We are responsible right here at Cyclingnews of focussing on the pure efficiency tech, particularly on the Tour de France. Mark Cavendish’s marginal positive factors in service of his record-breaking thirty fifth stage win have already been the topic of an entire tech article in themselves, however his footwear slipped completely below our radar.
Cav typically has customized Nike biking footwear – footwear it have to be mentioned that no one else has as a result of Nike doesn’t promote them – however his most up-to-date and certain last pair of customized footwear have been designed by none apart from Damien Hirst.
For these not acquainted with the identify, you in all probability know Damien Hirst as the person who set animals, bisected down the center, in formaldehyde. Art? Well, they went in a gallery so I suppose they have to be. Regardless, Hirst is reportedly the UK’s richest dwelling artist, with a wealth of $384m based on the 2020 Sunday Times rich list (when he was final featured).
Given that he in all probability doesn’t want the cash it’s secure to imagine designing biking footwear for Britain’s biggest bike owner might be only a ardour venture.
We can see why Cavendish was cautious of scuffing them (Image credit score: Getty Images)
Cycling is not any stranger to unorthodox collaborations. Perhaps probably the most well-known, and most common, is vogue mogul Paul Smith working with premium biking manufacturers. He has created restricted version jerseys with Rapha, and most not too long ago a customized paint scheme for Factor bikes.
Last 12 months Cavendish had one other ‘last’ pair of biking footwear, this time in collaboration with vogue equipment designer, Sophia Webster. They featured the same old white base, however with gold soles and a wing motif close to the rear, evoking the picture of Hermes, the Greek God of commerce, wealth, luck, fertility, animal husbandry, sleep, language, thieves, and journey… busy man!
Speaking to journalists early within the Tour de France, Cavendish revealed that he owns “a number of of his [Damien Hirst’s] items”, and that it “was an honour when he agreed to do my final footwear.”
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These have been Canvendish’s ‘last’ customized footwear from the 2023 Tour de France (Image credit score: Nike/Sophia Webster)
The Manxman didn’t reveal if there was any significance to the butterflies that cowl the footwear. However, butterflies are a motif throughout a lot of Hirst’s work – a number of of his items function dwell and useless butterflies. Their use is usually described as reflecting Hirst’s curiosity in life, goals and his obsession with dying.
While we will not venture which means onto Cav’s shoe design, we will not assist feeling that maybe both Cav or Hirst (or each) have been eager that the art work displays this closing of his profession, and maybe the metamorphosis into the following chapter of the sprinting legend’s life.
The turquoise base color, in the meantime, is simply there to match the Astana staff jerseys.
It additionally needs to be famous that Cavendish admitted that he was “a bit nervous to get them scuffed”, which might be why we noticed him sporting his regular white and black pair for levels the place a dash end, and the danger of crashing, have been extra seemingly.
