The Mont Ventoux to be 2009 Tour penultimate stage

suspectdevice

According to Cycling news that is

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id= ... sep27news2

(near the bottom of the page)

It's the first time i am actually going to watch the tour and this would be fantastic if it's true.

andyp

It sounds good so let's hope it's true. Every year for the past five years there has been rumours before the route is announced that the Ventoux will definitely be used and they've turned out to be false sadly.

JC.152

I hope the GC isn't settled by then I really want to see a poper dual up a mountain especially up Ventoux.
Hopefully it'll be the first time I'll watch the tour in France

Brian B

Good. Its about time the Tour came back to Mt Ventoux as Alpe de Huez needs a rest for several years as its been done to death.

I cycled it 2 years ago and its a beast of a climb. I am just back from Italy and did the Stelvio, Gavia and Mortirolo and I still think the Mt ventoux is still harder - there is no place to get any rest until Chalet Reynard and even then its brief.

suspectdevice

We are taking a camper van and bikes next year and really want to ride the Ventoux whether it's in the race or not. Even sweeter if it's in the race.

The gradients don't look that bad on the profile map, i take it its the wind, temperature and everything else that makes this a really hard climb?

andyp

suspectdevice wrote:

The gradients don't look that bad on the profile map, i take it its the wind, temperature and everything else that makes this a really hard climb?

I'm guessing you've not ridden in the high mountains before? A 10% gradient might not seem that bad when you're used to UK climbs but they are rarely longer than 1-2 kms. 10 kms of 10% is a different ball game.

suspectdevice

yeah, not ridden anywhere but the UK.

Will have to take the plunge sometime, may as well be sooner rather than later.

May just take in a couple of smaller climbs the week before, but like you say, nothing in the UK can prepare you for that kind of pain.

andyp

Hopefully you'll love it. The Ventoux is a tough one to begin with though. There's loads of info on here (mainly in the training and sportives and road rides sections) on how best to prepare for riding in the mountains.

Fingers crossed the Ventoux is in the Tour route next year and you get your chance to ride it.

suspectdevice

Cheers Andy

Just been over in training and there is lots on info in there.

Gonna be a busy year...

Patrick1.0

suspectdevice wrote:

yeah, not ridden anywhere but the UK.

Will have to take the plunge sometime, may as well be sooner rather than later.

May just take in a couple of smaller climbs the week before, but like you say, nothing in the UK can prepare you for that kind of pain.

Perhaps not but Dartmoor and the Lake District have some good climbs. The hardest one I know and train up is a 4 mile climb that climbs to over 1300 feet - it's only a handful of miles from my house.Go over that four/five times in an 80 mile training ride and do that regularly and you will get some idea. It's steeper than the Ventoux, but not as long. Maybe somebody else knows of some climbs dotted around the upland areas of the UK like that?

What's more important, is that they are only as hard as the speed that you can ride up them at. If you go up the Ventoux in a small gear, well then, the gradient isn't going to get to you.

JC.152

Patrick1.0

JC.152 wrote:

When you get to the top, turn around, ride back down and then go back up it again .

sing_for_absolution

Interesting if true. I just wish they'd stop wanking over Armstrong while analysing that possibility. :twisted:

suspectdevice

The profile looks bad.

I will be doing most of the training (weightloss) in the Lake district, in training and sportives there is lots of information abouts rides in these areas so i will\ be spending lots of time in there.

Thanks for all the input and advise guys, going out training now, this have given me a re-newed vigor for cycling and a target to aim for.

Pirahna

I might as well add my bit.

Ventoux is hard. The Tour goes up from Bedoin and road snakes it's way up to Chalet Reynard with only a couple of hair pins to break the ride up. The road is very deceptive, you think it's going to easy up but as each piece reveals itself it's just a relentless upward journey.

A brief flat at the Chalet then it's up to the white rock. The first time I rode it the Mistral was blowing, round the right hander after the Chalet and I stopped dead in the road. Crawl into a 40mph head wind to the left turn then a brief bit of shelter until the next right. I've been up it several times and it's always cold on top, enough to make arm warmers and a gilet a good addition for the way down.

calvjones

Take my advice. Start from Sualt

Trideg

Suspectdevice

Just to give you some inspiration - I have been up on a FS mountain bike from Malaucene. Some would say its easier than Bedoin but nothing can prepare you for the experience. The atmosphere and encouragement even on a week day in the summer is fantastic. No matter how hot at the bottom take a windproof top.

Kléber

calvjones wrote:

Take my advice. Start from Sualt

There's only one true way to the top and it's from Bedoin. Malaucene is almost as hard but the legendary route from Bedoin is what it's all about.

