Mont Ventoux

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Mont Ventoux has become a mythical mountain in Provence, greatly due to the Tour de France, which just can't get enough of it. The Tour has used it as part of the itinerary since 1951, both as a point of passage (1951, 1952, 1955, 1967, 1974, 1994) and also as the end point of the stage (1958, 1965, 1970, 1972, 1987, 2000, 2002, 2009). It is not very tall as mountains go (1912 meters), but it is brutal, and cyclists around the world fear it and crave it. The gradient is more than 10% for certain sections of the road. British cyclist Tom Simpson died there in 1967. There is a shrine to him along the road, even though his death was not glorious: The mountain achieved worldwide notoriety when it claimed the life of British cyclist Tom Simpson, who died here on July 13, 1967 from heat exhaustion caused by a combination of factors including dehydration (caused by lack of fluid intake and diarrhea), amphetamines, and alcohol, although there is still speculation as to the exact cause of his death. He began to wildly weave across the road before he fell down. He was delirious and asked spectators to put him back on the bike, which he rode to within a half mile of the summit before collapsing dead, still clipped into his pedals. Amphetamines were found in his jersey and bloodstream.

Obviously, it attracts cyclists like flies, all year long. Amateurs make the ascension in 1.5-2.5 hours and professionals do it in 1 hour or one and a quarter hour. Well, I preferred to use a Volkswagen Polo to climb it.

It is not at all impressive from a distance, which is why I didn't even take a picture of it before getting there. Here are two elements from the net.

But it is a pretty intense drive anyway, especially because of all of the bicycles on the road. I noticed that the vast majority of cars driving on the road with me were Belgian and Dutch -- flat countries that crave mountains.

Before climbing the mountain, you can always count on seeing a few châteaux along the way.





There are also some cute villages.























And so many cyclists, of all ages!



The paint on the road from old Tours lasts for years.



[photobucket height=480 width=640]http://s450.photobucket.com/albums/qq228/kerouac2/Mont%20Ventoux/?action=view¤t=38cf2eb4.pbw[/photobucket]

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The mountain is partially bald, not due to the altitude but due to deforestation dating from the year 1250. The local lord gave the mountain to the local villagers, who proceeded to cut down just about every tree for the shipbuilding needs of Toulon, and then the unforested parts were chewed on unmercifully by herds of sheep. It was only in 1840 that one of the villages understood the need to start replanting trees, and it wasn't until 20 years later that reforestation became a serious objective. Unfortunately, during WW2, the need for wood caused a lot of the forests to be cut down again, and reforestation was not a priority when the war ended, since there were so many other things to do.

So Mont Ventoux has become a completely bald mountain.

There are several photographers along the waywho make money by taking photos of the riders ascending. Since they are going slowly (obviously), the photographers are able to give their business card (with a number on it, I suppose, to be able to find the right person), and I would imagine that they manage to sell quite a few of the pictures. After all, saying the you conquered the Mont Ventoux is one thing, but having a photo to prove it is something else entirely.

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Here is the summit of Mont Ventoux.







This meteorological station dates from 1966, although the first station was built in 1882.





The view from up there is spectacular.

















A few rules must be followed. Don't pick mountain flowers!



Don't try to ride your mountain bike straight down the mountain!



It's interesting to see the valliant riders arrive at the top.







This guy has the helmet camera that so many of us would like.





A lot of the people arrive at the top and start coughing as though they had smoked too much.





Refreshments are available. Souvenirs, too, naturally.



Or you can get something on your way down.

One thing that surprised me was the number of riders without helmets. While I feel that helmets should be optional in flatlands, I find it irresponsible that people would climb a mountain without a helmet.

Nevertheless, it was a fascinating morning.

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Oh, I really enjoyed this, though it feels like I've gotten a workout just looking at the pictures! Does that count?

[mossie]

Fascinating. You remark on cyclists coughing, but at that altitude they are just beginning to suffer from reduced oxygen levels. The air there is about 20% thinner than at ground level. I had a walking/cultural holiday in Forcalqier many years ago and loved the area.

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I was wondering if this was a paraplegic or an eccentric. I can't imagine climbing the whole mountain with this sort of device.

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I recently read about Mont Ventoux in an autobiographical work. I'm glad I came back across this wonderful thread because I had forgotten the look of the place. In my mind, I had pictured a forested mountain.