Mont Ventoux Cingles
Harryt
Posts: 5
Three mates and I are heading to Provence this weekend for a crack at the Cingles and I have a quick 'rules' question if anyone can help please?
One guy has had an injury break so is only aiming to do two ascents (Bedoin and Sault) which means, having started from Bedoin, he will drive round to Sault for the last climb. My question therefore is whether we are ok to start in one village and finish in another as the flyer with the brevet seems to suggest starting and finishing in the same one? The last thing we want to do is go through 10 hours of hell and then fail on a technicality...!
Many thanks in advance.
One guy has had an injury break so is only aiming to do two ascents (Bedoin and Sault) which means, having started from Bedoin, he will drive round to Sault for the last climb. My question therefore is whether we are ok to start in one village and finish in another as the flyer with the brevet seems to suggest starting and finishing in the same one? The last thing we want to do is go through 10 hours of hell and then fail on a technicality...!
Many thanks in advance.
0
Posts
I have a brevet (Raid Pyrenean) and it was pretty prescriptive about where to start, where and when to finish and which roads and chackpoints you have to go through
I've done it twice, got all the stamps, and ....... was to lazy to send it back to France :oops:
The Cingles rules state you have to ascent the 3 tarmac routes *up* (call them B,M,S), within 24 hours, between midnight and midnight. So there is a time limit. It doesn't explicitly state that you have to finish in the same place that you started. The normal route might be B-M-S-B but I can't see anything that prevents you from finishing in any village. However what's not clear to me is:
- assuming the route B-M-S-B, when would you get your brevet stamped in Bedoin, at the start or the end? This might dictate whether start and end points need to be the same.
- there is only one summit stamp required, when do you have this done?
- I also wonder if you have to put a specific date when you apply, and if you can then decide to do it on a different date (e.g. due to weather)?
Going back to the OPs post, I don't understand what this 2 climbs chap will do - Start in Bedoin, climb and descent to Malaucene and then drive round to Sault to do that ascent? Why not descend from the summit, having gone up from Bedoin, down to Sault? And why do you need to finish in a different village anyway...
Find me on Strava
Hence, according to this last line, you can choose where to finish.
Find me on Strava
I'm doing this next week.
My understanding is the stamp record is more of an honour thing - you just need one from B, M, S and the summit.
I had to give a date of departure which for the organiser means date of leaving your home town, giving them an idea of who needs their brevet cards urgently.
I'll be doing B, M, S ascents, starting and finishing in Bedoin. By the end I doubt I'll care about a certificate
I guess your mate it climbing from Bedoin, descending back to Bedoin, driving to Sault then climbing from there and descending back to Sault. Why don't you just descent back down to Bedoin, and let him drive back to Bedoin from Sault? If I was you, for all theres no rule, I would want to ascent and descend each route.
Becoming a Cingle is an honour, but also fun. Do you really think Mr Pic would care if you did it a day after you stated? Its just so he knows when to get your brevet to you by. Having been to Bedoin several times I'd say most people aiming to be Cingles should give themselves a 3 day window to do it, so unpredictable is the weather.
Check our write up when 4 of us became Cingles https://snookcycling.wordpress.com/cing ... ntventoux/
Drove to Bédoin aiming to start at 7 and the rain got worse as I got nearer. By half past it had at least stopped so I got my card stamped in the PMU bar, had a coffee and set off. Didn't see another cyclist until Chalet Reynard and then only a few descending as I got the the summit for the first time, visibility was less than 10m. Met a group of about 10 Scottish riders who had come up from Sault, and were then doing Bédoin finishing with Malaucène - interesting route.
The descent to Malaucène was horrible - bitterly cold mist and low visibility meant I was on the brakes constantly for the first 5k and my hands were freezing. Had a coffee and croissant in the town, got my card stamped and stopped shivering just in time to head back up again.
The mist was still covering the top 5k and it had started drizzling as well. The last couple of kilometres were a real struggle mentally - with no visibility there was no sense of actually nearing the summit. Still, made it, got the Ventoux stamp from the gift shop and descending into the (relative) warmth of Sault for lunch.
The final climb from Sault is comparatively easy until Chalet Reynard - the last km past the Simpson memorial would have seen me passed by walkers if there were any! Reached the summit for the third time bang on 5 o'clock. Descended back to Bédoin and that was that.
Of course, sat outside having breakfast now and the sky is clear and the sun's shining!
Out of interest, what was your bottom gear ratio?
Find me on Strava
Thanks!
I did it with a 34-29 which is my usual gearing for the mountains.
I'm doing the Granfondo Ventoux - Beaumes de Venise on Saturday which includes the Bédoin ascent so will be interesting to see the difference in time for the climb (if any!).
I know some of these guys. One of them (jokingly?) posted that his bike was for sale after completion.
Their route will have been dictated by accommodation location. (Cycling, no driving).
I am not sure. You have no chance.
A fellow Campagnoloer then ;-) That's the exact gearing I have.
Find me on Strava
What are the conditions like at the moment? Is there still snow at the top? I'm hoping the weather picks up in the next week, but I've only got one day to give it a shot so I think it's going to be a bit of lottery regardless.
Also, can you pick up a brevet card in one of the towns or do you need it in advance? I looked into it a while ago but was put off by the 20€ admin fee (I figured my bank account had taken enough of a bruising from all the other expenses of the holiday) but I might reconsider if it's still an option.
Find me on Strava
Out of sheer luck, I don't think I could have had much better weather. I started out from Bedoin just before 08:00 and there were already plenty of people leaving town and heading up the slopes. Fantastic views of the Géant from the bottom and even more fantastic views from the top. That first ascent absolutely flew by even though I was consciously trying to hold back the effort in anticipation of the next two efforts.
The descent down to Malaucène is an absolute dream, over 20 km of perfectly smooth flowing tarmac. I grabbed some quick food and drink at a cafe in town and headed straight back up for the second time. This time it dragged on a bit more, the ascent from Malaucène is hard, the sun was starting to beat down and those last couple of kms of hairpins when you can see the summit high above you were really tough.
After another photo I went straight down to Sault, the descent here was amazing but slightly more effort. The lower gradient meant some periods of actually having to pedal to keep the pace up, but this helped to clear the legs after the burning ascent from Malaucène. I decided to do the short little climb up to the village of Sault and grab some more sustainance; unfortunately I hit the lunchtime rush hour, so spent more time trying to get the waiter's attention than actually eating, but after a couple of desserts and a coffee I was on my way up again. The climb from Sault wasn't tough, but it is LONG and shouldn't be underestimated.
Coming out at Chalet Reynard again, I was pretty confident knowing that I only had to tackle those final, barren 6 kms to the top again, but jeez they were hard. Those kms that flew by some 6 hours earlier seemed twice as long and every time I looked at the summit, it just didn't seem to be getting any closer! In the end I made it back up there for a third time some ~7 hours 15 mins after I started out from Bedoin and I loved (almost) every minute of it!
Highly recommended and there's a few pictures here if anyone is interested:
https://www.strava.com/activities/604831645
Find me on Strava