23-12-014 Mont Ventoux, south side

[velotel]

014, a very good year on the bike and an outrageously excellent fall. Gorgeous, lingering weather kept me doing one respectable ride seemingly every week until the first tickles of winter arrived. Then I went and squeezed out another good ride and then one bigger climb that I thought would wrap up the season. The last was Mont Revard on 14 December. Lots of snow up top and cold air chilling me to the bones. Something like 1500 meters of up with what felt to me like some hard climbing at times. I still wasn’t ready to call it a season yet. Kept hoping the weather would shape up just enough that I could bag one final climb, something significant, like Mont Ventoux, south side, the climb from Bédoin. I’d done the Malaucène side twice, the first time in October 08, the Bédoin side only once, maybe a couple, three years ago. Checked the date, 21 November 09! Five years ago! Where the heck did the time go!

End of the year holidays rushing in and the weather gods smiled. Out of the blue my wife said I should go ride the Ventoux on Christmas day! Yes! I mean talk about ending the year on a high! Checked the weather, looking good, then not looking good, well, maybe good, maybe not. Meanwhile weather for the 23rd was golden. The old hand in the bush scenario, 23rd the obvious call.

Checked viamichelin’s site to see how long the drive would take. Wanted fast instead of my normal mix of back roads. Days too short for slow. Autoroute south past Orange to the Carpentras exit, head to Bédoin. I liked that idea, never approached Ventoux from the south, see the mountain from the TdF’s perspective. Backpack, clothes, camera, food ready and bike in the car the evening before. Up early, sky black and clear with pinpricks of dancing light. Fire-up the espresso machine, fill two small thermoses with strong coffee, one doped with Baileys, eat, give the dog his morning injection, hit the road. I always remember Gaston Rébuffat’s comment that we’re never sorry for leaving too early and always sorry for leaving too late. I think of that as I fly through Grenoble with the streets not far off deserted.

Viamichelin said 3 hours and 9 minutes from my house to Bédoin. I thought I’d be longer; I drive slower now than when I was younger. Got to the exit for Carpentras and their time estimate is looking good. Ventoux is a squatting lump against the horizon to the north. The view from the south less impressive than from the north, the road from Vaison-la-Romaine. I wonder what the riders in the peloton think while they’re spinning through the vineyards and staring out at the Ventoux. A few dreaming that maybe this will be their day of glory. Others staying quiet, looking around, plotting moves for when they’re on the mountain. A bunch of them probably looking up and just wishing for the day to be over. Has to be insane, everyone flying along, racing to the base of the mountain and this after having already done, what, maybe 150 K, maybe 200 K for the day stacked up on top of a week or two of hard racing.

From the autoroute to Carpentras the land’s flat, roads mostly straight, or straight for France. Turns out there’s a four-lane bypass past Carpentras so I didn’t see anything of the old town. At another time with longer days I would have skipped the bypass and checked out the town out of curiosity. Probably a nice looking place with an old central town and plazas with lines of huge platanes (sycamores in english I think) planted around the square. I’m sure the TdF goes right through the center of Carpentras, streets lined with cheers and clapping.

Vineyard country, lots of signs for small wineries where you can taste and buy. All in all rather low key style, not like up around Napa in California where doing the wine tasting circuit has apparently developed into an industry. A couple of small chateaus along the way. About halfway to Bédoin the land starts to lift into low hills and shallow valleys. Off to the left I see the village of le Barroux draped over a hill with a chateau dominating the village. Sun’s streaming in at a low angle and lights it up as if the walls are constructed out of white limestone or something. A corner of my mind is thinking forget Ventoux, let’s go there and check out the roads in the hills. Which no doubt could be interesting with some great riding to be had but…

Stopped in a small park on the approach into Bédoin. Not a cloud in the sky, the summit of Ventoux looking far way away. Only been to Bédoin once before, when I passed through from Malaucène on the way to the climb. Remember thinking it was a nice looking village. Coming in from Carpentras adds more depth to it, larger than I thought. Classic south France village, stone walls, pastel colors, severely trimmed sycamores lining the street, thick church on the hill. December definitely the off-season, lots of businesses closed, not many people around. Roll into the small plaza with the junction with the road from Malaucène straight ahead and the road to Ventoux to the right. I go right and am quickly out of the village on my way to climb Mont Ventoux. 23 December, blue sky pouring sunshine, frost in all the shadows, and I’m on my bike heading up Ventoux. All I can do is laugh.

