This results in a bike that tips the scales, including the supplied Lapierre bottle cage you see pictured, at 6.92kg. For an aero bike in a size large (56cm), that’s impressive. Without access to scales back in June, I suspected the new Aircode could trouble the UCI weight limit without breaking a sweat – turns out my suspicions were well founded.

– Lapierre announce new Aircode aero bike and Pulsium endurance bike –

Let’s not forget why this bike exists, though. It’s the brainchild of extensive conversations between Lapierre’s lead product engineer, Remi Gribaudo, and French WorldTour team FDJ’s talented sprinter, Arnaud Demare. As a result, the new Aircode is designed to be more stable and easier to ride, so “in the key moments, Demare could handle the bike easier and make the most of his sprint,” according to Gribaudo

Clearly it’s translated well on the international race scene, but the big question is how it can stand up to day-to-day on rough British roads, in ever more British conditions as we head into early autumn. Is it a full-bore race machine, or is it the easy-to-ride speed machine we first got an inkling of down in the south of France?

Watch this space.

Website: Lapierre

Something for the weekend showcases our pick of the latest tech to arrive at RoadCyclingUK. You can see more here.