The Secret Weapon I Hide In My Cycling Shoes
Surprise, surprise. You are in the middle of the season and suddenly something starts to ache. As endurance athletes, we are no strangers to pain, so we ice it and decide to wait and see. Then after a few days it gets worse… Story of our lives, right?
I’m very proactive when it comes to aches and pains, and that is always my advice as a coach. I’ve learned that waiting and seeing what happens is just not the way to go when you are training us much as we are.
That is how I came across SOLESTAR. A few weeks before I was set to race IRONMAN Malaysia, I developed a ball of foot injury. Metatarsalgia is a condition in which the ball of your foot becomes painful and inflamed. You might develop it if you participate in activities that involve running or any high impact sport. I tried all the advised recommendations for this type of injury but they were not enough. Long story short I decided to race, and IRONMAN Malaysia is to this day my only DNF. At the time, this really hit me hard as I am not the kind of person that quits, if I could’ve walked the full marathon I would’ve done it, but the pain was too much.
After the race I spend months looking for a solution, until I discovered SOLESTAR’s Carbon Fiber Insoles. They do the amazing job of supporting the arch and heel of your foot, which as a cyclist or triathlete is crucial to both performance and injury prevention. Supportive insoles such as those from SOLESTAR help to hold your foot in a safe and secure position, allowing for maximum power transfer and support throughout your pedal stroke.
Not only did they solve my ball of foot injury, but after using them for a couple of months my toes stopped going numb during long rides. This was also something I was really struggling with, especially on races when I would get to T2 and have absolutely no feeling on them.
Now, let’s leave injury prevention aside and talk about the fun stuff. We all want to get faster and save watts. SOLESTAR insoles can contribute to 10% increase in power transfer. Yes, you read that right, an insole can have such an impact on your performance. This is due to the fact that the support in the arch and heel of your foot allows you to have a more efficient pedal stroke, in which the muscles are in an optimal position to produce more power. This is huge when it comes to marginal gains and what you get for your money.
After years using them, I cannot longer ride without SOLESTAR insoles. Without them, my feet feel unsupported, and nobody wants that! Additionally, after trying a few other cycling insoles to compare, they all feel like a piece of paper after using these.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about these awesome insoles. I’ll be more than happy to help you and your feet out!
Mauna Athletes don’t forget you all have a great discount, courtesy of our friends from SOLESTAR, on our athlete portal to try them out!
Thank you very much SOLESTAR for supporting me these past 2 years.