I mean there I am riding my bike on my way up Ventoux again, just like that. Hop in the car, drive down, ride away. Crazy! If when I was younger someone had told me I’d do just that, drive down, ride Ventoux just before Christmas, I would have looked at him or her like they were totally nuts. When I think back at the chance I had to move to France, and that I then had the good sense to grab the opportunity, it just all blows me away, fills me with smiles, makes me laugh, shout out at the vineyards I’m riding by. Crazy! Then I have to shift up a couple of cogs because while I was busy laughing and carrying on about where I was and what I was doing, the grade had ramped up. Put some momentary hurt to the legs. Like a soft whisper in my ear saying, yea, very cool, but you’re still a long way from the top!

All I had to do to know how far it was was look to my left! The summit all white and bright in the sunlight like it was covered in snow. Which hopefully wouldn’t be the case. When I rode up from Bédoin in 09 a lot of the whiteness was snow and the road was closed, but almost entirely clear of snow. I was the only one up there.

The road from Bédoin to the start of the festivities in the hamlet of St Estève has to be one of the most enjoyable approaches to a climb I’ve ever done. Super calm, what little traffic I saw all rather relaxed. A steady climb the whole way, mostly low single-digit with the occasional ramp along the way to wake up the legs. Spinning through vineyards, orchards, and olive groves. To the left Mont Ventoux’s mass, to the right south France and the Luberon region. Small roads darting off and disappearing into hidden valleys. I suspect a person could spend a lifetime down here and not ride everything.

Into a junction, the road to Ventoux swinging left, a smaller road straight ahead to the village of Flassan. That’s a road I want to do. Maybe next year. Not because of Flassan, because of the Gorge de la Nesque between Flassan and Sault. I’ve read the gorge is gorgeous. Sault is the start of the third road up Ventoux, the easy road. Or easy until it joins the road from Bédoin at Chalet Reynard. I’d thought about maybe riding down to Sault after the summit and then down through the gorge until I realized the days were too short for that. Also had doubts I had the reserves to do that loop.

Into the village of Ste Colombe, attractive place with two small hotels that could be good for cyclists. I imagine Bédoin would be more interesting since there’s not much at Ste Colombe but on the other hand Bédoin doesn’t seem to have much in the way of hotels and visually one of the two here looked not bad at all.. Everything was closed when I passed through. I’d had it in mind that this was where the real climb kicked in with a hairpin to the left and the road ramping up into the forest. Another memory failure. That transition’s in St Estève, the next hamlet up the road. The road also ramps up before the hairpin to the left. Then ramps up even more after the hairpin. Welcome to the climb up Mont Ventoux.

[velotel]

From there to the summit, 1372 meters (4500 ft) of up, 16 K (10 miles), average grade 8,5%. Not that I knew that as I rolled into the hairpin. Hadn’t bothered looking at any info for the climb before since I’d already done it. And naturally with an all but perfect memory I remembered the entire climb. Nicely ignoring that anymore my memory bank can look a lot like swiss cheese but hey, just details.

What I did remember was that the entire middle part of the climb, what I was just about to start, is in a forest with no views and the road heading straight up the mountain. Okay, a squiggly straight. It’s as if whoever built the road picked out a shallow drainage pouring off the slopes and built the road right up the fall line. Aesthetically this is not one of my favorite climbs. I like views, meadows with mountains in the background, the road curling and switchbacking up the slopes. They take my mind off the unrelentingness of the climb. Which is what the assault up Mont Ventoux is, unrelenting. I’d kind of forgotten that. How friggin long it is had also kind of slipped out of my mind.

