Riding the Dainese Aero Evo D1 one-piece and Alpinestars Supertech R boots from the oven of Provence to the glaciers of the Écrins on my CBR600RR ABS 2017.
Long day: 0430 start in London for the early plane to Marseille. Quick nap on arrival at Marseille then in to my stiff new gear: Aero Evo D1 with Supertech R Boots. This is the combination I'm intending to wear for the GLME Summercamp at Imst in Austria. It’s high summer so too hot to wear bike gear on the way to the airport or in-flight, so unfortunately this time the gear travelled in a checked bag.
The Aero Evo D1 suit is the twin-zip successor to the famous T-Age twin-zip suit; it’s really comfortable once I’m in it but the first time was a bit of a struggle until everything loosens up. But on the bike it’s excellent: good contact with the seat and the tank, the ventilation system works fine and it’s reassuring to have lots of armour and padding. The twin-zip system works better for stops in this heat than a single zip (unzipping gives more ventilation): it’s the same flap front as German workwear (Doppel-Reißverschluss Klappe).
The suit sits over the Supertech R boots, these are the system with an inner boot, like some ski boots feature. I found this worked best with trainer-liners rather than socks. Trainer-liners pack smaller and dry quicker in hotel bathrooms than do socks so that’s a double win-win! The Supertech R boots also have a lot of ventilation so I’m not expecting them to be waterproof.
The tail bag is a Oxford T30R that is great for a few days on a sportsbike but too small for a big trip, like to the 2017 Summercamp.
Leaving Marseille at 28°C and getting up to speed on the road went some way to cooling down. Then the long run up the valley of the river Durance (temperatures 33-36°C) but eventually the hills become mountains and which then start to have the white flashes of what remains of the glaciers. Riding up, over and down the sweeping curves of the col du Lautaret (2058 m.) was a great pleasure as the road was free of traffic, it being late in the day. My photo shows the glaciers around the Meije peaks (3984 m.), seen west side of the col.
Finally, at the end of a long day, a warm welcome in La Grave, where I stayed in June.