mont ventoux

hi all.
am doing mont ventoux in june. am fairly fit and cycle about 50-70 miles aweek.
what i need to know is 30x26(13 to 26 cassette) a low enough gear to take on this monster?
or should i get the cassette changed to a 13 to 29?
any advice would be welcome.
am doing mont ventoux in june. am fairly fit and cycle about 50-70 miles aweek.
what i need to know is 30x26(13 to 26 cassette) a low enough gear to take on this monster?
or should i get the cassette changed to a 13 to 29?
any advice would be welcome.
Van Nicholas Ventus
Rose Xeon RS
Rose Xeon RS
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It'll hurt whatever happens.
For what it's worth - I went in with a 28 on the front, 21 on the back in the pyrenees and i was mashing like mad.
Still got up them though.
Rose Xeon RS
On a practical note, whatever the weather at the bottom, take an extra layer for the descent, cos it can be freezing on the way down (I rode it in July).
Made it up without stopping but it was torture.
I'd spent 2 weeks in the Alps a couple of years earlier but Ventoux is the hardest I've done.
I'm sure more miles in the legs would've helped but the other guys we met while staying at VeloVentoux were using triples.
I swore then that I'd fit a compact if heading abroad again.
Going to the Pyrenees in June........and I'm going with a 34x29 being my lowest gear.
It's better to have than have not
If during the ride you feel like stopping for a break don't do it until you reach Chalet Reynard because if you stop in the forest you'll never get going again. Oh and if you have any weight to lose then lose it. Take some carbs with you to eat at the summit as your body will be craving sugar by then. I recommend you take the descent to Malaucene, passing as many cars as you can on the way down and then back to Bedoin in time for tea and medals.
had only ridden 300 miles that year.
It was hard. However the main climb (Bedoin) is a 7% average. So find your groove and stick to it. Water available next to the hotel as you pop out the woods.
Have a go at the Cingles. If you can do one - you'll have a got at 2 - and the last one's easy!
It is the hardest climb I have ever done, but I made it.
30 x 26 sounds plenty. 29 Might even be too much to have in reserve. That might sound odd, but when I climbed other things in the Alps on the tourer, which has very low gears available, I found myself throwing the gears down to the smallest I had. All that means is that you go slower and it takes longer. I'd recommend you do it in the highest one you can turn for two hours in full sun.
Fast and Bulbous
Peregrinations
Eddingtons: 80 (Metric); 60 (Imperial)
Is there anywhere nearby where we could hire a road bike for the day to have a go at Ventoux?
Get in touch with Craig at http://www.veloventoux.com/ he sould be able to sort you out, or will know someone who can.
http://www.francebikerentals.com/Home/tabid/36/Default.aspx
They are based in Bedoin on the road to Ventoux- in fact the name of their shop is La Route du Ventoux. Good choice of bikes. One of the owners is American/Canadian so language not a problem. They will also deliver the bike if you want.
I'm assuming you running a triple. If so another option (cheaper) is to swap the 30 for a 26 tooth ring. You can get the chain length right so most gears are available though small/small probably would not work but you shouldn't be using that anyway.
With this I am fine in the mountains with a 12-25 rear and don't tend to use first so most of my climbing is in 26/23 but it's nice to have an almost 1:1 gear there as a bail out should I blow up.
Pace RC200 FG Conversion (FCN 5)
Giant Trance X
My collection of Cols
however, i'm pretty light. and quite fast, on a good day.
none of which helps, other than to say yes - gear down, spin to win, and unless you're really big and not fit i can't see why anything other than fairly standard compact chainset wouldn't suffice.
certainly 30x26 should be fine, anything else is just more bale out gears for no real reason.
enjoy it, it's certainly one of the more amazing experiences you can have on a bicycle.
.
my mind is now put to rest. a little anyway!!!!!!
Rose Xeon RS
bike now fitted with a 13 to 28 cassette.
thanks for the advice again.
Rose Xeon RS
I did it on a hybrid bike and would love to try it again in the carbon road bike I ended up buying last summer.
One piece of advice, 2 actually, get up early in the morning and set out before the sun is at it's hottest and take a long sleeved top or jacket for at the top and the descent - even at the height of summer it's cold up there.
There is a photo of me below cycling up Ventoux.
Enjoy your celebratory beer back in Bedoin.
One thing to think about if you hire a bike - the brakes are likely to be the other way round! Friend of mine hired one in Malucene a few years ago & he almost crashed because of the barkes as he was riding round the bottom of the Ventoux to start from Bedoin
could anyone recomend a good place to stay other than veloventoux that i already know about.
any advice is welcome.
Rose Xeon RS
What's your budget?
I'm not sure how hot it gets in June but when I rode it in July '09, the day before the tour came through, it was the heat that did for me. As soon as I hit the treeline it was as if all the oxygen had been sucked out of the air.
As others have said though, no matter how hot it feels at the bottom, it can still be pretty nippy at the top and on the way down.
Good luck and enjoy.
only going for a few days, so would be willing to push the boat out a little for the right place.
Rose Xeon RS
Ditto. Any information in where to stay would be useful.
I know you said you know about them but there's no need to look elsewhere IMO.
then do a 3-up time trial up gorge de la nesque in under 36 minutes. or not.
The municipal camp site is very nice and cheap. The site is shaded in a forest. You can take a tent or caravan as I always do but they also have holiday homes for rent. By the way for your celebration beer etc the food is excelent at http://www.lescapade.eu/ and if you book early for a room it would be a very nice stay also.
stayed at veloventoux.
weather was spot on.
the worst and best day i have ever had on my bike!
thanks to everybody who gave me advice.
Rose Xeon RS
Rose Xeon RS