for a few seasons now, but has had an updated colour scheme following his Olympic victory - Josh Evans / Immediate Media
Alberto Contador wears Bontrager's XXX LE Team Issue shoes - Josh Evans / Immediate Media
Two-time world champion Peter Sagan wears custom S-Works 6 shoes, with the word 'Allez' written on the side - Josh Evans / Immediate Media
Many riders wore overshoes for the wet opening stages of the Tour de France - Josh Evans / Immediate Media
Italian national champion Fabio Aru rides with Sidi Wire shoes in Italian colours - Josh Evans / Immediate Media
BMC Racing is partnered with Fizik and most of the team race in its shoes - Josh Evans / Immediate Media
Ben Gastauer of AG2R La Mondiale has Bont Vaypor S in team colours and a small personalisation - Josh Evans / Immediate Media
The Bahrain-Merida team is issued with custom coloured gold, red and white Sidi Shots - Josh Evans / Immediate Media
While many teams have specific shoe partners, some riders choose to wear their preferred shoes and so wear a branded overshoe - Josh Evans / Immediate Media
Stybar senior and Stybar junior - Josh Evans / Immediate Media
Peter Sagan wore a similar design during the spring Classics, albeit in a turquoise colour - Josh Evans / Immediate Media
The eyecatching Northwave Extreme RR shoes - Josh Evans / Immediate Media
Mavic's Cosmic shoe in the yellow of the iconic French brand - Josh Evans / Immediate Media
Trek-Segafredo riders wear the XXX road shoes in red - Josh Evans / Immediate Media
The Movistar Team is partnered with Diadora footwear, although most of the team opt for the branded overshoes versus Diadora's offerings - Josh Evans / Immediate Media
Dan Martin (Quick-Step) wears Mavic's Comete shoes in an unseen yellow design - Josh Evans / Immediate Media
A closer look at Dan Martin's Mavic Comete shoes - Josh Evans / Immediate Media
The one-piece carbon construction reduces weight and stack, while improving stiffness - Josh Evans / Immediate Media
Shimano's S-Phyre shoe was first seen at the 2016 edition of the Criterium du Dauphine - Josh Evans / Immediate Media
Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) has been wearing these custom Scott RC shoes - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
The shoes pay homage to Pinot's victory on Alpe d'Huez in 2015 - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Shoes are the last point of connection between you and your bike, so it’s no wonder professional and recreational cyclists alike fuss so much about what transfers their power to the pedal.
So, we watched the feet of the full Tour de France peloton and photographed the most interesting pairs of shoes for this gallery.
At the Tour de France, Mark Cavendish wore shoes with handprints from his kids - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) has his own Nike cycling shoes, and he unveiled a new custom design for the 2017 edition of the Tour de France before his premature departure on stage 4. Rumoured to be made by Italian brand DMT, the shoes feature pink and blue handprints from Cavendish’s children.
Cavendish is not the only rider with custom shoes at the Tour, of course. Team Sky’s Christian Knees, Thibaut Pinot of FDJ and Zdenek Stybar of Quick Step are also riding in distinctive footwear.
Adam Hansen wears his iconic handmade Hanseeno U95 shoes, which cost $2,000 and weigh less than 95 grams - Josh Evans / Immediate Media
And of course there is Adam Hansen of Lotto-Soudal, who makes his own cycling shoes. Branded as Hanseeno, the shoes are listed online as weighing less than 95 grams and start at €2,000.
Many WorldTour teams now have specific partnerships with shoe manufacturers, but with shoe fit being such a matter of personal preference, some riders opt for non-sponsored shoes with covers.
The Movistar and Astana teams are the most prominent users of these covers and at a glance they look like the Diadora and Sidi models they are representing, but with closer inspection, you can occasionally make out the shoes concealed underneath.
Dan Martin (Quick-Step) wears Mavic's Comete shoes in an unseen yellow design - Josh Evans / Immediate Media
Dan Martin (Quick-Steps Floors) is the only rider in the Tour peloton wearing Mavic's latest €1,000 shoes, the Cometes. These shoes feature a single carbon fibre outer and a separate inner ‘sock’, similar to a ski boot design.
Boa dials have become de rigueur on cycling shoes in the past few years, and although this is now the most prominent shoe fastening system in the peloton, there are alternatives.
Alberto Contador wears Bontrager's XXX LE Team Issue shoes - Josh Evans / Immediate Media
Two-time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador opts for Bontrager’s XXX LE Team Issue shoes, which feature just three Velcro straps and are built for hot-weather riding.
Taylor Phinney (Cannondale-Drapac) is racing in Giro’s new Prolight Techlace shoes.This shoe weighs just 187g for a size 45 and uses a hybrid fastening system of laces and Velcro straps.
Click or swipe through the gallery above to see the vast array of shoes on display at Le Grande Boucle.
