I have been looking for new racing shoes for a long time. The major difficulty is that I have a small wide foot. With normal shoes if I find a pair that fit I buy'em, even if I don't necessarily need shoes, because I can not always find shoes that fit. I have tried many different types of cycling shoes, Sidi, Specialized, Lake, Bontrager. The biggest problem I have is that my size is out of stock and there is no delivery date, then I have to ask to have the shoes ordered and I feel guilty if I do not buy the shoes.
Finally I found a pair that I like. It is the Lake CX330. The main advantage of these is the closure system. Instead of a lock and velcro closure the Lake shoe uses a BOA system. Boa is a cable that interlaces on the shoe and is tightened by turning a ratchet on the heel. The Boa effectively holds the entire foot more evenly. I have found the shoe very comfortable and I am getting good power. My only complaint is that there could be more arch support. However to solve that issue i am putting special orthotic inserts. More on the shoes as they get broken in and so far so good.
Now to update my nutrition situation. As you may recall my plan last week was to have my nutrition and my hydration in the same bottle. I mixed Nuun with Carbopro for electrolytes and calories. I also did gels at the 2 hour and 3 hour mark. The plan worked well. The only issue I had was when I put too many calories, 600, in 1 bottle. The excess of calories upset my stomach, but when i stopped using the drink everything went back to normal. So this week my nutrition for the 80 mile ride is the same. Nuun and Carbopro with gels. If this works I have my plan for the ride.
My riding is going well. I hope to see you on the road. Next blog riding in the A/B group.
