County Derry artist's shoes worn by cyclist as he wins Giro d'Italia stage

A County Derry designer customised the shoes cyclist Ben Healy wore as he became the ninth Irish rider to win a Grand Tour stage.

The Shoe Dr, aka Shea Gribbon, from Maghera, designed the shoes for the cyclist who won the stage eight race in the Giro D'Italia.

Shea said it was a dream come true to see a cyclist having so much success in gear he designed.

“When I started customising shoes I thought I'd love for a professional cyclist to wear my shoes and then that happened and I was like 'aw I'd love them to be worn in a Grand Tour' and then I got one in the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España. Now I have the big three completed,” he said.

“Then of course when that happens the last thing is that it would be absolutely amazing if someone wins a race wearing something you've designed. And it was nice that it was an Irish man and someone I know. Anything now is a bonus.”

Shea first met Ben four years ago while taking photographs at a cycling event. As both men grew more successful in their fields he offered to customise a pair of shoes for him, which Ben accepted.

Then when Shea heard Ben had signed with cycling team EF Education EasyPost, he knew something exciting would be coming down the line.

“His team is massive - one of the main Grand Tour teams and they're known for their collabs with big brands and really funky kits. So when I saw he was moving to them I thought it was great because I knew I was going to get the chance at some point to do a cool pair of shoes,” he said.

Designing the shoes presented some challenges but Shea was determined to make it work.

“This year they were reusing fabric cut offs for environmental reasons for their kit. So I had to design around that,” he said.

“The design has six colours, which can make it a bit messy when you want a design that can compliment the kit. There was a custom bike as well so I didn't want everything to be clashing and then Ben said he wanted the Tri-Colour in it as well.

“So geometric patterns were the way to go for the six colours because you have solid lines to separate them.

“For the tricolour I had an idea – thinking back to the first pair of shoes I did for Ben where I painted an effect that looked like it was burning away to reveal a design below. That creates a separation and allows you to do a completely different design because you've changed the directions.

“So I liked that and the fact it was linking it to the first pair of shoes I did for Ben. I used the same effect to reveal the brand's logo as it was a sponsored pair of shoes.”

On the inside of the shoe Shea put a list of all the stage dates and printed 'Grand Tour number one' so if Ben chooses he can retire the shoes at the end of the tour and keep them as a momento.

Ben also came second in stage 15, narrowly missing out to Einer Rubio.

His successful campaign may see him return with another memento - the blue jersey which is awarded to the top climber of the Giro.

He is currently sitting fourth overall in the King of the Mountains competition - just eight points off second place.