Return to Mont Ventoux

I just could not resist a return to Ventoux before heading back home tomorrow. Over the past week, since my first attempt to climb what is commonly called the Beast of Provence, the weather has cooled and the wind has started to blow, so I was not expecting such an easy ride this time.

Having already climbed from Bédoin, I was tempted to head out from one of the other two villages today, or at least if climbing again from Bédoin, to take a different descent. My final decision, however, was to stick to this "most famous and difficult ascent", so as to be able to compare segment times with my last climb.

Coincidentally, I've just reached a page in 'The Rider', my holiday reading, where the author, Tim Krabbé speaks of a similar decision. He says that he always chooses the Bédoin side because the 1958 time trial TdF began there and that way he can compare his times with those of the champions. Charly Gaul came first at 1 hour, 2 minutes, which when Krabbé wrote 'The Rider' was still the record. Gaul was however, taken to his hotel in an ambulance, something I'm not up for copying! The current fastest ever ascent belongs to the Spaniard Iban Mayo, recorded in the 2004 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré at 55 minutes, 51 seconds.

I rose at 6:00 am and was parked up on the outskirts of Bédoin and on my bike for just before 07:00 am. I seemed to be the only one out this morning, no requirement on this occasion for the Good Samaritan. The ride out of Bédoin starts with that faux plat, the road looks level and I'm in the big ring but it's hard work and I have to drop to the smaller ring. My muscles have not warmed up yet and that road is definitely not level!

Climbing through the trees, even without the damp earth, was far cooler than last week and was very glad of the arm warmers. I brought these along for the later down hill section but felt the need of them as soon as I stepped from the car. After an hour, my core temperature had risen sufficiently for the arm warmers to be removed. This was confirmed by the buildup of moisture in my cap and the drips of sweat dropping from its peak onto my arms and the Roubaix's cross bar. I was now climbing into the sun and could see nothing but the ground beneath my front wheel and the rainbow effect of light shining through the drips from my hat.

After an hour and a half, I finally broke through the tree line out onto the moonscape that surrounds the summit. At this point I'd only been passed by one whippet of a cyclist and had passed another who had taken to walking the rest of the way. The mountain was very quite today. At the two hour point, I had yet to stop and was determined now to make it all the way to the top without pulling over for a breather. I had also kept a close eye on my fuel and fluid intake, something I have found critical when covering any distances these days, and was feeling good for what I thought would be another 30 minutes of twisting my way up to the mountain top.

These last minutes of climb, out of the protection of the trees, from sun and wind, are to me both the most torturous but also most enjoyable. On a clear day, as today, the views are truly incredible. One really does feel on top of the world. The sun was now burning down on me. The strong wind, which had been building over the past few days and was forecasted at 35kph today, however, acted as a cooling fan to my overheating engine. This was appreciated when blowing in from behind or may be as a cross wind, but not as it happened, when I turned north into what can only be described as a wind tunnel. I had to get out of the saddle at these points to keep forward momentum. Fortunately the twisting nature of the mountainous road meant that I was soon receiving wind assistance for the next section of climb or the angle of the rock face sheltered me from any further buffeting until the next bend.

There seems to be confusion over the height of Mont Ventoux
1912m or 1911m, either way I've climbed both

I arrived at the summit just 2 hours, 15 minutes after my depart from Bédoin, and after a short stop for the prerequisite pictures, I slipped back on my arm warmers for the descent. I was a little bit more cautious on the down hill section, memories of my exploding rear tyre still fresh in my mind. 30 minutes later I was rolling into Bédoin feeling great .. where else can you roll for 10 miles at an average speed of 30 mph! No punctures this time, no stops en route and no detours. I completed the round trip 30 minutes quicker than last week and 4 minutes quicker in actual moving time even though I was marginally slower on the descent.

I'll be sad now to leave this area of Provence, the scenery, weather and cycling has been simply amazing. The domineering presence of Mont Ventoux, visible from most of the surrounding towns and villages, has been inspiring and I'm grateful to have been able to climb this Beast of Provence twice in as many weeks. I am hoping I'll have the opportunity to return to Mont Ventoux in the future, but if not, it will have a very special place in my cycling memories, and to be relived every time the TdF grace its slopes.