It was also cold in the trees, the sides of the road white with frost, patches of ice in the roadway from time to time. If I hadn’t been working so hard I would have been freezing in there. Instead temperature-wise it was just right. Definitely not what the TdF experiences. Apparently this section can be a pizza oven. Kept glancing around looking for the K posts with the grades, altitude, and distance to the summit. Either the road department took them down for the winter or they were borrowed by people for souvenirs. No idea why anyone who isn’t on a bike would want a souvenir like that but people can have strange ideas. In some respects I was just as glad they weren’t there. If the percentage was less than what I was feeling, would have been demoralizing. If more, would have been even more demoralizing because that was the K to come and I was already feeling maxed out. Without them I could grind up the mountain deep in my own illusions.

What really struck me through there, outside of being so much longer and steeper than I remembered, was what an awesome downhill it would be. A bobsled run for bikes. Straight down the fall line. I remembered that bit, remembered thinking afterwards that it might be the top of the list for fast descents and was curious to see if a second descent would confirm that. Also realized that wasn’t going to happen this time, not with all the frost and patches of black ice I was seeing. Unless it all melted. Seemed possible with the sun pouring out of cloudless sky.

Found a rhythm that worked for me. No one around so I was safe in feeling like I was carrying a pretty good pace. From time to time I’d look ahead and see the road ramping up and silently groan but all in all was feeling pretty good despite the lack of mid-season form. Then again I suspect my mid-season form disappeared years ago, not weeks ago.

Looked up and saw this sweet section of snaking S-turns through where the drainage was pinched-in by the slopes on either side. I remembered coming down that, fast, some good fun. Going up was less fun, the grade ramped up a bit from what was already hard. Came out the top into a long straightish section. Heard a car coming up behind me. Somebody driving really slow, like creeping up the hill. The noise was a pain. Finally turned and looked back to see what in the heck was going on.

A cyclist was going on back there, shadowed by a van with writing all over it. Some racer training, soon to pass me. Didn’t happen. Just this damn noise from a slowly moving diesel motor. Tempted to stop to get them by me faster except I was in a nice climbing zone and wanted to stay there. I didn’t bother looking back a second time. Finally there he was, in the drops, fully dressed out in some sort of team kit, going past at a good rate. Wondered why he’d taken so long to catch me at the speed he went by. Turned out his acceleration by me was one of those show-time bursts of speed because as soon as he was 20 meters in front of me, his pace faded. I even started to move up on him, incrementally. Not because I dialed in more speed; he was just paying the price for his little burst to get by.

The van rolled up next to me and went by ever so slowly. I was tempted to signal the older guy riding shotgun to open his window so I could tell him his young racer needs some work. I mean this kid was having a hard time dropping a 69-year old deep into the fading form mode. The temptation passed, so did the van, the noise dropped considerably, life improved. And the kid still wasn’t dropping me! More comment on him than me.

Came into a round, full turn to the right with a sharp ramp up into a curve back to the left. I remembered it because I’d stopped there, drank, shot some pics. This time I rode through without stopping because as I recalled easier grades and Chalet Reynard weren’t far off. Huge memory fail on that! Turned out there was like 5 K to Chalet Reynard and just past the ramp was a K post with 10%. The next one I think was 9% followed by one at 10%. I’ve forgotten what followed, other than more steep. I was impressed. I mean I remembered this was a hard, sustained climb, forgetting that would have been impossible. I just forgot that it was this hard, like hard enough that a couple of times I looked down to see if maybe I hadn’t shifted all the way up to the big cog! The good news was that the road had left the drainage and was up on the slope of a ridge that provided some views. The bad news was that the summit looked a long way away. The other good news was that I was still, for me, spinning out a good rhythm.

Around a sharp, round turn to the left then a long, slow curve back to the right past a collection of mountain cabins and the grade lightened up a tad. I even moved down a cog and shortly after arrived at Chalet Reynard. The van and the racer were stopped there. Thought to tell them it wasn’t over yet but didn’t. Shifted down another cog instead as I rode by a sign announcing the col is closed.

