Ventoux Gearing

drlodge

Keeping your heart rate down is key. I know that under 160 is the magic number for me, and I don't like a cadence that's too low either, so 34x32 would be nice.

rpherts

crispybug2 wrote:

And the final bend to the top was the single worst moment I have ever experienced on a bike.

Go as far to the left as you can on that one. A bit dangerous if someone is coming the other way, but you are near death by that point anyway.

rpherts

drlodge wrote:

Keeping your heart rate down is key. I know that under 160 is the magic number for me, and I don't like a cadence that's too low either, so 34x32 would be nice.

Yes, not easy when it gets to 11% and 12% though, that's where you need the gears if you aren't a mountain goat when it comes to climbing.

feisty

I went up Ventoux this summer. I used 34/32 most of the way and got up there in a pretty reasonable time (the higher cadence compensates for the reduced gear inches I found). And of course, 34/32 also has 34/28 available on the cassette. So if you found it to be "too much" you can always change down a gear (indeed, I did change down to 34/28 and 34/26 once I got past Chalet Reynard).

Bear in mind that everyone thought 10 speed gears gave great ratios a few years back. An 11 speed 34/32 is the same as an old 10 speed 34/28 with an extra 32 cog added. SO you don't really lose much by having it

Gpfanuk

Just back from completing the same thing last week... The only advice I would give is to not worry too much about your gearing and worry more about the swarms of flies in the forest section! Seriously though I passed (and was passed) by just about every manner of bike including tandems, fixies and shoppers and they all made it to the top eventually. Enjoy the ride for what it is, and marvel at your own triumph when you summit. Good luck.

bernithebiker

Svetty wrote:

davidof wrote:

JSCL wrote:

I'd say if you've got 52/36 and 11/28, you'll be fine

I agree 36x28 should be fine. I last rode it on 39x28 and it was ok from the Bedoin side, the steep bits are not that long. I would ride some of the big alpine cols on a 34x28 for comparison.

Given that the Bedoin climb is at least as taxing as 'the big alpine cols' , I'm bemused as to why a 39 is OK for Ventoux when you use a 34 in the rest of the alps................... :roll:

+1

I've ridden most of the Alpine cols, and the long forest section of the Ventoux is up there as one of the toughest of the lot (and the rest of the climb is no picnic either!)

phreak

Kinda depends on your fitness level doesn't it? I haven't done Ventoux, but have done the Stelvio a few times, which is similar enough, and used a 28 on the back for that. Will be hard to say though really without knowing how you ride on 90-120 minute climbs. It's probably better to err on the side of caution until you get that first hand experience though.

meanredspider

dennisn wrote:

Well, everyone talks about a 34 tooth front ring, but FWIW TA Specialties(France) makes a 33 tooth front ring. Granted it's only one tooth but...... I've had one for years and always use it going to the big mountains. No problems. Now I know I'm getting old these days but, dammit, every little bit helps.

That's what I used when I spent the day going uphill. I didn't want the expense of swapping my Di2 RD for GS so I ran 33 up front and 30 at the back.

I've not yet done Ventoux (except on the Tacx Neo) but I didn't see any mention of wind in this thread. If I were doing that hill, I'd want a little in reserve for the weather. As has often been said, no-one much has complained about having a shorter gear in reserve. It's a big psychological boost to look down and see you don't (yet) need it.

drlodge

Think I'll be getting the Potenza 32T cassette and Wolftooth Roadlink for my Rourke then. Its not cheap but I'd hate to be staying at the foot of Mont Ventoux and finding the climb a struggle. 34x29 might be OK if the weather's fine, but as above - if there's wind up top which is more than likely, a 32T cassette will be a god send.

Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

robbo2011

I think a lot depends on how good a climber you are and also how fresh you will be. There is certainly no harm in having a 32 cog available should you need it.

I recently climbed the Stelvio from Prad am Stilfersjoch and used the 32 quite a bit, but that was because my legs were shot from a long ride the day before. On this ride when I was fresh, I did not use the 32 at all, even though the climbing was steeper than on the Stelvio.

