bing181
07-29-07, 01:58 PM
Been a few posts here from a some of our illustrious members who've done Ventoux in France recently. Thought I'd add my little postscript - though I already did it last year, and posted here.
When my wife had to work in Avignon, I took it upon myself to find ourselves a nice little gite within striking distance of Ventoux. Because I was on fulltime daddy duty, I had limited time, but managed to do Ventoux 3 times over 2 weeks. This entailed about a 100 km ride .. 25 km to the base, 21+ up, and then back down and home again (the fun part!).
First time up was from Bedoin in the afternoon .. big mistake. It was hot (30+celcius), and I realised that the 25 k's I had to ride to get to the base was basically uphill all the way, so I was well and truly warmed up by the time I got there. On the climb itself, I ended up with my tongue stuck to my handlebars, well and truly cooked. By the time I reached the top section coming out of the forest, I was so past it I ended up doing 10 minute bursts and then having to stop to catch my breath and cool down (a little). But .. made it up, though I think with 5 or 6 stops, in just under 2 hours.
After recovering for a few days, thought I'd try it from the north, Malaucene. It's supposed to be the "easier" of the two climbs, though that's somewhat deceptive. You actually climb more or less the same amount over the same distance, but what makes it "easier" (I use the term loosely) is that the less steep sections are scattered throughout the climb, meaning that you get a chance to recover here and there. On the Bedoin side, most of the "easier" sections are in the first 5 km or so, not to mention the long 9 k's through the forest where it rarely drops under 9%. Also on the Malaucene side, you're into the meat of it fairly quickly compared to the climb from Bedoin, which helps in some way, though as always, it's a bit of a shock to be suddenly on those long steep slopes. The other main difference from Bedoin is that you climb along the side of the mountain most of the way, so it's a lot more exposed to the elements - usually wind. At least in the forest on the Bedoin side you only have the steepness to contend with, as it's pretty sheltered. Anyway, made it up slightly more comfortably and with 2 stops in .. surprise surprise, just under 2 hours.
After a week or so, had a morning to myself, to set out once again to try Bedoin, not quite knowing what to expect. Maybe the other two rides helped, but I was able to kind of "power" up it without stopping at all. It was very hard, of course, but it felt manageable, and I was even able to work my gears a little instead of just going straight into my 39 x 29 and staying there. Managed it slightly faster, just under 1:57, but it felt very different, and I was able to get up the next day without really feeling too much the worse for wear. Should have gone a bit harder in retrospect, but after suffering on the first attempt, I was being a bit conservative.
It's an amazing ride, and one that you just about have to queue up to do. Not only is it thick with riders on the way up - and riders of all shapes and sizes riding all kinds of bikes - it's also thick with followers, families .. and even photographers:
http://sport-photo.pixfizz.com/fr/image/view/vtx7-8F1L
Doesn't look all that far from this point, but it was about the hardest 10 minutes of my life!
Even the Malaucene side is pretty busy, though Bedoin is obviously The Big One. I really wanted to try it from Sault as well, but it would have meant a 160 km ride for me to get all the way round there and up, and I just didn't have that time available. I spoke to one guy who'd done Bedoin/Sault in a day, and he said that basically, Sault is longer in distance, but takes about the same time.
So, if ever you find yourself down near Avignon on a reasonably mild day ... try at least some of it, it really is everything that you hear.
By the way, if you go into the bike shop that's across from the "start line" in Bedoin, they have a kind of timing chip device thing. 5 Euros, and it automatically takes your time for the climb, for which you get a certificate or something when you get back down. Next time!
B
When my wife had to work in Avignon, I took it upon myself to find ourselves a nice little gite within striking distance of Ventoux. Because I was on fulltime daddy duty, I had limited time, but managed to do Ventoux 3 times over 2 weeks. This entailed about a 100 km ride .. 25 km to the base, 21+ up, and then back down and home again (the fun part!).
First time up was from Bedoin in the afternoon .. big mistake. It was hot (30+celcius), and I realised that the 25 k's I had to ride to get to the base was basically uphill all the way, so I was well and truly warmed up by the time I got there. On the climb itself, I ended up with my tongue stuck to my handlebars, well and truly cooked. By the time I reached the top section coming out of the forest, I was so past it I ended up doing 10 minute bursts and then having to stop to catch my breath and cool down (a little). But .. made it up, though I think with 5 or 6 stops, in just under 2 hours.
After recovering for a few days, thought I'd try it from the north, Malaucene. It's supposed to be the "easier" of the two climbs, though that's somewhat deceptive. You actually climb more or less the same amount over the same distance, but what makes it "easier" (I use the term loosely) is that the less steep sections are scattered throughout the climb, meaning that you get a chance to recover here and there. On the Bedoin side, most of the "easier" sections are in the first 5 km or so, not to mention the long 9 k's through the forest where it rarely drops under 9%. Also on the Malaucene side, you're into the meat of it fairly quickly compared to the climb from Bedoin, which helps in some way, though as always, it's a bit of a shock to be suddenly on those long steep slopes. The other main difference from Bedoin is that you climb along the side of the mountain most of the way, so it's a lot more exposed to the elements - usually wind. At least in the forest on the Bedoin side you only have the steepness to contend with, as it's pretty sheltered. Anyway, made it up slightly more comfortably and with 2 stops in .. surprise surprise, just under 2 hours.
After a week or so, had a morning to myself, to set out once again to try Bedoin, not quite knowing what to expect. Maybe the other two rides helped, but I was able to kind of "power" up it without stopping at all. It was very hard, of course, but it felt manageable, and I was even able to work my gears a little instead of just going straight into my 39 x 29 and staying there. Managed it slightly faster, just under 1:57, but it felt very different, and I was able to get up the next day without really feeling too much the worse for wear. Should have gone a bit harder in retrospect, but after suffering on the first attempt, I was being a bit conservative.
It's an amazing ride, and one that you just about have to queue up to do. Not only is it thick with riders on the way up - and riders of all shapes and sizes riding all kinds of bikes - it's also thick with followers, families .. and even photographers:
http://sport-photo.pixfizz.com/fr/image/view/vtx7-8F1L
Doesn't look all that far from this point, but it was about the hardest 10 minutes of my life!
Even the Malaucene side is pretty busy, though Bedoin is obviously The Big One. I really wanted to try it from Sault as well, but it would have meant a 160 km ride for me to get all the way round there and up, and I just didn't have that time available. I spoke to one guy who'd done Bedoin/Sault in a day, and he said that basically, Sault is longer in distance, but takes about the same time.
So, if ever you find yourself down near Avignon on a reasonably mild day ... try at least some of it, it really is everything that you hear.
By the way, if you go into the bike shop that's across from the "start line" in Bedoin, they have a kind of timing chip device thing. 5 Euros, and it automatically takes your time for the climb, for which you get a certificate or something when you get back down. Next time!
B