Cleats vs No Cleats

On a cycle tour - entirely up to you. I always wear cleats - whatever benefit I can get, I’ll take. Push/pull effect. Steady on your pedals argument. Scientific proof - jury is out. Personal proof? The sixteen year old wore his Vans riding the Swiss Alps. He crushed me on every climb. Clearly cleats for him are uneccessary. Or I’m not good at climbing. Or he spends too much time in the gym.

I’ll tell you something else embarrassing about my cleats and I. We have a love hate relationship. As a fellow cyclist though - I hope you’ll understand. If you happen to be a Brisbane-ite you’ll appreciate just how embarrassing this was.

Returning home from a lovely long weekend ride, (The Shorncliffe Loop about 60kms - turnaround at the Wise Owl cafe - worth a stop for sure. GF goodies and of course great coffee and a great welcome for cyclists by the staff and the locals + dogs.) I was relatively new to cycling and quite fatigued by the 50km mark. Stopping at the traffic lights on Racecourse Road (surely everybody has done this once?) my feet remained firmly connected to my pedals and my brain couldn’t quite believe the ensuing slo-mo fall.

Put simply, I was grateful there were no lurking dash-cams and no resulting injuries. Apart, of course, from my delicate pride :)

So cleats or not? The more experienced me loves them. I have numerous pairs of Rapha Explore Cycling Shoes which I don’t leave home without. (PS: I sized up in these - Rapha were great with online order - two sizes at once and returns no problem…)

Image -  From the deck at ‘Whalesong Shack’ - a stunning air bnb on the East Coast of Tasmania - a must not miss if you ride through here. Look closely - you can see the fire pit in the background where the private chef will cook you up some fresh lobsters!