Mt. Ventoux and Club des Cingles My Story / July 2007


Mt. Ventoux in France

This past winter I recall reading an article in Bicycling magazine about a cyclist who attempted to join the Club Cingles on the infamous Mt. Ventoux in Provence France. As written in the official website, the “Club” are a group of “maniacs” who have completed 3 summits of Mt Ventoux in one day. The cyclist written about in the article almost succeeded but crashed on the final descent to Bedoin unable to control his bike through a dangerous curve.

mont ventoux cycling
In past trips to France I have ridden to the Summit of the “Giant of Provence” and each time the ride highlights will never be forgotten or confused with any other ride, up or down. Always challenging and sometimes too steep to even grab a water bottle. The French describe it as “a little difficult”. Ventoux is mythical, rising high above Provence, visible for 100 Kilometers. A cycling Mecca.



Club Cingles (maniacs)

The Club des Cinglès du Mont-Ventoux is a closed club. It's open to the maniacs will who do the climb, in the same day, of the Giant of Provence, by the three main roads: Bedoin, Malaucène and Sault, with the order they prefer. The choice of the starting place, the same of the arrival place, is free for the pleasure of the participants: Bedoin, Malaucène or Sault. This is a permanent randonnee, so the choice of the date is free for every participants.

Your bicycle must be fully in keeping with the prescriptions of the Road Code and it must to have a fixed device of lighting before and behind in case of night start. It's warmly adviced the use of the helmet. The organization does not give other advices. Nevertheless, it's reasonable a gear ratio of 3 m ± 50 cm.

I did not recognize any members listed from Illinois and only 31 from the USA. Ventoux was on my mind throughout Winter and Spring. Being a Chicago “flatlander”, Spinning indoors three to four times a week was my best option to simulate the intensity of the climb. Other preparation included the Tour of Georgia and a nearby weekend ride in Iowa. Yes there are hills in Iowa. Setting a goal in Winter such as a trip to France really draws focus to those indoor sessions and to be ready for Summer.

In late May we (my riding partner Bill and I) signed up for a “Self Guided” tour with Cycling Classics that based us for three days at a peaceful inn near Bedoin. We arrived in Bedoin in mid-July to become members of The Club des Cinglès du Mont-Ventoux.

Pedaling Provence

mont ventoux cycling
Bedoin is the most popular starting point to the Ventoux summit. a few steps away from the official start. Our ride plan included 89 kilometers day 1 , shaking out our “travel legs” in the shadows of Ventoux. Rolling countryside, touring the towns of Crillion le Brave, Jonquieres, Orange, Carpentras and Caromb. It felt great to be back on French roads, pedaling through vineyards, fields of sunflowers, olive groves and small towns that smell of patisseries (bakeries) and cafes. There is a certain pace in Provence that I have come to appreciate from previous trips. There is no rush, nothing “to go”, no drive thru. The sun was hot but with little humidity. Not a cloud in the sky. Ventoux was always in clear view. The popularity of Mt. Ventoux draws many cyclists from all over the world. It is common to encounter cyclists in large and small groups speaking many different languages. Even though I have limited language skills it has never been difficult communicating or joining a group or club of riders. In fact it has become one of the most memorable aspects of my trips to Europe, socializing with the diverse groups of people I meet on the road. In addition the Tour de France was in full swing a few hundred kilometers away and on TV in every cafe.

The night before our big climb we did the math of our nutritional requirements to get us repeatedly up and down the “Giant”. We determined how much GU, Cliff Bars and Liquid supplements we needed. We had no intent of carrying anything more than we had to, like a backpack of food. While Ventoux is known for long sections of 12% grades, it had its advantages of food and beverages available along the way. In fact one can eat pretty well mostly anywhere in France, even on mountain roads far from towns or cities. To pull us through the heat we carried Gatorade Endurance supplements (powdered packets) to add to our water. We ate Cliff Bars in the morning and Power Bar gels in the afternoon to best manage our stomachs. We planned to eat lunch’s in Malaucene and Sault and grab an espresso whenever we could.

Expectations

Back in Chicago we had convinced ourselves that we could do it, to become members of the Club Cingles (to complete a summit from each of the 3 routes up in one day). After all we had from sunrise to sunset to get it done. It was simply a matter of pacing ourselves. Not about speed but rather patience. Ride smart… After all, we only had to get through the climbs of 22, 21 and 26 kilometers (43 miles and 14,666’). The descents would be pure pleasure.

