Mt Ventoux

Having not done anything since the Tri off we go to summit Mt Ventoux.

We stayed in the small town of Carpentras the and, mistakenly, were not in a hurry to get going. The nights are coooling off and we thought we would start a little later so it would be warm. hmmmm.

WE had done a tiny bit of recon and knew it would take us between 1.5 and 2 hours. I gave Alana a 10 minute head start and we were off.

The route starts in a small town named Bedoin. We knew we were in the right place due to the fact that as we were changing in the parking lot over 50 cyclist passed us by. All different shapes and sizes. Bikes ranged from the 10,000 euro special to the 1988 pseudo mtb. A fair number of the mob were sporting the white hair.

The day was bright but the summit was covered in cloud. Jason had said to watch for this but we were going anyway. The climb can be divided into 3 parts the shallow approach to the forest which takes you thru Colombe which is unrelenting, the forest to Chalet Reynard which is forest covered and relentless, and the barrain upper slopes that are relentless.

Jason is correct in saying that this is an exercise in strength endurance. My cadence had to have been between 40-55rpm. There are only a few spots on the whole climb where it deviates from the average grade.

I met up with Alana in the forest and she seemed quite relaxed and as usual was chatting away and making friends.

Love the self protrait while barely going fast enuf to stay up right.

I must say that I did get a bit bored in the forest. I think I was going 11kph and I would stare at the next corner for a few minutes until I finally got there. Up, up and up. They have small markers on the way to let you know just how slow you are going but man do you climb. Hundreds of meters would fall away in such a short distance.

Passing by the Chalet Reynard you see cyclists who have summited and returned for a recharging cafe and snack or those still on their way up that need a little kick. We were doing this sans arret and roade right on by.

So about that cloud! You could feel some wind in the forest but it was refreshing. After the Chalet it was war. Mt Ventoux stands for Mt Windy and it is not just a play on a clever name. It got colder and windier the whole approach. The views where outstanding. This mountain rises from rolling vineyards. The "Giant of Provence" is seen from so many places and you can see so many places. Just before entering the cloud I took one last look and then it was dark.

The final push was exhilerating. The names of the TdF riders are on the road. This is where attacks happened, careers were made(lost), survival for some, victory for other. I turned the last corner in a bank of cloud and pow I was at the top. Masses of riders taking pictures, gear up for the descent.

22km, 1600m of climbing

Pastry Table of Champions

The ride down was not as fun as I would have liked. I was pretty chilled and developed the shivers. Not normally a concern but a bike that is too small, too loose, and too supple it is very un-nerving. I could only go for a bit then I would create my own speed wobble and have to slow right down. Jumping jacks and getting out of the wind helped and we flew down the final section.

I think I could get into this Col climbing thing. SO much to do so little time.