[velotel]

From there to the summit is a magnificent contrast to that long run up through the forest. No forest, just scattered pockets of trees and ground-hugging bushes. Easier grades, at least numerically. After the grind up the lower slopes my legs were perfectly willing to argue with the numbers on the K posts. And the views, holy smokes we’re talking huge vistas of scenery stretching out to eternity. Feels like the sea ought to be visible from up there, only that day the coast was buried under a thick blanket of fog. Not visible anyway, even on a clear day. And always up ahead the summit capped with its mini-Empire State building that can withstand insane winds. But maybe the most dramatic of all are the summit slopes that look like they’re permanently covered with snow. Only as everyone knows it’s not snow, just wind-blasted limestone that at first view looks like a barren, wasteland of rock. But on closer inspection the law of life is demonstrated once again, nature abhors a vacuum. There’s life but it’s all scrunched down tight to avoid the blistering winds. Which thankfully were absent. I can’t imagine doing that climb with a howling wind.

The air was freezing down in the forest; up here was heat city. I’m riding bare headed, bare-handed, just two layers of lightweight merino wool jerseys and a pair of thick tights. About a K and a half after Chalet Reynard I arrive at the gate closing the road. Not a speck of snow in sight. Outside of my racer friend I hadn’t seen a single cyclist. I hang my bike on the gate and shoot some pics and voilà a cyclist arrives at the gate, from above! Even better he looks older than me. Little guy bundled up in layers of clothes. Asked if he’d come up from Malaucène, nope, just an up and back. We were both smiling big time. He rode off, I ducked under the gate, shot a couple more pics, and all of a sudden there’s another cyclist. This one coming up. He ducked under the gate and we talked a bit while rolling off. He looked like someone on a mission, younger guy, maybe late 30’s, fine form, smooth acceleration. Unlike the young racer this guy rolled away from me and was gone.

I’m smiling and laughing and spinning along looking out over the panorama. Couldn’t help but laugh. I mean it was two days before Christmas and I’m closing in on the summit of Mont Ventoux! A glorious day in every respect. Definitely easier going here, even with legs that were doing a wee bit of whining. But not too much. Just enough to keep me focused on riding smoothly to minimize the abuse I was serving them. Distances up here are deceiving, longer than they might appear. The hillside is a series of curves, small basins between round ridges. The road curls around a ridge and disappears to reappear further up the mountain. Looks close but in fact the road swings into the basin then curls through the curve and up and out the far side. Makes judging time difficult.

Arrived at the monument for Tom Simpson. For reasons I don’t understand stopping seems to be traditional amongst cyclists so this time I stop to get a picture of it. Sad story, one of the early victims of chasing glory through chemical assistance. Next up, the Col des Tempêtes and its splendid view to the north. The Alps in the distance, the Barronies in the foreground, and a not so far off vertical drop down the north face. This col has to be a crazy place when the wind’s howling. Actually it’s not really a col, just where the road brushes past the ridge. Ventoux’s one of those mountains with two distinct aspects, the south side a long, relatively gentile slope, the north side an abrupt drop. The road from Malaucène comes up the west ridge between the two faces, the road from Bédoin right up the south face.

I stop to check out the views. And to be honest to rest a moment before tackling the final ramp to the summit. I remember it, a huge pain balloon to cap off the ride. The view out over the southern slopes is surreal, an expanse of white that looks like it was almost ironed, like with some fat tires you could just ride down anywhere. An optical illusion. Up close the expanse is fields of small rocks. I imagine they’re white because the harsh winds that regularly hammer Mont Ventoux severely limit the opportunity for lichen colonization. The views keep me entertained while I’m forcing my way up to the summit. Can’t remember what the last K post gave for the grade, other than it was less than the grade I was on because not far after Tempêtes the road had pitched up considerably. But for some reason I was feeling pretty good on it. Probably just because I knew I had the Ventoux in the bag. Also because there was no one there to show me my real speed.

Got to the last K post, actually a half K post because that’s all there was left to the top, half a K. Only time I’ve ever seen a half K post. They probably put it there just so they could advertise the final pitch, 11%. Strangely enough it didn’t feel that steep, even after the 1000 or so vertical of mostly 9 and 10% grades I’d already done. No doubt the magnetic draw of the summit.

