Trip to Ventoux : Sep/Oct '25
If a 82 year old Grandmother can ascend Ventoux, then I'm all out of excuses.
A preliminarily/cursory google would show that Waterloo - Paris - Avignon - Bedoin is the most efficient route down.
So, any pointers, pearls of wisdom or general advice would be greatly appreciated!
Comments
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A few randoms...
Might be easier to hire a bike there... from what I read, bikes on Eurostar can be a bit hit & miss (IIRC. they aren't guaranteed a place on the train you catch).
If Eurostarring, Lille is a much easier change, then the train goes direct. There used to be a once-a-week train from St Pancras to Avignon, but I suspect that that's bitten the dust.
If you can, go for more than one day... weather can be unpredictable on MV, and it's a real beast if you catch the Mistral (record wind speed at the summit is 300km/h). It's been a pretty rubbish year weather-wise so far.
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She wears her helmet even further back than Tao
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Yeah, the direct Avignon train est mort.
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Bit disappointed she hasn’t spent her ill-gotten pension on a £15k super bike and Rapha kit to troll people.
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Thanks Brian, having a gander now.
You're the light wiping out my batteries; You're the cream in my airport coffee's.0 -
Of course, if you want to do Paris en route, then Lille isn't such a great idea, but you could do Paris one way, and Lille on the return.
IIRC, there's a decent bus from Avignon to Bédouin, and you'd probably want to do the two big ascents of MV, if not the shorter one. There's also a brilliant gorge somewhere near that I've never done.
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SNCF tickets come out about three months in advance, and it's worth booking as soon as you can, as it can get pricey nearer the day. Might just be worth getting an SNCF railcard (49€), even for just this, given they are longish journeys and the railcard gives you 30% off. OTOH, Ouigo tickets, if they are available for your journey, are stupidly cheap. Sometimes available up to 6 months in advance, but, this being France, sometimes they aren't.
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I can't offer any advice as Ventoux is probably the one major tdf summit I haven't ridden. I do want to say fair play to this lady though. Riding a HC climb at her age and with what looks a 15kg flat bar bike is seriously impressive!
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Oh, practical advice, take smaller gears than you think you could possibly need. There are stretches at 10%ish, and if you dont keep your legs spinning, you might struggle, unless you are super fit & light. 10% feels like, er, mountain, in the middle of a 25km ascent, or whatever it is.
FWIW, I'm glad I've done it, but it's not a terribly interesting ride in itself. The view at the top is stunning though, on a clear day.
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And I'd not leave it to October. The chances of dodgy weather are always there, but October can be lovely or terrible, and it can snow in October on MV.
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You could get some practice by riding Ven Top in Zwift at 100% trainer resistance, great if your turbo has a high maximum gradient simulation.
Unless it changes, free 25Km every calendar month.
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2020 Voodoo Marasa
2017 Cube Attain GTC Pro Disc 2016
2016 Voodoo Wazoo0 -
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