velotel
11-21-2018, 04:49 AM
Seven months to the day from the last time I rode it. That time to celebrate 73 years, this time celebrating nothing, or maybe an autumn of exploding colors. I’d been watching the weather forecast thinking maybe I could do it on T-day, not that we celebrate T-day here, just for the heck of it. Riding Ventoux is always about the window being open, as in sunshine and no wind. Sunday the window was wide open. The following days were looking shaky, even maybe some snow. So, Sunday the call.
Early start from the house, close to four hours of driving to Sainte Colombe. Quicker by the autoroute but I prefer the two-laners. Slower but more interesting, less stress, better views. Got to Nyons and followed roads slicing past vineyards in full color bloom. Reminded me of back in the 60s when I got my first pair of Vuarnet sunglasses, the kind that made for instant visual highs. From Nyons to Malaucène was a total color trip. Kept thinking maybe I should just stop and do some long cruise through the vineyards. If I’d had a map with me might have. But probably not, not with Ventoux filling the horizon.
Drove through Bédoin on the way to Sainte Colombe. My idea was to do the old gravel road I did in April but the mountain was looking pretty white well down into the forest. Must have snowed during the night. No problem, do the TdF road. Last time was with my son four days before my 70th birthday. I think this will be my fourth time up the Bédoin road. Not one of my favorite climbs. A total slog up the mountain until Chalet Reynard, nine K of sustained 8, 9, 10% grades, always in a forest, no views, the road pretty much shooting up the fall line the whole way. Actually it does this shallow weave up the fall line but climbing speeds are so slow might as well be straight.
A slog but, must admit there’s a certain attraction to it, no doubt a perverse attraction, maybe even verging on masochistic attraction, but an attraction nevertheless. Testing my strength against a mountain that doesn’t even know I exist, Feeling bursts of exhilaration when I realize I’m riding well, keeping a good cadence, riding smooth. Helps enormously that I’m alone, no one passing me, the only pressure to ride hard generated internally.
I’ve ridden it enough to that I can kind of know where I am and can guess how much longer it’ll take me to get to some arbitrary memory marker further up the road.
Chalet Reynard is where the road becomes interesting, Also easier though by that point easier has been seriously compromised by the grinding climb up the lower slopes. But easy enough that I move down a cog, even two cogs from time to time, never for long, just enough to feel young and strong again for a moment or two.
This is the zone of olympian views, the mountain sculpted and smoothed by screaming winds sweeping over the slopes, tearing down anything bold enough to raise its head higher than the lichen clinging to the rocky soil. The highest recorded wind on the mountain was 320 kph, back in 1967. That’s 198,8 mph! The road swings up through a series of round, shallow basins and over broad, rounded ridges between the basins. Roundness defines these southern slopes, the wind over the eons having carved the mountain into long, soft scallops. The north side is all about angularity and abruptness. I love these southern views and find myself stopping for another photo even though I’ve already got bunches of them.
I’m also now in the snow zone with large wet patches on the pavement from the layer of snow that’s melted. I also noticed that I could have in fact ridden the old dirt road up the mountain, whatever snow there was on it long gone. But I’m glad I did the normal road. Like I said not one of my favorites but, damn, it really is a hell of a good climb!
Get to Col des Tempêtes and its magnificent views to the north. Also an almost frightening view of the last ramp to the summit. Steep, then steeper, then seriously steep. I think I remember seeing a sign showing the last half K or so at 15% or something like that. Today it’s even more impressive; the road’s still mostly covered in snow. At first there’s a long swatch of blackness slicing up through the white but that ends and it’s snow from shoulder to shoulder. Turned out to be no problem, traction excellent. Oddly enough the grade didn’t feel all that steep either. Even better, the hairpin to the right where the grade is the steepest was totally free of snow.
On the summit, a glorious arrival, sun shining, patches of snow here and there, and almost no one there, just one group of six hikers, and one mountain bike leaning against the railing. Never did see who the bike belonged to, maybe one of the six. Compared to some of my other arrivals on the summit the place was crowded. Three times in December and not a soul there. One year I even managed to ride it on 23 December! That was pretty cool. Would have done it on christmas day but the forecast was for a big weather change so bagged it two days earlier. So today was a busy day on Ventoux! Even met four or five riders on their way down when I was still climbing then maybe another four coming up when I was going down. Plus more walkers between the gate closure and the summit.
Didn’t stay long, some pics, eat half a sandwich, send off an sms with a couple of pics to my wife, another to my son. Then down. Gingerly at first but grip was excellent so pretty quickly I was carrying a bit of speed over the snow. Then it was let go and pass the baton over to gravity. A fantastic descent, especially with the road closed to cars. Cold but not too cold.
Past the gate, flying down to the Chalet Reynard, pass two cars, into the plunge to Ste Colombe, pass a couple more cars, could have gone faster but by then the cold was strengthening its grip on my muscles, maybe slowing my reflexes, so never went into a tuck, let my body act as an air brake. Ripping down through the forest, passed another car, hit the hairpin to the right that marks the end, rolled out into the vineyard color show, hell of a descent.