Great finish, couldn’t help but think of Armstrong and Pantini coming up around the final turn onto the summit. That was a classic. The mythic status of Ventoux in the annals of the TdF is actually somewhat overblown. Only 9 summit finishes and 6 passages over the top and down compared to 28 times for Alpe d’Huez, 32 times for Galibier, and 52 times for Tourmalet. I wouldn’t be surprised if the lack of appearances is because no one has any financial incentive to have the finish there so there’s no one to pay the TdF organizers. I know, a totally cynical perspective but…

The top is deserted. Fantastic. The summit was deserted the only other time I rode up from Bédoin. 21 November 09. Five years, one month, and two days later I’m there again, summit’s still deserted. Way better weather this time. The first two rides up Ventoux were from Malaucène, both late October. Almost had to stand in line to get a picture of my bike near the summit sign. This time I’m using the summit sign for a back rest, eating a sandwich, drinking Baileys-laced espresso, watching the sun lance down across Provence. I’ve always loved hanging out on summits. Used to do that on peaks in Colorado, now I do it on cols in France with my bike leaning against whatever support is handy. The descents are vastly faster now.

Enough, time to go, another three hours of driving after I get back to the car. Add a couple of layers for insurance but forego the wind-breaking jacket and hat. Way too warm for those. Go for the gloves though. Last look around, big smile at the empty parking lot, Luberon sprawled out in the distance, a fog bank over the coast, what a glorious place to be two days before Christmas.

Shove off, drop through the summit curve, fall into gravity’s grip, accelerating fast. I let the bike go. Come flying into the sweeping curve past the Col des Tempêtes, finger the brakes, go wide, a family hiking up the road taking up a lane. They stop and stare as I fly by. I’m sitting up, using my torso for an air brake, fingers floating on the brake levers. Past Tom Simpson, going fast, through the sweeper to the left into a basin, long, lazy turn to the right and out of it and into an even lazier curve left. Sweet, just amazingly sweet. The air cool at speed but not even close to being cold. I’ll be damned, a cyclist coming up. Waves exchanged, I’m past. And another cyclist coming up. Turns out to be the last I see. A grand total of five riders on Mont Ventoux, six counting me.

Stop at the barrier, duck under, contemplate adding the windbreaker, nah, the lower I get the warmer it’s going to be. Back into the speed groove, past Chalet Reynard, down into the forest, down onto what I remember as a wild mouse ride. Also down into the freezer! If the air had warmed-up since I rode up a person would need an instrument to measure the difference! But hey, it’s not that far to the bottom and surely further down the air will be warmer. In other words speed momentum took control, stopping not an option. Dropped into the thicker forest where the road snakes right down the fall line and there’s still frost along the edges. I back way off the speed. Hitting some ice is not what I need. From there down is a balance act between going for massive speed hits and major caution waving the yellow flag. And I’m freezing my butt off big time!

In the end, a good downhill but not the one I expected. Between the freezing air, the wet road, frost along the edges, and the possibility of ice patches, I could never let gravity have me. Oh well, next time. I burst out of the forest and onto the long downhill traverse back to Bédoin. The air started to warm. Not a lot but enough that I still didn’t stop to add a layer, not even my hat. I knew my car was sitting in the sun and inside would be toasty and then some. It was. Plus I had a second thermos of coffee waiting for me, just straight espresso this time for the drive back. Changed clothes, slid into the driver’s seat, just sat there for a few minutes, staring at nothing, making the transition. Then off, Mont Ventoux behind me.

A good drive back, in a semi-haze of thoughts and memories. The classic ride up Ventoux is definitely the road from Bédoin but I suspect only because of the TdF. Not sure that would be the case if the tour had never done it. For myself the climb from Malaucène is vastly more interesting. Most comments on the two say the climb from Bédoin is harder. Not sure I agree. Bédoin has a long and relatively easy prologue then goes all sustained and steep until Chalet Reynard followed by a moderately hard section then a fierce finish. The climb from Malaucène kicks in hard from the village followed by a long easier section before going all rude with as I recall something like 3 K at 11%, then a short easy bit, and finally more rudeness right to the summit. They’re different in other words and both damned hard. What sets the road from Malaucène apart for me are the views and this amazing sense of climbing a mountain with the summit visible almost all the way up and views off both sides of the mountain until the Mont Serein ski area only a few K from the top. An extraordinary ride.