Finally the day arrives

mont ventoux cycling
At sunrise we got dressed in our Team Alpine kits, filled our pockets with Cliff Bars, GU, French phrases, emergency contacts and a camera. No need for any maps. The route was simple. Pumped the tires and off we went to Bedoin, just us and the birds. A spectacular peaceful morning.

In Bedoin it was market day. Farmers and vendors were setting up their stands on the walks and streets. We made our way to a cafe’ and ordered an “espresso grande”. A few doors down we found a patisserie. Two chocolate croissants, still warm. This would be our jet fuel for the first ascent.




The 1st ascent

We passed the official start at 7:15 AM. Near 72 degrees. The road (route D973) was very reasonable, winding its way through the vineyards until we reached St. Colombe where the road tilted upward. We dropped a few gears to keep our cadence manageable. Here the road also transitioned to the shade of the mountain, thick with pines. We settled into the climb. Only a few other cyclists up early this Monday morning. We joked that they were probably locals getting in their daily ride before work. The blacktop was without a blemish with only one or two cars on the road. It was “early morning” peaceful. Riding mostly side by side, our pace enabled us to keep up a conversation which was to be our primary tactic all day. We were in it for the long haul so we paid close attention to our heart monitors to keep the pace manageable. Mostly near 85% with short periods closer to 90% of max. We made our way through some pretty challenging spots (maybe a little difficult) but after 90 minutes we arrived at Chalet Reynard, 6 kilometers from the summit. Here the route transitions out of the forest, into the bright sun to a white limestone landscape with a view of the summit with the contrasting blacktop road ascending to it. Not until you get above Reynard do you get a view of the landscape 5000’ below. It is truly spectacular. Maybe more uplifting is that for the first time you think to yourself that you can make it to the top. It was 8:30 in the morning still relatively cool as we kept up a lively pace. Our photos included signage that indicated distance and elevation. Two kilometers from the summit we came upon Tom Simpson’s memorial where during a stage of the Tour de France he died. We stopped briefly for a photo. We spotted some mountain sheep which blended in with the limestone terrain. At one point not far from the top we were hit with a wall of wind nearly blowing us off the road.

1st Summit

A strong wind continued to the summit but we kept a steady pace through the final switchbacks that took us to a large flat parking area high above the vineyards and olive groves we rode the day before. Step 1 accomplished! 1912 meters / 6370 feet. Our first summit took two hours and fifteen minutes. We stopped for a photo and briefly waited for the store to open. We needed water to replenish our hydration level during our descent to Malaucene.

We were eager to head down. The descent started off pretty tricky because of the wind. We made our way through five or six switchbacks each nearly a kilometer apart. Gusts of wind kept us on our brakes. From the summit the road drops from under you. For 50 minutes there is no need to take a single pedal stroke. This side of Ventoux was much more open, in the sun with the road winding down along the mountainside. We could see the road a few thousand feet below. Once we passed Chalet Leopold the high elevation cross wind subsided and the temperature began to increase bringing out a strong scent of pines. Reminded me of Mt Lemon near Tucson. The road surface had a few rough spots but nothing that would cause you much trouble even at 70 KPH. The descent was fifty minutes of pure pleasure. We enjoyed the high speed trip down, seemingly never ending. The sound of the wind, the drone of the tires on the pavement carving through the curves. Sensational.

Malaucene

Arriving at Malaucene near 10:25 AM we were ready for our first lunch. There were plenty of cafes to choose from with many bikes parked around town. We found a cafe with outdoor seating under an awning. Another “espresso grande” for starters followed by jambon & fromage baguette with an Orangina soda. The town was busy with cycling clubs of all ages. Racks of post cards were prevalent up and down the streets. Although we were not attempting to set any speed records on Ventoux, we did want to keep focus to minimize “off the bike time” and thus we ordered, ate and replenished our liquids for the next ascent as quickly as our waiter allowed. Our expectation was that the return climb would be our most difficult of the day.

Thirty-five minutes later we were back on route D973. The temperature was rising and as we pedaled out of town we soon felt the heat. The road had become more busy with cyclists and car tourists. Some of the cars were support vehicles to cyclists that we passed over and over. They would wave, snap photos or give encouragement as we passed. We maintained a steady pace passing many cyclist young and old. The tombstone markers were coming a bit slower now. There are concrete roadside markers that indicate the route, distance and grade every kilometer. They are shaped like an 18” tombstone with a yellow painted top. So you always know exactly where you are and how steep it is. No need for a GPS on Ventoux. At times the 90 plus heat seemed to be the biggest challenge radiating from the high sun above and the hot pavement below.

