I like Ventoux in June?

[jeffg]

Anyone ridden this climb in early June? I know the weather is dicey on Ventoux at almost all times, but I would be grateful for any tips ...

[Elefantino]

Rode in on the Tour rest day two years ago. It was 85 degrees and sunny when we started and 40 degrees and drizzly when we got to the top. Be prepared for anything.

And have an epic ride. It's the greatest thing I've ever done.

:banana:

Mike

[jeffg]

Rode in on the Tour rest day two years ago. It was 85 degrees and sunny when we started and 40 degrees and drizzly when we got to the top. Be prepared for anything.

And have an epic ride. It's the greatest thing I've ever done.

:banana:

Mike

Awesome! The organized ride that does Ventoux from Bedoin, then later from Sault to Chalet Reynard and throws in another few minor bumps to get 170 km and 3500m of climbing sounds epic indeed!

Congrats on Ventoux! Great pic! :banana:

[Climb01742]

mike, how long did the climb take you? congrats, as well. very epic. i like your pink ode to marco.

[wisdom-doc]

I did the climb up from Sault and decent to Bedoin this past June. We started at 8am (71`) sunny and arrived to 45`and spitting. We rode up in 1 3/4 hrs. without killing ouselves. The ride down was the most exciting decent I've ever done. Have fun!

[hybridbellbaske]

I did Mont Ventoux in early June 2001, as part of a week with Velosport Vacations in Malaucene. The weather generally was just great- although the day we did the big climb it was cloudy but still quite warm. The only problem was that on the descent the wind nearly blew us off our bikes- Scary but huge fun.

[Johnnyg]

Lance calles Ventoux the hardest climb in France! Certainly the most demanding I have ever done! Drink, eat, and pace yourself. Run 100psi for decent, as you will be on the brakes hard and over heat the rims. It's epic, train and you will do fine. Best of luck.

[vaxn8r]

Rode in on the Tour rest day two years ago. It was 85 degrees and sunny when we started and 40 degrees and drizzly when we got to the top. Be prepared for anything.

And have an epic ride. It's the greatest thing I've ever done.

:banana:

Mike
Great picture. Thanks for sharing.

[Elefantino]

mike, how long did the climb take you?

I'd like to say I remember, but I was in such a zone that day that I forgot to start my stopwatch and didn't really look at the exact time, and when I got to the summit I was so pumped and wanted my picture taken at the sign before I froze that I forgot to look! Was a bit over 2 hours or so. I know that I passed a number of people and was passed by a few. I just got in an extreme "zone" and hammered as best I could. When our sag wagon came alongside me to offer me a new water bottle the folks were screaming my name for 30 seconds or so before I realized they were there!

The ride down the back side was amazing. Nothing like going 50 mph and then slamming on the binders to tackle hairpins.

One bit of advice, passed on to me by a local. After St. Esteve, don't even think about stopping until you get to wider parts of the road (at the Chalet or, of course, at the Simpson memorial). The roads are so narrow and steep that it's hard to clip in and start up again. I saw people struggling to clip in and get pointed in the right direction, with much loud swearing (I assume) in several languages. I would have laughed but I couldn't spare the oxygen. :rolleyes:

Mike

PS: We had a thread earlier on another board (I think) that asked people to rate their climbs. For me, Ventoux was No. 1, hands down. L'Alpe d'Huez was nice, particularly on race day, but when I got to the top I didn't feel the same sense of exhilaration. A few others in our group felt otherwise, but such is life.