Anyone cycled Mont Ventoux

[oberon]

Bloody awe inspiring, you can see it for miles before you start to climb we cycled south from Lyon and diverted just to climb Ventoux. A great dat out was had by all The views were fantastic!!

 

[joanna]

Getting excited now

 

[Redmountduo]

Did it May 6th 2007 and it was great. -4 C at the summit and 25 c at the bottom.
A fantastic ascent and descent :-)
Doing it again next year.

 

[robing]

How high is it above sea level and how high is the climb?

 

[Shadow]

It's 1909m or 1912m ASL, depending on your reference. Take your pick, it all adds to the mystique! Bédoin to summit is 22km.

 

[jongooligan]

Did it from Bedoin on a clunker hired from a garage in Vallon. Wish I'd waited 'til I got to Bedoin cos there were decent bikes to hire there.
Anyway, the first few k to St. Esteve are a doddle but then there's a hairpin where the gradient kicks up to 8-9%. You're in the forest at this point and it's an absolute joy to pedal through, with occasional glimpses of the summit. From Chalet Reynard you're exposed to the wind, which was troublesome when I did it but it could have been much worse.
The view from the top is breath taking and that's what's different to many other classic climbs; you're on top of a mountain, not on a col where the mountains still rise above you and block some of the view.
Went down to Malaucene and TBH the descent seemed slightly steeper than the ascent.
Hope you get a good day for it.

 

[robing]

It's 1909m or 1912m ASL, depending on your reference. Take your pick, it all adds to the mystique! Bédoin to summit is 22km.

But how much do you actually climb? I guess it depends where you start of course.

 

[Shadow]

But how much do you actually climb? I guess it depends where you start of course.

Of course. And where you finish!
Bédoin is about 275m ASL.

 

[Redmountduo]

GPS profile from Malaucene

 

[gavintc]

Been up 3 times (all 3 routes) but not at same time. It needs some training, but is a great cycle. We stayed with Craig at veloventoux and can highly recommend his company

 

[Hitchington]

Yes, Alun (of this parish) and I did it about 3 years ago. I think it was in May, we had touring gear. The weather conditions were shocking and it was bloody hard. Coming down I couldn't go faster than 10mph in the fog, I was wearing everything I had (5 layers upper body, 2 lower, hat, gloves) and I had to stop and run about to get warm halfway down. So have fun, but proceed with caution.

It sounds great!

 

[andym]

How high is it above sea level and how high is the climb?

It's a bit over 1600m vertical - so it's a fairly big climb. And pretty tough. Although I must admit I'm a bit puzzled by all the fuss: it seems to be the only mountain that people on this forum talk about. It's not the highest, or longest, or hardest climb in the Alps by any means. I know that these things are subjective, but the scenery looks pretty dull in comparison with the Dolomites (eg the Sella Ronda - although, OK, that's setting the bar a bit high). And apart from being the place where Tom Simpson died it doesn't seem to have much history attached to it. I suspect that if it wasn't for the fact that a Brit cyclist died there it would be just one of a number of French mountain passes.

Am I being unfair?

 

[Shadow]

It's a bit over 1600m vertical - so it's a fairly big climb. And pretty tough. Although I must admit I'm a bit puzzled by all the fuss: it seems to be the only mountain that people on this forum talk about. It's not the highest, or longest, or hardest climb in the Alps by any means. I know that these things are subjective, but the scenery looks pretty dull in comparison with the Dolomites (eg the Sella Ronda - although, OK, that's setting the bar a bit high). And apart from being the place where Tom Simpson died it doesn't seem to have much history attached to it. I suspect that if it wasn't for the fact that a Brit cyclist died there it would be just one of a number of French mountain passes.

Am I being unfair?

It is diiferent. It is not a col/pass. It has plenty of history (of which Simpson is a small but significant part). Scenery at the top is fantastic -IF the weather is good.
And this is the point. If you have anything but good weather conditions it can be extremely tough. My first attempt, I was advised not to ride because the wind was too strong and gusting. The day before, a guy was blown off and ended up in hospital with broken bones.

This is what I said in another Ventoux thread:
IMO ventoux is not difficult. It is hard, but not difficult, IF:

a) you are fit and like hills
b) you don't pretend to race Quintana and Froome
c) the weather gods are on your side, and
d) you have good mental fortitude.

Of these, I would quite possibly consider the most important to be d).

 

[briantrumpet]

Am I being unfair?

Not entirely. I've done it once - and not unusually the wind was the notable feature, flicking the bike sideways on the descent, though there was some notice of the gusts if you looked at the grass at the side of the road. But I'd not rush back there again - certainly worth spending a day there, and a good one to tick off the list, but I prefer a ride (or riding area) where the jaw keeps on dropping through the day: Ventoux is a bit of a one-trick pony. Sure, one mile of vertical ascent is what it is, but Ventoux is a mountain that stands there in glorious isolation ... a couple of hours further north, and the fun is somewhat more varied, and barely less challenging.

 

[betty swollocks]

I did all three ascents/descents in one day last June - the Cingles du Mont Ventoux, with companions from my local club. We had fine windless weather and the final ascent was 35 degree heat.
The descents were dreamlike and none of them so busy that you couldn't relax and enjoy yourself.
Here's our video of the first descent down to Malaucene in the early morning:-

Hope you have as much fun as we did.