Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Now THIS is what I call a climb!!!

The famed Mont Ventoux is very close to where I'm staying in Provence, it's hard to miss, dominating the horizon as it does. I've been itching to ride my Cervelo up to the top but have wanted to get the lay of the land first.

https://picasaweb.google.com/117613969796391381773/LeTourDeFrance?authkey=Gv1sRgCIjB9uPFi-6StwE#5765349499697108594

So today a friend of mine from London calls and says how about doing Ventoux with me in September? Brilliant I think, that will give me plenty of time to prepare. Great he says, "we'll both become members of the Club des Cinglès" Huh? I said, "I'll send you a link" was the reply and he was gone.

So I looked it up and yikes I thought I could handle Ventoux easily enough but this challenge requires climbing Ventoux by all 3 major routes up the mountain.............. IN ONE DAY!!!

That's 14,576 ft of climbing in 84.5 miles. Your either climbing or going downhill, there's no flat riding at all. The climbs are 13.5 miles at an average of 7.5%, 13 miles at average 7.5% and 16 miles at average 4.7%. I'm nowhere near ready for that so all the rest of July and Aug are going to be dedicated to getting ready for that day.

I recently did the Blood sweat and gears century that had 12,200 ft of climbing but this is a lot more climbing in far less distance plus I've never done any climbs that are this long, any tips for training?

here's the link to the club http://www.clubcinglesventoux.org/en/rules.html

That's amazing man. Good Luck with your training!!

Sounds like good times. :D

This is what your R3 was made for.

Sounds like good times. :D

This is what your R3 was made for.

It's not the R3 I'm worried about ;)

Awesome My brother in law did one approach this year. It was not an easy climb according to him. Three approaches my goodness you must be a glutton for punishment. It was windy, rainy and cold at the top ( no surprise there) and hot at the bottom. Make sure you prepare for the elements as the weather changes fast there.

Best of luck and ride safe sounds like an epic adventure

Ouch. If I were you I'd climb it at least once before the big day. Having been up it will breed confidence and make sure you know exactly what to expect. Most importantly, it will tell you an enormous amount about how you need to manage your effort.

Ouch. If I were you I'd climb it at least once before the big day. Having been up it will breed confidence and make sure you know exactly what to expect. Most importantly, it will tell you an enormous amount about how you need to manage your effort.

Yes indeed, I'm planning to go up all three routes individually at some point in the next 6 weeks to get a feel for them both going up and just as importantly descending. my understanding is that the weather up at the top can be quite changeable and often extremely windy, like over 100mph!!

He suggests this....and you call him a friend?:rolleyes:

He suggests this....and you call him a friend?:rolleyes:

I know right? Plus he's skinny as my finger and been cycling forever. He just got back from the Pyrennees where he did Tourmalet and aubisque among others, so this should be easy for him, me not so much!!