Provence, Ventoux and too much sun.

Yecomb

Hi,

I'm planning a 7 day cycle tour loop from Avignon taking in hopefully the best Provence has to offer at the end of June. My route is on bikeradar.com/routes: It's 'provence luberon tour'. Put in 'luberon' in search of France. It's the 518.9km one.

Anyway, apart from what the hills might do to me, I'm quite worried about the sun protection and was wondering what clothing anyone could recommend that has good breathability/wicking but more importantly, a good sun protection factor built in. Maybe short and long sleeved tops and cycling shorts.

Also, being a bit thin, on top what might I use under a helmet to keep the sun off that's not going to 'boil ma heed'.

Finally, if you found the route, any suggestions from previous tours would be welcome.

Brian NZ

I wear a bandana on my head at all times now, even when wearing a helmet. It soaks up and wicks away most of the sweat, has a flap for the back of the neck, and protects my solor panel which was getting burnt even through my helmet. I apply suntan lotion and lip balm with sun screen in it continuously.
Clothing wise I now wear lightweight Merino tops with full front zips.Merino, wicks away the sweat, protects you from the sun and when you stop doesn't cling to you and make you cold. Best of all it doesn't smell even after a day or two of sweaty ridding. It is not cheap but worth every penny. I use nothing else touring now. I have tried lycra and cotton and I sweat alot.
I live in NZ under the hole in the Ozone layer where the sun is reputed to be the most burning in the world.
Hope this helps
Cheers Brian

GeorgeShaw

I was a round here on a cycling holiday years ago, took the train to Avignon and rode around from there. A few comments:

1. Venasque is beautiful. Try to take in Gordes and the other villages around there. St Saturnin was nice.

2. We left the Luberon for the Rhone Valley at the end and immediately regretted it. Too flat, too many cars (comparatively). The foothills are just too nice to leave behind.

3. As an alternative I'd take in the Southern Luberon villages - Buoux, Lacoste (including the Marquis de Sade's castle), Menerbes, Bonnieux, etc.

4. Cucuron and Lourmarin were great as well.

Have fun.

Yecomb

Thanks for the good advice from you both.

I'd never really heard of merino wool until I started looking for skiing base layer stuff this winter but it seems to be the way to go for both summer and winter and popular for gear made in NZ.

For the route, thanks for the tips. I'll tweak the route to get in the Southern Luberon villages you mention. My plan is to ride around and up Mt Ventoux and then take in the 'Autour de Luberon' signposted route, but I had thought about joining it at Apt. I'll now go from Vanasque to Gordes and then pick up that route from around Menerbes which is closer to the starting point at Cavaillon. Had a look on Google Earth and it looks an interesting area.

For the maps of 'autour du luberon':
http://eng.veloloisirluberon.com/velo_l ... nos_cartes

Tourist Tony

Not looked at the route (at work) but would suggest the Alpilles and Les Baux as a spectacular bit, with the old roman ruins near St Remy.
Helmet? Sunburn?
Cotton cycling cap, of course!