DKMcK 

We are planning a trip with our tandem to France next year. One of the options is a ride over Mount Ventoux, which I think would be awesome. If you've done this, what gearing did you have and how hard was it. We have di2 with 50-34 cranks and 11-32 cassette. We're not great climbers but we're not slugs either. We will not be carrying our gear. I've read here where some teams have cooked their brakes on the descent.

akexpress 

We climbed and descended it . cooked some Avid BB7's on the way down. It is a long continuous climb but well worth it. Feel free to PM me for more info.

merlinextraligh

Done it twice but not on a tandem. 34-28 on the single.

Its really impossible to suggest gearing without knowing how strong your team is.

Max grade IIRC is about 12%. It's long, consistently steep and can be hot at the top above tree line.

Whatever gear you can comfortably spin on a 10-12% grade is the answer.


It is a wonderful ride. Awesome day is start in Bedoin. Climb Ventoux, descend into Saul. Return to Bedoin via the Gorge de Nesque.

Carbonello

We did it last year, a wonderful experience. Lots of cyclists on the climb, got in line for the obligatory photo in front of the sign at the top. There were also photographers on the road near the top that took great photos and handed us their card as we rode by to order photos. We were on an Erickson tour. Our climb was delayed two days because of high winds up high. Luckily we had a third day to climb and go down the back side and on to our next hotel. 2.5 hour climb for us, we used our triple with 30-34. I used my Arai drum brake most of the way down, glad I had it.

Chris_W

That gearing will probably be OK if climbing from Sault. For climbing the other sides, I'd recommend lower gearing. Similarly, the descent towards Sault will be no problems, but for the other two sides make sure you alternate the braking and maybe pause a few times for photos while the brakes cool.

colotandem

We climbed from the Bedoin side. I thought our gearing of 50-34 with 11-36 cassette perfect, never wished for an easier gear. I don't think I'd be too excited about a 32t cassette, but I'm sure it is do-able. We prefer to spin.

If you google Mount Ventoux profile, you will get an idea of the grade. It bumps up over 10% just a couple of times and is more like 8% on average over the 12 miles from Bedoin.

As others have said, take your time on the descent. Alternate brakes and maybe stop to take a break for photos. Hopefully you have good weather! It was warm for us when we did it two summers ago.

I think I have the strava profile if you want it (but I'm sure you can find others).

marciero

Data on popular climbs is widely available these days, either on the internet, or Garmin-type gps device while riding. You could find climbs in your area with similar grade to see what 10%, 12% feels like. The thing to keep in mind is the length of the climb, which you may not easily replicate. Like merlin says, impossible to know what you will need. But that said, I'll go out on a limb and say that with 34 small ring up front, if you bring a 36 in back you will not be wishing you only had 32. I would put money on this. In any case it's much better to have the lower gears in case you need them. I would not want to be over-geared.

colotandem

^^^^^What he said! Bring the 36t cassette. Maybe just swap it out for that day of your tour?

If you want to ride that 32 and never shift to the last cog, maybe that would be a cool test for your self control. If you want to bail out to the 36, it's there. 10 miles into a sustained climb, you might want it.

Dean V

I haven't ridden it but do know I can comfortably push a relatively high gear and low cadence for a 1 or 2 mile climb but it is quite different to try and sustain it for a 10+mile climb.

DKMcK 

Thanks for all the feedback. Definitely going with the 11-36. I have the Bengal 10" disc on the back so we should be fine on the descent. I will stop for pics too.

2frmMI

We climbed from Bedoin in summer 2011 on our Erickson with (IIRC) a low gear of 30 front 34 rear, and we needed every tooth. Mid climb I had to re-set my Garmin auto pause function to 2 mph because at 3 mph it kept telling us we had stopped. Weather can be hot OR cold - don't assume anything. We had very high winds, especially at the Col des Tempêtes a little less than a km from the summit, where we took a brief break but had to huddle behind a low rock wall to get any comfort. We descended to Malaucene and had great success with rim AND disc (BB7 w/ Ice Tech) brakes on the rear (disc operated by stoker), appropriately feathered and alternated, and with a mid-descent cooling stop (although probably unnecessary since we had already weathered the steepest parts). At the time we were 116 years and 310 lb team weight.

zonatandem

Never did Ventoux.
There are plenty mountains to climb in the USA . . . just as steep, longer and higher altitude.

jfarwell

we rode our singles up Ventoux in 2010. 34/28 gearing worked fine for that ride, but I would want around 30/34 for the tandem. Merlinextralight mentioned the return through the Gorges de Nesques, and I second that recommendation. We've ridden in lots of places and the gorge stands out as my all-time favourite stretch of road.

RR3

But can you get a decent chausson aux pommes here?

Philly Tandem

For the Ventoux ride, be sure to have the ability to carry plenty of water on the ride up, as there aren't too many places to resupply en route on the Bedoin side. There are a few roadside springs, and you can stop at Chalet Reynard (about 6-7 k from the top), but apart from that it's pretty dry.

Definitely go with as low of a gear as you can. It's a long and steep ride!

DKMcK 

We made it! It was tough though.

mtseymour

Congrats on an epic climb!

What gearing did you use? Was it worth it?

DKMcK 

Compact double, 50-34 with an 11-36 cassette. Was it worth it? Yes. Will I do it again? NO.

oldacura

Congratulations! Can you compare this climb to any in the US (steepness / length / altitude)? The photo is great. You'll have to update your avatar photo with the new one.

13 years ago we climbed Haleakala on Maui. My reaction was the same - Was it worth it? Yes. Will I ever do it again? No.

DKMcK 

The altitude was not bad as it is about the same as our North Carolina mountains. It is also short, only about 14 miles to the top from Bedoin, the route we took. The grade is from 4% to 10%, most of it in the 6%-8% range with NO breaks. There are no flat sections and no downhill all the way to the top. So, the only relief is to stop. My stoker would stand a lot. When she backed off to sit down, the bike would almost come to a stop. She had to give me warning when she was sitting so I could give an extra effort to keep the bike moving.

It was cool though reading all the messages to the TDF riders painted on the road.

oldacura

There is a short steep section of road in the mountains west of us. I don't know the grade. However, with our old tandem with 30x32 gearing we were both standing for extended sections and I was watching our bike computer vary between 4 mph & about 3.2 mph. It gets really hard to keep the bike upright near 3 mph.

Paul J

This is a great shot! it was fun to have read the earlier posts and to hear your after comments. You should add this picture to the Happy Couples page too.

Artmo 

Congratulations D & D! What a wonderful photo. I bet no-one shouted "she's not pedaling." Looking forward to hearing all about it at the next GTR!