As descents, the south drop is a bob sled run. Or can be. But for that I think it has to happen either early season or super late season. The road’s a two-laner but a tight two-laner from Chalet Reynard down and during the ‘normal’ season there can be a lot of traffic, both bikes and cars. Letting the bike off the leash with all those people on the road, up and down, could make a power plunge a nervous affair. The two times I did it I pretty much had the road to myself and used all of it. Makes a difference. The upper section, the bit from the summit to Chalet Reynard, is easy, the road a generous two-laner, the turns long and round.

The road from Malaucène is also a generous two-laner, complete with bike line for climbers, until Mont Serein. After that it gets tight. Makes for a fast descent. Only barely technical bit is between the summit and Mont Serein but from Serein down it’s a pure speed run, tuck in and roll. Some nicely linked S-turns midway down and then again not far from Malaucène that demand some nice style. There’s also a sleeper curve to the right after a smoking fast section just before the last S-turns before Malaucène. As in the entrance is all broad and easy but then it curls in tight before pouring into a swinger to the left. Coming into it too fast is pretty easy and dealing with that speed can be engrossing.

The ride I really want to do, and the one I suspect could be the best of all, is up from Malaucène, over the top, down to Sault, down through the Gorge de la Nesque, back to Bédoin, then over the Col de la Madeleine and back to Malaucène. If I was way younger and a true hard man, I’d do all that to Bédoin then return to Malaucène via the climb over Ventoux. Now that would be a ride! Only in my dreams anymore.

Et violà that’s my take on Mont Ventoux. Some pics and happy new year to all

[thwart]

Ah! Superb.


I mean there I am riding my bike on my way up Ventoux again, just like that. Hop in the car, drive down, ride away. Crazy! If when I was younger someone had told me I’d do just that, drive down, ride Ventoux just before Christmas, I would have looked at him or her like they were totally nuts. When I think back at the chance I had to move to France, and that I then had the good sense to grab the opportunity, it just all blows me away, fills me with smiles, makes me laugh, shout out at the vineyards I’m riding by. Crazy! Then I have to shift up a couple of cogs because while I was busy laughing and carrying on about where I was and what I was doing, the grade had ramped up.

Yer killin' me here...

[choke]

What a beautiful day for a ride....and those views! Thanks...your ride reports are always a joy to read. Happy New Year to you. :beer:

[pmac]

I always remember Gaston Rébuffat’s comment that we’re never sorry for leaving too early and always sorry for leaving too late.

Amazing ride. I did it this summer, looked almost exactly the same but with lots of people, especially on top. Really impressive that you did this, as are the other rides and descriptions that I always look forward to.

I never thought I'd see Gaston Rébuffat quoted here, or Ghastly Rabbitfat as an offbeat climbing mag used to call him back in the day.

[mosca]

Thank you for the wonderful write up and photos. My day on Ventoux was one of the best cycling days of my life, and your account took me right back there (a little more crowded in my case, though...)

Thanks again for sharing.:)

[Mr. Pink]

It's lonely at the top, it seems.

[cdn_bacon]

the HOLY GRAIL!!!

thanks so much for sharing. I will be re-reading this later.

[pitonpat]

[QUOTE
I never thought I'd see Gaston Rébuffat quoted here, or Ghastly Rabbitfat as an offbeat climbing mag used to call him back in the day.[/QUOTE]

Or, as we called him... Ghastly Rubberfeet. Actually, he was my hero when I was a kid learning to climb...still is really. Met him in Connecticut at a lecture & he autographed my copy of Annapurna.

[velotel]

Yer killin' me here...
Oops, sorry about that. Cheers. Knew you'd like it.

What a beautiful day for a ride....and those views! Thanks...your ride reports are always a joy to read. Happy New Year to you. :beer:
And to you!!!!

