Vítor Carvalho & @ingruppetto Studio, Dubai

Fitting into the cycle sport scene

Dubai and the Emirates is a place with a growing cycling scene, and a place where riders want the very best service and cycling kit available. Thankfully, former world level pro rider, Vítor Bruno Martins Carvalho, originally from Portugal and now based in Dubai, understands this and it’s in his DNA to always deliver the very best – whether it’s on the bike as a member of the pro peloton, or in creating what has become one of the best cycle sport studios in the Emirates region.

Vitor has been leading the way from his @Ingruppetto Studio for 13 years, having moved to Dubai when he concluded his career as a pro rider. For him, the camaraderie of the pelotonstill lives with him, as he talks warmly about the friends he made for life, living and travelling together as riders.  However, for all the travelling and the opportunity to ride bikes and to race in the Alps and so many other beautiful places, his favourite place for cycling is still when he visits back home in Portugal; in the National Park at Peneda-Gerês in the north of the country. It’s a place filled with wildlife and endless greenery, with the epic rivers, gorges, and the hills to train on - fresh and quiet and very beautiful.

A passion for excellence – on and off the bike

Yes, Vitor is passionate about life, nature and cycling, and doing everything possible to live life filled with adventure and meaning. It’s this passion and determination that makes him one of the very best people in the Emirates for cyclists and triathletes to go for advice on bike fitting, training, kit, equipment and even nutrition; as the @Ingruppetto Studio has become like a clubhouse for sporting excellence, where riders and athletes can go to for all manner of advice and information – or just to chill out over a coffee in the attached café.

Dubai has some excellent facilities for cyclists, such as the 11km closed circuit near the city, the 50km closed road circuit out in the nearby desert, one hours drive away. It makes it good for beginners to be able to ride in safety as they get used to riding and get used to their bike, once it’s properly fitted. Like elsewhere in the world, Vitor tells me that all too frequently, cyclists get sold the wrong bike and end up attending his studio to have the issues properly addressed. He works closely with a great number of triathletes, not only on the bike fittingand cycle nutrition advice, but also on their running and swim training, as his studio has become a place that addresses the whole lifestyle and eco-system needs for these athletes.

Lake Cycling – A shoe for every foot

Fitting a bike correctly for a customer – albeit often correcting mistakes from elsewhere – is only one part of the equation for the team at @Ingruppetto Studio; and, thankfully, Lake Cycling Shoes help Vitor to deliver the unrivalled excellence that he’s renowned for. Talking with this passionate former pro rider, he tells me that about 90% of local cyclists have wide feet. Dubai and its climate mean that people grow up wearing sandals, allowing their feet an unconstrained growth, and ultimately requiring a wider fitting cycling shoe. Unfortunately, too many riders are frequently given shoes that simply harm their feet, holding them too tightly in shoes that are simply too narrow for them. Alternatively, cyclists are wearing shoes up to 2 sizes too big, simply as a poor excuse to compensate for the width, in poor examples shoe fitting by other retailers who don’t have his sense of professionalism or dedication to delivering excellence – and comfort.

For Vitor, it should always be about taking the feet first approach in cycle shoe fitment, by measuring feet properly and then fitting rider’s feet with the shoe that fits them, rather than taking the shoe to the foot and leaving the rider with a whole range of potential long-term issues. With 3 different width fittings and so many styles of shoe ‘lasts’ within the extensive Lake cycling shoe range, the wider feet of the Emirates’ cycling community is well catered for, with the most comfortable performance cycling shoes in the world.

Emirates best sellers from Lake

The most popular Lake Cycling Shoe models currently in Dubai, with his clients are the Lake CX238 and the CX242, closely followed by our recently released CX333, which benefitsfrom over 40 years of cycling shoe innovation and excellence. The CX238 is a cycling shoe ready for high-cadence riding. It’s shaped for a better, more comfortable fit, as the Competition last increases toe pitch and heel lift, allowing the foot to expand under high pedalling pressure. Supporting the shoe is Lake's Race carbon fibre sole, offering impressive stiffness and power transfer while remaining low in weight. To protect the shoe from premature wear, the full-grain leather upper boasts a panel at the heel and a rubber bumper at the toe, plus mesh panels for proper ventilation.

Designed for high-pressure riding, the Lake CX238's wider forefoot provides the relief you need to focus on the road ahead, making it a best seller here in Dubai. It’s all about deliveringinnovation and excellence and looking at those small details that are often overlooked by others; such as cleat positioning, and not only during the many bike-fits that Vitor carries out. For this former member of the pro peloton, it’s useful that Lake offers shoes with variable cleat positioning, so that they can be correctly positioned for individual rider needs – usually further back than many other shoe brands allow.

However, like Vitor, we’re always looking to improve on things though, and Lake will never sit still. Our design team are always busy, looking at how we can make cycling shoes even more comfortable for riders, whilst retaining the performance and style that riders and experts such as Vitor require when out on the roads – wherever you ride in this beautiful global village.

Ride into a comfortable future 

It's clear when talking with Vitor, that he simply believes in delivering the best possible cycling shoe for all riders who visit his studio. Alongside the retail side, the service centre, and the café, and the information hub that he’s developed for cyclists and triathletes, Vitor and @Ingruppetto Studio is the perfect place for cyclists to visit when they’re in the Emirates – but don’t just take our word for it. Pop in and spend some time talking cycling with this passionate former pro rider from Portugal and let him help you to ride into a more comfortable cycling future – with Vitor and @Ingruppetto, and Lake Cycling Shoes.