Whilst many teams have specific shoe partners, some riders choose to wear their preferred shoes and so wear a branded overshoe(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
The Bahrain-Merida team are all issued with custom coloured gold, red and white Sidi Shots(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Movistar Team are partnered with Diadora footwear, although most of the team opt for the branded overshoes versus Diadora's offerings(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Dan Martin (Quick-Step Floors) wears Mavic's Comete shoes in an unseen yellow design(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Shimano's S-Phyre shoe was first seen at the 2016 edition of the Criterium du Dauphine(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
The shoes pay homage to Pinot's victory on Alpe d'Huez in 2015(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) has been wearing these custom Scott RC shoes(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
A pink swoosh and handprint on the right shoe for Cavendish's daughter(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Whilst the famous Nike swoosh adorns the shoes, it is rumoured that the shoes are made in Italy by DMT(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Frey is Cavendish's son, a blue handprint and Nike swoosh is the design for the left shoe(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
All white BOA dials for Mark Cavendish(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
The one-piece carbon construction reduces weight and stack, whilst improving stiffness(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
A closer look at Dan Martin's Mavic Comete shoes(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Ben Gastauer of AG2R La Mondiale has Bont Vaypor S in team colours and a small personalisation(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
BMC Racing are partnered with Fizik and most of the team race in their shoes(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Stephen Cummings' Gaerne G. Stilo feature the British flag on the BOA dials for the newly crowned national champion(Image credit: 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(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Taylor Phinney (Cannondale-Drapac) was the only rider to wear Giro's new Techlace Prolight(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
A team Fortuneo-Oscaro rider opts for lace-ups with the Giro Empire SLX(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Another look at the UAE Team Emirates edition Gaernes(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) cuts out sections of his shoes to prevent any pressure points on his feet(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
The majority of the UAE Team Emirates riders wore Gaerne G. Stilo in team colours(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Julien Vermote has Quickstep team colours on his Lake CX 237 shoes(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Christian Knees has custom painted camo Lake CX 402 in Team Sky blue and black(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
French brand Ekoi provide this FDJ rider with their R3 model shoes(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Adam Hansen wears his iconic handmade Hanseeno U95 shoes that cost $2,000 and weigh less than 95 grams(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Italian national champion Fabio Aru rides with Sidi Wire shoes in Italian colours(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Many riders wore overshoes for the wet opening stages of the Tour de France(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Two-time world champion Peter Sagan wears custom S-Works 6 shoes, with the word 'Allez' written on the side(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Alberto Contador wears Bontrager's XXX LE Team Issue shoes(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Cavendish's custom Nike shoes are a tribute to his two children(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Two simple retention straps feature on Mark cavendish's Nikes(Image credit: 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(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Custom gorilla artwork for Andre Greipel's Gaernes(Image credit: Josh Evans / 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.
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 hand prints 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 Floors are also riding in distinctive footwear.
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.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
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.
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.
Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*
