In early July (on the first day of this year's Tour de France), I went on my first Trabail VC to
ur. There were nine of us on tour to the Vaucluse this year, with several of the veterans from previous years missing for various reasons. We based ourselves in the hamlet of Trabail, near Gordes and Rousillon (see my earlier post about being introduced to cycling here). This year was to be special, because rather than climbing the famous Mont Ventoux only once, we were aiming to climb up it via three different routes over our three full days there. Our mantra was 'Three days, three ways!'
The scale of this challenge for 9 forty-somethings may not be apparent to the casual reader. Mont Ventoux, aka the Giant of Provence stands head and shoulders above all around it. At 1910 metres high, it doesn't rival the Alps to the east, but because its base is so low (details below), the vertical ascent rivals the biggest climbs in Europe. It is also very, and nearly unremittingly, steep. All of this explains why Lance Armstrong, who raced up the Ventoux in two Tours de France as well as in the Dauphine Libere, says the Ventoux (from Bedouin) is the hardest climb in Europe. The British cyclist Tom Simpson collapsed, still clipped into his pedals, and died of heat exhaustion when racing up Ventoux in 1967. There is a monument to him there today, just below the summit.
Anyway, the main group (there had been two in an advance party and two others joining after riding the insane La Marmotte) arrived at the Avignon TGV station Saturday afternoon, assembled our bikes and rode about 50 km to 'base camp'. Serious drinking and trash-talking ensued (altough I'm told the drinking has been much heavier in previous years, when the spectre of multiple Ventoux ascents wasn't hanging over the group).
It really is a great group of guys - all good cyclists with good livers and senses of humour. Throughout the tour, we had a great mix of riding, good food, liberal drink and relaxation from the busy lives back in the UK.
Our club kit this year was pink. Now Jan Ullrich got away with
this no problem with his T-Mobile team, but none of us is Jan Ullrich. Actually, the French public responded very well to our kit, cheering us on during our climbs and being very friendly.
On Sunday, we headed up through a beautiful gorge before descending into Sault, from which we would launch into the easiest ascent route on the Ventoux. Sault sits at about 690 metres, and the climb would rise another 1220 m over 26 kilometres - not a steep average gradient. Aside from having to stop for a wee (we had enjoyed a beer in Sault), I found the climb up to Chalet Reynard (above which the mountain is only bare limestone - no trees) easy and enjoyable. I must say that I found the final bit very challenging, wondering from time to time whether I could keep the pedals turning over the much steeper slope.
Ventoux is known for extreme weather, with winds recorded at nearly 200 mph, baking heat on some days (like when Simpson died) and violent storms on others. As I approached the top, one of those violent storms blew in. The wind was whipping and rain was belting down. Just a few metres shy of the summit, my glasses were blown right off - luckily I retrieved them. Having been the second to reach the top, I joined Mads for a quick handshake. Jeremy joined us shortly and we all moved quickly to descend as the rain turned to pea-size hail that pelted us quite painfully. My arms and legs were numb, and I doubted for a couple brief moments whether I would make it back of the mountain, as lightning flashed around us. We and the others made it back to Chalet Reynard, where we all cowered through lunch and hot chocolates, gradually thawing out. By the time we got back on the bikes for the remaining descent to Sault and further trip back to Trabail, the weather was fine - thank goodness! (In case it's not obvious, all of the sunny snaps you see were taken on Saturday and Monday!).
That first full day's ride covered 110 km and included 2015 m of ascent. Our ride on Mond
ay would take the route via Malaucent, one which only one of the group had done before. Malaucent lies at 340 metres, so the climb would be 1570 m over 22 km - a much tougher gradient. This climb had a couple of long stretches with inclines that seemed they would never end. Watching my heart rate and noting that I was spending long periods with it above 160, I would round each turn hoping to see some softening of the slope, only to see another long steep section ahead. Still, I managed to maintain a rhythm, grinding along in my lowest gear (34 / 27) most of the time, but occasionally popping up a gear or two and standing up on the pedals for 20-30 revolutions.
A short flattish bit did eventually appear. Having enjoyed that, it was then just a series of hairpins up a steep wall (300 m vertical) to go. This time, I was first to the top, and I can tell you I was very pleased to pull into the parking lot of the weather station. Once we all assembled atop the mountain, it was down to Chalet Reynard for lunch, then home via Sault (always the route back). This ride covered 120 km and climbed 2460 m.
Tuesday saw us set off for the most difficult climb via Bedouin, which lies a bit lower than Malaucent and therefore presents the toughest average gradient. Having climbed the Col de Mur and stopped for a wee break at the top, group discussion broke out, from which emerged the decision to trade off the final climb of Ventoux for a leisurely ride through Gordes to Goult for a lovely lunch before carrying on to Roussillon to watch the Tour de France in a cafe over beers! So we still got in some good riding, but we turned away from the 'Three days, three ways" objective for a more balanced overall tour.
On Wednesday, the cycle back to Avignon and trip back to London went smoothly, so we all now look forward to next year, with the return of this year's absent friends.
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