I think that the upstroke is in the "1% incremental gains" area for TT riders and in a 10-20% gains area for standing starts for sprinters. I understand that studies have shown that most elite athletes push most of the time, but the upstroke is still important. I mean, if you are gonna do (or wish to do) wind tunnel testing and what not. Why not make sure that your attachment to your bike is as free from loss as possible?
The first second or two of a 500M, kilo, team sprint, match sprint jump, etc... are key to the effort.
Then there is the lack of aerodynamic consideration of (most) shoes.
If you are specializing in time trials. Your legs and feet make
a lot of turbulence that is slowing you down. These convenient straps aren't helping:
They may be easy to reach and adjust if you are on a 3 hour road ride and your feet are swelling and you want to adjust them while riding. But, on the track, that's not something you can do. So, why take the aero "penalty" (drag) of the ridges from the velcro straps that churn up the air 120 times/minute? So, if you are into time trials (road, enduro, or sprint) don't choose shoes like this.
I dig what others are doing with having smooth tops.