The trouble with a 32 though, is that it is easy to drop into it when you are tired and not increase your cadence, so you end up going very slowly. At least if you are stuck with a 28 low gear, you are forced to keep the effort going!

If in doubt, have a 32 available and if you are doing more than one pass, make sure you ride in zone 2 or low zone 3, otherwise your legs will run out of glycogen and you will pay for it towards the end of the ride.

Most importantly, remember to drink plenty of fluids as if it is a hot day, you will lose an awful lot of water and it is easy to get dehydrated. Then it turns into a nightmare as you power will drop right off the bottom of the scale.

buckmulligan

Jeez, how is this a three page thread?!

bernithebiker

BuckMulligan wrote:

Jeez, how is this a three page thread?!

Easy, it has the word 'Gearing' in the title.

larkim

I suppose the art is pacing - the first half should feel "comfortable" as the second half a) is done on tired legs and b) will take you into the 2000m+ zone where oxygen deficit can start to impact actual and perceived performance levels.

I know I've only climbed one mountain (and not a huge or steep one at that), but my running background taught me that for a constant effort activity like climbing or running a half marathon etc is all about pacing yourself so you've enough in reserve for when it gets hard. And it can be challenging to get that pacing right if you've never done such a constant effort before. As a runner, downhills are easier than uphills but not as disproportionately easier as they are on a bike, so if you're tackling an 60-90 minute climb for the first time, chances are it will be your first time putting in that much effort over a prolonged period.

sloppyschleckonds

larkim wrote:

I suppose the art is pacing - the first half should feel "comfortable" as the second half a) is done on tired legs and b) will take you into the 2000m+ zone where oxygen deficit can start to impact actual and perceived performance levels.

I know I've only climbed one mountain (and not a huge or steep one at that), but my running background taught me that for a constant effort activity like climbing or running a half marathon etc is all about pacing yourself so you've enough in reserve for when it gets hard. And it can be challenging to get that pacing right if you've never done such a constant effort before. As a runner, downhills are easier than uphills but not as disproportionately easier as they are on a bike, so if you're tackling an 60-90 minute climb for the first time, chances are it will be your first time putting in that much effort over a prolonged period.

What gears would you recommend?

whoof

Gpfanuk wrote:

Just back from completing the same thing last week... The only advice I would give is to not worry too much about your gearing and worry more about the swarms of flies in the forest section! Seriously though I passed (and was passed) by just about every manner of bike including tandems, fixies and shoppers and they all made it to the top eventually. Enjoy the ride for what it is, and marvel at your own triumph when you summit. Good luck.

I've ridden it a few times, the last with a gearing of 24/28 (22"). I was riding a 1990s MTB converted for touring weighting in at 14 kg plus four panniers, a bar-bag, a tent and a 800g loaf of bread. I passed quite a lot of riders in their bottom gear who were really labouring. I'm sure almost all them got to the top but not sure if they enjoyed the experience at the time.

I would take the lowest gear (not 22" unless you are also carting a load of stuff with you) you can reasonably fit. If you don't need it then that's great but if you do or just go through a little bad patch and can get ten minute relief from riding a lower gear then I think it would be worth it.

bernithebiker

larkim wrote:

and b) will take you into the 2000m+ zone where oxygen deficit can start to impact actual and perceived performance levels.

Ventoux summit is 1912m.

singleton

I did Alpe d'Huez this weekend on a 36/28 - but I found it harder than I thought. Perhaps that's no surprise as it was my first real mountain after doing a few UK hills and it was in a different league. (Maybe the 32 degree temperatures didn't help much either).

If I go back and do anything longer, steeper or harder then I will need at least one more gear, maybe two, just to have the options and the phsycological security blanket.

larkim

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

What gears would you recommend?