While we did stop occasionally to take pictures and get water. I don’t recall that we ever had to stop because we couldn’t handle the grade or had to rest. We kept a consistent pace based upon heart rate. Never looked at my speedo except to monitor temperature, elevation and grade I had a 50/34 compact crank / 13-25 cassette and Bill had a 52/42/30 Triple / 12-25 Cassette. Bill never shifted to his small ring on his Triple! We became so used to 10-12% grades that when the steepness dropped to 6-7% it seemed almost flat.

Flies

mont ventoux cycling
Sometimes we were met with a refreshing breeze as we rounded a switchback or crossed a gap in the canyon. At one point we pedaled into a swarm of flies that were difficult not to ingest. I got one stuck in my throat for a few kilometers. Really does a number on your concentration. I tried to shake them with a few 360 loops but they stuck right with me. Would this be the unexpected obstacle that would keep us from our goal? We did damage control by discussing other rides where bugs had been worse. I recalled cycling in rural Wisconsin where biting flies took stinging bites right through my clothes. I admit it took plenty of my mental energy not to let these pesky flies adversely effect my “climbing focus”. At least they weren’t biting. We were now drinking a lot of water in the heat on the steep grade. Working hard.


Chalet Leopold

We arrived at Chalet Leopold with bottles empty and in need of an “off the bike” stretch. We were six kilometers from the 2nd summit. We had been climbing an hour and forty minutes from Malaucene. It was 12:40. There was a ski lift overhead and a number of cabins in the area. This looked to be a trailhead for hikers. The chalet had outdoor seating with the usual full menu and wait staff. The Steak Frites smelled wonderful. We topped off our water bottles at the bar inside, drank a liter of water and ate a Cliff bar at Leopold. I felt like a tanker truck holding all that water! Fifteen minutes later we were back on the climb. That first kilometer I was having a difficult time settling in with all that water sloshing around in my stomach, but no flies! About a kilometer later the road turned and high above was the communications tower atop Ventoux. We joked all day not to look directly at the massive tower on the summit or it would zap our strength. With our heart rates still in check we were nearing our 2nd summit with cooler temps and the return of the gusting winds. We spotted some hang gliders below us. We were now employing the full compliment of climbing techniques to keep our bodies loose.

In the saddle small gear
Out of the saddle big gear

Best to keep changing your position every few kilometers to keep your body relaxed with your hands loosely draped over the handlebars. The French are very good at this technique and thus climb seemingly effortlessly. In Chicago we practice this indoors on our Spin bikes.

The 2nd Summit

We made our way to the top to find things very different than four hours prior. Among a few hundred “giddy” cyclists were now large tables set up with candy, sausages, bakery, jewelry and wine. Tourists mulling around searching for souvenirs. Ventoux had transformed into a busy place. Cyclists from everywhere celebrating their Ventoux summit. We had a conversation with a man from Scotland who pedaled a borrowed “commuter” bike up from Malaucene. He told of how he was passed up all day and felt embarrassed with his heavy bike. But he made it. Rewarded himself with a Ventoux jersey. We clicked a few photos and logged our arrival and departure times as directed in the Club Cingles instructions. Again we topped off with water prior to pushing off for our 2nd high speed descent. It was now 2 PM. We retraced the route down 6 kilometers to Chalet Reynard where we turned off on D164. Again the trip down was a welcome break that we enjoyed for close to 55 minutes. Of note we passed a couple of hikers with pack mules in tow. We passed them doing about 50 KPH. The route to Sault was the furthest from the top and not quite as steep as D974. Yet, this curvy, twisting road that drops over 4000’ in 26 kilometers. proved to be very exciting. Again we found the heat returning as we dropped in altitude even more so mid-afternoon. We did not pass any waterfalls as in the Alpes. Provence is pretty dry.

Valley of Lavender / Sault

We came upon fields of Lavender in the valley near Sault. It really was a spectacular sight. Rows and rows of Lavender as far as we could see with a wonderfully distinct scent and the buzz of millions of bees working the fields. One of those moments that we knew was special while it was happening. We weren’t so obsessed with “destination” that we didn’t take note of the day’s journey. We stopped a number of times to take pictures. Pretty hot down from the mountain. Unlike Malaucene there was a short climb up to the town of Sault just enough to snap our legs back to life following the “earned” ride down. It was now 3 PM and time for our second lunch.

