Jacopo Guarnieri He left the Tour de Pologne with great ambitions and motivationsDespite this being their first race together since the end of the Giro, their partnership with Arnaud Demare earned them another victory. After much effort and a few sprints to regain their bearings, the French in fact he won in Krakow, driven as always by the Italian who will race in the European Championships in Munich tomorrow.
Starting from from Tour of Italy, Jacopo is wearing new Unique of Q36.5As we know, shoes are a delicate product that plays a fundamental role in the pursuit of maximum performance.
«I've been wearing them for a few months – Guarnieri confirms – and I've never had any problemsAnd I'm someone who stresses out my shoes, given my 80 kilos and the consequent power I exert on the pedals."
Soft but stable
The work of the “pilot fish” lasts a few seconds and in those rapid moments all the tension and adrenaline of a long, indeed very long, stage or race is concentrated. The sensation, when you push "full speed" on the pedals, must be one of stability and safety.
«First of all – Jacopo continues – the thing I liked most is the soft fit, they are really comfortable. The structure is there and you can feel it, but at the same time the comfort is high and, most importantly, they do not lose their shape.In fact, I've been using the Unique for 3-4 months now and it's still as good as new. This characteristic is a combination of many factors. The fit, I have to say, is the part I enjoy the most. At the same time they remain very rigid, despite my weight, and consequently my watts, I never had any signs of giving up or instability."
Fresh and breathable
Finding the right mix for a cycling shoe is not an easy thing to do, the mechanical characteristics must go hand in hand with comfort and stability. By focusing too much on the former, you would create a product that is difficult to wear for a long time., however, focusing on comfort would not achieve the desired results.
«The upper is one of my favorite parts of the Unique – the Groupama FDJ rider, who will be switching to Lotto Soudal next year, confides to us – if you look at the shoes from the outside and touch them, especially in the heel area, you get the feeling that they are rigid. Then, when you wear them, you feel that they are soft and envelopingThey are very breathable, even though I'm not one to suffer from the heat, it's a quality that shouldn't be underestimated. Also because, when you're pedaling the sensations change and the foot never remains in the same condition all the time».
The Unique is closed with BOA dials, making it customizable down to the millimeter. The sole has great rigidity to have a shoe with high responsiveness and excellent power transfer
The Unique is closed with BOA dials, making it customizable down to the millimeter. The sole has great rigidity to have a shoe with high responsiveness and excellent power transfer
BOA Closure
Another key element of the Unique shoe is the closure, featuring classic BOA dials. This system allows for precise, millimeter-adjustable pressure on the foot in any situation.
"The upper and sole are one," Guarnieri explains, "and the foot rests comfortably in the middle. Despite the differences in stiffness (between the carbon fiber sole and the super-light upper, ed.) I've never had the feeling of having something soft on my feet. In fact, you really feel that the shoe follows every little adjustment. At the Tour de Pologne, in the last stage (won by Demare himself, ed.) I started with shoes that were too tight. It was a very hot day, the temperature reached 37 degrees during the race. And naturally, in these cases, after a while, the foot tends to swell. After a few kilometers, I loosened the dials and the shoe followed this adjustment, giving me the sensation of following the shape of my foot."
As mentioned, Guarnieri will race the European road championship tomorrow with the UniqueJacopo had been aiming for this call-up, which he earned by doing his job admirably. Now he's ready to lend a hand to his teammates and then focus on the Hamburg Classic on August 21st.
