Specialized S-works Ares shoes
£375, specialized.com
Named after the Greek god of war, the Ares is first and foremost a sprinter’s shoe. Developed alongside the S-works 7 shoe, Specialized took advantage of Deceuninck-quickstep’s production line of talent to diagnose and fix the problems that come with riding fast. Boy in green Sam Bennett is the latest of the team’s sprint stars to help deliver a shoe the maker says is ‘1% faster than any we’ve ever made’.
The target, says Specialized, was to minimise movement and maximise comfort during full-gas efforts. To do this the tongue has been replaced with a reinforced inner mesh sock, a bracing panel has been placed over the outer side of the foot and a new closure system has been added featuring centralised Boa Li2 dials. The manufacturer says the result is both more comfortable and lighter than the S-works 7, weighing in at a claimed
220g per shoe.
Unsurprisingly, a shoe designed for aggressive racing has also gone down well with Quickstep’s Julian Alaphilippe, who apparently compared them to wearing slippers next to the fire at Christmas.