Excellent, Ventoux bookends to the season. But only partial bookend because for me the riding season never ends, just fades for a couple of months with shorter rides and less vertical. Not bad, another year and I’m still here, still doing it. Probably seems kind of nuts but for some reason I love riding Ventoux in late November, December.
Early start from the house, close to four hours of driving to Sainte Colombe. Quicker by the autoroute but I prefer the two-laners. Slower but more interesting, less stress, better views. Got to Nyons and followed roads slicing past vineyards in full color bloom. Reminded me of back in the 60s when I got my first pair of Vuarnet sunglasses, the kind that made for instant visual highs. From Nyons to Malaucène was a total color trip. Kept thinking maybe I should just stop and do some long cruise through the vineyards. If I’d had a map with me might have. But probably not, not with Ventoux filling the horizon.
Drove through Bédoin on the way to Sainte Colombe. My idea was to do the old gravel road I did in April but the mountain was looking pretty white well down into the forest. Must have snowed during the night. No problem, do the TdF road. Last time was with my son four days before my 70th birthday. I think this will be my fourth time up the Bédoin road. Not one of my favorite climbs. A total slog up the mountain until Chalet Reynard, nine K of sustained 8, 9, 10% grades, always in a forest, no views, the road pretty much shooting up the fall line the whole way. Actually it does this shallow weave up the fall line but climbing speeds are so slow might as well be straight.
A slog but, must admit there’s a certain attraction to it, no doubt a perverse attraction, maybe even verging on masochistic attraction, but an attraction nevertheless. Testing my strength against a mountain that doesn’t even know I exist, Feeling bursts of exhilaration when I realize I’m riding well, keeping a good cadence, riding smooth. Helps enormously that I’m alone, no one passing me, the only pressure to ride hard generated internally.
I’ve ridden it enough to that I can kind of know where I am and can guess how much longer it’ll take me to get to some arbitrary memory marker further up the road.
Chalet Reynard is where the road becomes interesting, Also easier though by that point easier has been seriously compromised by the grinding climb up the lower slopes. But easy enough that I move down a cog, even two cogs from time to time, never for long, just enough to feel young and strong again for a moment or two.
This is the zone of olympian views, the mountain sculpted and smoothed by screaming winds sweeping over the slopes, tearing down anything bold enough to raise its head higher than the lichen clinging to the rocky soil. The highest recorded wind on the mountain was 320 kph, back in 1967. That’s 198,8 mph! The road swings up through a series of round, shallow basins and over broad, rounded ridges between the basins. Roundness defines these southern slopes, the wind over the eons having carved the mountain into long, soft scallops. The north side is all about angularity and abruptness. I love these southern views and find myself stopping for another photo even though I’ve already got bunches of them.
I’m also now in the snow zone with large wet patches on the pavement from the layer of snow that’s melted. I also noticed that I could have in fact ridden the old dirt road up the mountain, whatever snow there was on it long gone. But I’m glad I did the normal road. Like I said not one of my favorites but, damn, it really is a hell of a good climb!
Get to Col des Tempêtes and its magnificent views to the north. Also an almost frightening view of the last ramp to the summit. Steep, then steeper, then seriously steep. I think I remember seeing a sign showing the last half K or so at 15% or something like that. Today it’s even more impressive; the road’s still mostly covered in snow. At first there’s a long swatch of blackness slicing up through the white but that ends and it’s snow from shoulder to shoulder. Turned out to be no problem, traction excellent. Oddly enough the grade didn’t feel all that steep either. Even better, the hairpin to the right where the grade is the steepest was totally free of snow.
On the summit, a glorious arrival, sun shining, patches of snow here and there, and almost no one there, just one group of six hikers, and one mountain bike leaning against the railing. Never did see who the bike belonged to, maybe one of the six. Compared to some of my other arrivals on the summit the place was crowded. Three times in December and not a soul there. One year I even managed to ride it on 23 December! That was pretty cool. Would have done it on christmas day but the forecast was for a big weather change so bagged it two days earlier. So today was a busy day on Ventoux! Even met four or five riders on their way down when I was still climbing then maybe another four coming up when I was going down. Plus more walkers between the gate closure and the summit.
Didn’t stay long, some pics, eat half a sandwich, send off an sms with a couple of pics to my wife, another to my son. Then down. Gingerly at first but grip was excellent so pretty quickly I was carrying a bit of speed over the snow. Then it was let go and pass the baton over to gravity. A fantastic descent, especially with the road closed to cars. Cold but not too cold.
Past the gate, flying down to the Chalet Reynard, pass two cars, into the plunge to Ste Colombe, pass a couple more cars, could have gone faster but by then the cold was strengthening its grip on my muscles, maybe slowing my reflexes, so never went into a tuck, let my body act as an air brake. Ripping down through the forest, passed another car, hit the hairpin to the right that marks the end, rolled out into the vineyard color show, hell of a descent.
Excellent, Ventoux bookends to the season. But only partial bookend because for me the riding season never ends, just fades for a couple of months with shorter rides and less vertical. Not bad, another year and I’m still here, still doing it. Probably seems kind of nuts but for some reason I love riding Ventoux in late November, December.