All I can say is I got up Avoriaz with 30/25 on my bTwin Triban 3, which I suppose is equivalent to 34/28 more or less. At times I wanted another, faster spinning gear, but I didn't stop and there were at least 2km of back to back 9% gradient. I can't recommend anything, other than observe that that's what this low mileage, 25BMI, competent runner used and nobody died.

I rode nearly the whole climb in that gear, though occasionally when I got out of the saddle I swapped to 30/21 as standing up in 30/25 felt too unproductive.

larkim

bernithebiker wrote:

larkim wrote:

and b) will take you into the 2000m+ zone where oxygen deficit can start to impact actual and perceived performance levels.

Ventoux summit is 1912m.

My bad, sorry! Thought it was higher than that, mainly based on the quasi lunar landscape!

webboo

larkim wrote:

I suppose the art is pacing - the first half should feel "comfortable" as the second half a) is done on tired legs and b) will take you into the 2000m+ zone where oxygen deficit can start to impact actual and perceived performance levels.

I know I've only climbed one mountain (and not a huge or steep one at that), but my running background taught me that for a constant effort activity like climbing or running a half marathon etc is all about pacing yourself so you've enough in reserve for when it gets hard. And it can be challenging to get that pacing right if you've never done such a constant effort before. As a runner, downhills are easier than uphills but not as disproportionately easier as they are on a bike, so if you're tackling an 60-90 minute climb for the first time, chances are it will be your first time putting in that much effort over a prolonged period.

So no one on here will have ridden a time trial or such like over 25 miles.

larkim

That's not what I said. Of course there'll be plenty who have done that and that sort of effort is a good proxy for grinding out an alpine climb too, as I suspect you're pointing out.

webboo

I was inferring that you don't have to have a running background to know how to put in a sustained effort.

pblakeney

Webboo wrote:

So no one on here will have ridden a time trial or such like over 25 miles.

Not at 8-10 kph.

crispybug2

PBlakeney wrote:

Webboo wrote:

So no one on here will have ridden a time trial or such like over 25 miles.

Not at 8-10 kph.

Or 5-6 kph

larkim

Webboo wrote:

I was inferring that you don't have to have a running background to know how to put in a sustained effort.

Fair point, I was drawing on my own limited experience in which road riding I find to be bursts of effort followed by rests, compared to running which has less extremes of peaks and troughs. I can certainly see that TT efforts for close to an hour would have similar peaks and troughs.

bernithebiker

In my experience, a 1 hour TT is nothing like a 1 hour climb like the Alpe or Ventoux.

You're in a completely different position, you're hardly ever out of the saddle in a TT (compared to as much as 40% on a climb). And very different psychologically too. The climb has no chance for rest, no roundabouts or high speed bends.

Climbing speed is far lower so heat can be a big factor too.

pblakeney

bernithebiker wrote:

Climbing speed is far lower so heat can be a big factor too.

I could never quite get my head round climbing for 1 1/2-2 hours sweating your proverbials off in 30 degree heat only to put a jacket on for the descent. But I did it, because it is the sensible option. :shock:

timmyotool

I'd definitely be going for a 32 on the back.

After a quick look on Strava, the average speed for someone in the top 2000 (a pretty impressive achievement out of 40,000) is 12.4kmph.
https://www.strava.com/segments/7400863

According to good old Sheldon if pedaling at 80 RPM
36x28 will give you 13 kmph
36x32 will give you 11.4 kmph

I'd look at how fast you expect to be and your preferred cadence and decide from there.

pblakeney

David Millar on ITV during the Vuelta - These guys will be using small gears. "34 x 29 or 30, 32".
Now, the Ventoux may not be as steep but we are not elite pro riders either. Just saying.

dhungerf

I just completed the climb a couple weeks ago. I trained with 34 / 28 (I originally had a 36 but changed it out). The bike I rented was set-up with a 34 / 32 and the climb was sweet with those 4 extra teeth.

Have Fun

My Climb:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8idK4KTxoro

My Descent
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y468oVOhcj0