We found a shady cafe between a few buildings near the center of town where we ordered lunch. Sault is a very popular tourist town East of Mt. Ventoux busy with cyclists and shoppers from all over Europe. The harvest of Lavender seemed to be one of the central themes. After ordering lunch we met a man from Scotland who had been cycle touring/camping France and Spain most of the Summer. His 80’s vintage Mercian bike loaded for whatever came his way. We didn’t mention that we were in process of joining the “club of maniacs”. Shortly later I stopped in a TABAC (convenience store) to get a Snickers Bar for later. To keep it from melting I slipped it in my water bottle. At almost 4 PM we pedaled out of town on D164 , still at a lively pace.

mont ventoux cycling
Feeling the heat more than ever we retraced the route up through the lavender fields. There were farm stands selling lavender “everything”. In view also were sections of wheat fields which provided a spectacular contrast of purple and yellow, the same as the French country tablecloths you see everywhere. Twenty klics to Chalet Reynard. A one point I realized that we would be passing Chalet Reynard for the 3rd time of the day. We held a steady pace on the mostly 6-7% grade. Our speed seemed to be increasing as we were closing in on the 3rd summit. The road gently wound its way up from the Sault valley through tree covered ravines with some steep spots. We took a short break with 10 kilometers to go to D974. By now we motored our way up “whatever the grade” without much thought. I imagine our adrenaline was working, in because we really didn’t have any negative thoughts every time the road “kicked up”, even after 10 hours of Ventoux. Closer to Chalet Reynard the road became less steep and we were rolling along pretty well as I found myself clicking into some bigger gears. As we merged back on to D974 we transitioned the tree line to limestone where the communications tower on the summit again came into view. The sun now lower in the sky. The gusting winds that almost knocked us off the road earlier were now calm. Only a few cyclists were now visible ahead. We pedaled up the final switchback to the parking area at about 6 o’clock.

We did it!

We logged our time and found a volunteer to take our pictures in front of the Ventoux Summit sign high above Provence. I purchased a couple of Ventoux medals from the gift shop for an impromptu presentation. I called my son Brian down in Bedoin to give him the news. Nobody cried, we were all smiles! And then off we went for the final ride down with a thought of the dangerous curve 2 kilometers down from Chalet Reynard where the other fellow “augured in”

The Grand Finale

The “Grand Finale” was surely the final descent to Bedoin. With the three climbs in the bag, rocketing down that perfect blacktop so fast I thought my wheels would disintegrate. The temperature was perfect for 70-90 KPH. Completely comfortable.. There were sections where there were no turns for 3 or 4 kilometers. Straight down through the woods at an 11% grade reaching speeds of 89 KPH without any effort to be aero. The final descent took us 35 minutes to return to the start in Bedoin. It was so fast. We both agreed that we had just experienced the best downhill of our lives. Had never finished off a dawn to dusk ride like that. Now 6:45. The sun was a big red ball on the horizon as we pedaled our way back to “Le Pines” for dinner and a dip in the pool. We had begun the day 11 and a half hours before.

The day I returned to Chicago I received an E-Mail from Christian PIC the manager of The Club des Cinglès du Mont-Ventoux with congratulations.

A few days later we received our official medals and certificates numbered 1901 & 1902.

Lessons Learned

In retrospect it was more like riding 3 different mountains than 3 different roads up the same mountain. Each of the routes up and down were so distinctly different. Direction, weather, fatigue and time of day all have a major effect on where your head is at any point in time. Believers that “you climb with your head not your legs”. Maybe more so is the effect of your expectations.

We set our goal to climb this truly challenging mountain 3 times. I recall when making it up there just once took everything I had in the tank (when I was 5 years younger!), yet when we had completed the first and second summit with our expectation set to climb 3 times I did not feel particularly challenged. I guess this proves the power of goal setting, mental toughness and climbing at your own pace.

Another day during this recent trip in the nearby Alpes, we set out one morning expecting an easy ride that a French Guide told of. As we found ourselves quickly frustrated on a 10% grade it seemed more challenging than Ventoux had been. The result of expecting an easy ride. There are no easy rides in France, except to a Frenchman or woman!