Thank you for the wonderful write up and photos. My day on Ventoux was one of the best cycling days of my life, and your account took me right back there (a little more crowded in my case, though...)

Thanks again for sharing.:)
Glad I generated some good memories for you.

It's lonely at the top, it seems.
Not at all, just plain gorgeous and peaceful

Or, as we called him... Ghastly Rubberfeet. Actually, he was my hero when I was a kid learning to climb...still is really. Met him in Connecticut at a lecture & he autographed my copy of Annapurna.
He was always someone I admired over the years. Hard to believe when I think back on it but right after Annapurna came out in english, early 50s as I recall, my mother bought it and ready it to my brothers and I. She read it out loud so we could all listen together even though even I, the youngest, was capable of reading it. No idea why she bought the book, wasn't like she was a climber, just a housewife and mother. I had, and maybe still do in my library of books (easy to get lost since I have lots) 3 or maybe 4 books of his. Good reads.

[Uncle Jam's Army]

I hate you velotel. There, I said it. :p

[morrisericd]

Great write up and awesome ride. Very jealous!

[MattTuck]

That's awesome. Congrats.

I need to move.

I'm about to get on the trainer for the last 'ride' of 2014.

Really, I need to move.

[F150]

:)That's awesome. Congrats.

I need to move.

I'm about to get on the trainer for the last 'ride' of 2014.

Really, I need to move.

You forgot to ask if there were any banks in the area!

[Ralph]

Another great ride. Thanks for sharing with us. You make us feel like we're there also. A great talent.

BTW....How much do you ride to stay in shape for these climbs? I'm 73, and still ride a lot, but as you say, it's slipping away.

[Fiertetimestwo]

Velotel,

Thanks again for another great report and some fabulous pictures.

I have, over the years, gone up Mont Ventoux from the Bedoin side (going down to Malaucene) and from Sault (going down to Bedoin). The climb from Sault is definitely easier than going up from Bedoin, but it is still a very long climb, whichever way you choose.

Both times I was in Provence I rode up the Gorges de la Nesque, and they remain to this today some of my favourite rides ever. The road up the Gorges is not at all heavily trafficked, and I seem to remember that the Gorge area is in some sort of park or reserve, so there was little "through" traffic.

The only reservation I would have is that it is probably not hard enough for you- from memory, the climb itself is a nice constant 3-5 per cent- not EPIC, just a really beautiful road.

Happy New Year from Australia.

[Lionel]

Wow very surprising to see that there is not even a bit of snow at the top. Never done it in Dec!

[fkelly]

"Then again I suspect my mid-season form disappeared years ago, not weeks ago."

A classic report, thank you.

[ojingoh]

Thanks for sharing. Happy New Year to you.

[velotel]

Another great ride. Thanks for sharing with us. You make us feel like we're there also. A great talent.

BTW....How much do you ride to stay in shape for these climbs? I'm 73, and still ride a lot, but as you say, it's slipping away.
I don't keep track of rides, distances, etc. but I'd estimate that through the year I average 4 outings a weeks, maybe even 5 a week during the certain periods of time. Most of them are short out and backs, the majority from my house. Short as in an hour to an hour and a half of riding. And once a week I'll do a longer ride, 3 to 4 or more hours long. Note that in my riding there's a heavy emphasis on climbing. In other words it's probably true to say instead of out and backs I do ups and downs. Both because that's the nature of where I live and because it's my nature.

That's the limit of my 'training'. I just ride, no program, no rules, no schedule. And if I can't ride, I don't. As in no indoor trainer time. Tried that long, long ago; bored the heck out of me super fast.

Cheers

[velotel]

The only reservation I would have is that it is probably not hard enough for you- from memory, the climb itself is a nice constant 3-5 per cent- not EPIC, just a really beautiful road.

Happy New Year from Australia.
Jeez, that sounds sweet! Believe me, I don't search out hard climbs, just the nature of the beasts around here. I loved riding Col de Petite St Bernard with its low angle grades, major treat. And yea, what I'd heard was that the gorge was peaceful with little to no traffic. Might have to get down there this winter.

Thanks