DaSy

I was planning on staying in Bourg de Oisan next year to catch the tour and ride the Alps around there, but if it's going to Ventoux I don't need much excuse to go back to ride that instead.

This spring I rode up from Bedoin to the summit, back down to Bedoin and round over col de Ares and col de fontanube to Sault and back up to the top that way and that brilliant descent back to Bedoin again. Maulacene was closed due to snow, so still have a date with that ascent on the cards.

liversedge

I just hope they don't dwell in Provence. Its a bit flippin flat other than Ventoux. I climbed it last summer and the wind speed at the top is an absolute killer - really breaks up your rythmn. I felt a little vertigo as well as I climbed out from Chalet Raynard. Got up to 100kmh on the decent though

It's an epic climb all cyclists should complete, IMHO.

Barry Roubaix

liversedge wrote:

I just hope they don't dwell in Provence. Its a bit flippin flat other than Ventoux. I climbed it last summer and the wind speed at the top is an absolute killer - really breaks up your rythmn. I felt a little vertigo as well as I climbed out from Chalet Raynard. Got up to 100kmh on the decent though

It's an epic climb all cyclists should complete, IMHO.

EH :shock: Have you been to Provence? Some of the hilltop villages in the Luberon are pretty lumpy.

liversedge

its not the Alps or the Pyrennees though.

actually - i checked in an Atlas ... maybe there are other mountains in Provence! (I only went to Ventoux).

Barry Roubaix

liversedge wrote:

its not the Alps or the Pyrennees though.

actually - i checked in an Atlas ... maybe there are other mountains in Provence! (I only went to Ventoux).

No its not but it aint easy riding round there, roads are pretty draggy.

suspectdevice

i'll probably do it form the Bedoin side, the classic route as some call it.

I am hopefully going to get out there in march or April to have a reccie before the proper attempt.

We are going for two weeks and i would like to take in some other climbs as well. I want to do Alpe D'huez as well and maybe a couple of other.

Whats the top five climbs that i should consider?

I'm thinking

Ventoux
Alpe D'huez
joux plaine
Galibier
Col du Tourmalet

Wil probably do them over a 7 or 8 day period.

Any more i should consider?

Kléber

Ventoux - from Sault
Alpe D'huez
joux plane - from Samoens
Galibier - from St Michel, via the Telegraphe
Col du Tourmalet - either way

Do the Izoard too, via the case deserte and in the Pyrenees, try the Peyresourde and the Soulor.

dave milne

Anyone see that Mont Ventoux club where you do all 3routes in the same day? Was covered in the last cycling plus. My mate's trying to talk me into that as training for the marmotte next year, surely that's potentially harder

DaSy

The Club de Cingles - you do best part of 4500m of ascent in 68km, so nearly as much climbing as the Marmotte but a lot less miles. There is no rush to do it though, you can take all day.

I did 2 ascents in one day, Bedoin first, rode around the mountain to Sault and then up via that way. If you pace yourself and stop for a bite to eat in between climbs I think it is fairly do-able.

Seems to be best to go up via Bedoin first, descend to Maulacene and back up that way, then back down via the Sault route and then turn around and back up via Sault. The Sault climb is fairly easy until Chalet Reynard, so best saved until the end.

I plan on trying that next time I'm in Provence. I think you have to book your attempt in advance to get the official card that you get stamped in the various start and end points for each climb.

Pirahna

suspectdevice wrote:

Ventoux
Alpe D'huez
joux plaine
Galibier
Col du Tourmalet

Sounds like fun. You'll need to work out how you're going to get to and from the climbs, so a bit of map study and maybe a willing driver? Take care with the Galibier, a sunny 25 degrees on top of the Telegraph can be a wet 8 degrees on the Galibier.

My favourite is the Croix de Fer, the scenery is suberb.

Brian B

Pirahna wrote:

suspectdevice wrote:

Ventoux
Alpe D'huez
joux plaine
Galibier
Col du Tourmalet

Sounds like fun. You'll need to work out how you're going to get to and from the climbs, so a bit of map study and maybe a willing driver? Take care with the Galibier, a sunny 25 degrees on top of the Telegraph can be a wet 8 degrees on the Galibier.

My favourite is the Croix de Fer, the scenery is suberb.

I agree about the Croix de Fer - Outstanding beauty! One of my favourite climbs ever.

Roadie Rods

dave milne wrote:

Anyone see that Mont Ventoux club where you do all 3routes in the same day? Was covered in the last cycling plus. My mate's trying to talk me into that as training for the marmotte next year, surely that's potentially harder

I did both this year - Marmotte is far harder IMH|O. But the Ventoux ride is a great experience, and if you get good weather the views are astonishing.

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