Mount Ventoux Through the Windshield

[htmb]

I can now say I've climbed Mount Ventoux, the mountain famous among bikers as one of the ultimate challenges on the Tour de France. Fortunately for everyone, I was in a car and I was not the driver.

Here's a look at the wide, imposing mountain from the top of the city of Avignon.




We took one of the roads up on July 11, just a few days before the Tour de France riders would be facing the challenge.







There were occasional glimpses of other areas of interest along the way, plus it was a beautiful drive.












It was very early, so I had to wonder if this lone rider had already been to the summit and back.







We were just about above the tree line at this point.




And at that point I must have gone completely catatonic because I stopped taking photos and just took in the view, while gripping the side of the car very tightly with my right hand.

Then, suddenly, we were at the top. Wow!




Fortunately, I took lots of photos on the way down, once I caught my breath and gathered up my courage.

[htmb]

The views from the top were magnificent.










It appeared the weather station was perched on just about the highest spot.




This photographer took pictures of bikers as they approached and then handed out his business card so they could place an order.







I was in awe of the place, but quite puzzled by the way campers were parked along the edge of the road. The possibility of rolling off the mountain seemed pretty real to me. Spots had been staked-out in preparation for the Tour. Unfortunately, due to high winds, the ride to the top was to be suspended way before this point.

[htmb]

After fighting the wind at the top, we started back down the mountain, taking a different route.










I found it amazing that anything could grow up top.










While most seemed to finish their ride in the conventional way, some were just too exhausted to do anything but walk the last few meters.










That's a bagpiper in the red shirt.

[htmb]

I'm wondering how well I'd sleep at night in one of these things, particularly in a strong wind.
















Here, looking back towards the weather station, you can see how bald the mountain is on top.




From this point it was a 6 km ride to the top. We saw more and more bikers, as well as eager spectators.




There seemed to be a lot of visiting going on, too.

[htmb]

Stopping at a convenient spot, we were able to observe more and more bikers as they approached the most challenging part of the mountain.




























Perhaps they were dreaming of riding in the Tour someday.

[htmb]

Continuing our drive down the mountain, first we entered the lush green of the forest.




Occasionally, we would come to an opening and enjoy gorgeous vistas like this one.




And then we started to see the lavender fields up close. Wow! Talk about gorgeous colors!







I hope the bicyclists are able to enjoy all this beauty.

[htmb]

With his knack for always finding the perfect place to stop, Kerouac pulled into a little town with a terrace overlooking the beautiful lavender fields. Both Bixa and Kerouac have reports featuring this area.

For more photos, please see:
Kerouac's Vaucluse and Beyond thread
and
Bixa will post a link once she's created her thread.

[bjd]

You were obviously lucky on your trip south. Since it had rained a fair amount this spring, the land stayed green -- the various shades of green contrasting nicely with the purple of the lavender fields and the blue of the hills.