Mont Ventoux - France
The Climb
(Profile of Tacx route data file)
Total Climbing 3112m/68km
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The 1909meter high Mont Ventoux a staple of many high-profile races like the Tour de France is situated in the Southeast of France not too far from the Mediterranean in a well known area called ‘Provence’
The Route 63km
Sault, D194 Le Chalet Reynard, D974 to Malaucéne via the summit of the Ventoux, Then back along the D974 to finish on the 1909m summit..
Route information
The first epic 26km climb up the eastern side starts with a short descent through the picturesque town of Sault & then past vineyards as you tackle the gentle grades of the foot slopes, ahead you can see the main bulk of the lower slopes of the Ventoux with its top shrouded in cloud. This side of the massive ‘Giant of Provence’ is the easiest of the three possible ways to get to the summit in real life & the first kilometres are not too steep as you climb past the ever changing forest of Oak,Pine & Elm. Then once past the well known ‘Le Chalet Reynard’ its just a 6km haul up to the summit through the famous Moonscape which is the trademark of this climb. During the last few kilometres you ride into the misty cloud which seems to be well placed as this effectivly hides the toughest part of the ride from your view. After climbing the last short very steep section you reach the observatory with a few cyclists milling about in the cold damp wind.
Next comes the super fast descent through the cloud & onto sunny roads to the ancient town of Malaucéne of which you do a quick tour before back tracking up the climb to finish at the summit observatory. This second climb is much tougher then the first assent & has a unrelenting extremely long stretch of 9%+. The only real rest bite on this side of the climb is around 6km from the summit close to the Station du Mont Serein where you have a few kilometres of light grades. But don’t worry it gets tougher still & the last kilometres are nothing short of tortuous!
Anyone finishing such a ride in real life or on the Tacx Fortius can really feel a sense of achievement as I believe this is the toughest of all the rides available for Tacx users & probably one of the toughest climbs in real life.
Data
The DV video footage used in this ride was filmed during the last week in May 2004. Filmed with a special mount that enables the camera to lean into the corners that gives life to the video & keeps that vital rider perspective so the grades look as steep as in real life.