Mont Ventoux - Bédoin    

Climbed Mont Ventoux from Bedoin for the 1st time on Saturday 18th June. I live in Briancon and so I am used to cycling Alpine cols but I broke my leg skiing in December and lost some fitness over the winter. Add to that my age of 72 and I had some trepidation. I put in some work and a few cols before tackling Ventoux and things slowly improved. We arrived in Bedoin in a heatwave with temperatures of 38 degrees. I broke sweat just lying down in my tent that night! 6.00 am wake up call for early departure and it is only 19 degrees - bliss. The climb went well. It is long and hard through the forest but I had no problems. Took a short break at chalet Reynard and then on to the summit. Easy now until the last kilometre and a half, but no worries - nearly there. I was definitely slow by the standards of younger riders but had no problems and no after effects - that was my goal. My friend Steve also made the summit and we enjoyed the descent down to Malaucène. Hot and sticky 12k from there back to Bedoin. Really pleased to have done it.

Went with a younger Flemish colleague (mid-50s local club member, bikes every week) to Mont Ventoux for the first time after a one-year wait due to the Covid lockdown.
First climbed from Bedoin on a hot summer day, with thankfully no wind at the top. triple cogs up front, with 30 x 30 lowest gear (which I ended up using for most of the climb). I had gone to the Black Forest the weekend before where I could practice on 8-10Km climbs at 8% (such as Kandel and Zuflucht) and so things were slow but OK until Chalet Reynard. Although it was supposed to be easier from there, I found it hard to keep going. The last two Ks were really difficult as you can see the top but realise you're not coming closer in any hurry. The private cameramen near the top who encourage you and take photos to sell online give you a final moral push that helps a bit. Took me 2 hours 40 minutes with no rest stops, but that's not bad for a mid-60s overweight (76kg) Japanese guy living in Belgium.

Great climb from Bédoin. I rented a Trek Emonda road bike for €60 in La Route du Ventoux. Service is not great or friendly (you also have to pay in advance + €400 caution), but bike was good (except for faulty shifter for the front gears). Without additional costs they added a 32 cassette which was very useful. Immediately from the bike shop you can start the climb and you'll meet a lot of fellow bikers of all levels which make this ascent pleasant and entertaining. Eating and drinking on the top is possible. I descended to Malaucène and biked then 12 km back to Bédoin. I ate a delicious pasta salad in Le Flandrien next to the bike shop. Roads are in very good condition. Along the climb there are photographers from photoventoux.com and sport-photo.fr where you can search your photos the next day and order them as a souvenir (without watermark). I recommend the Bédoin side as it's the most popular side of the mountain, in the descent to Malaucène I saw few riders, as well as on the easier Sault side (where I drove by car). This was a great biking memory and surprisingly doable. Compared to Stelvio from Bormio (which has the same length and slightly easier average percentage), I suffered way less.

I did this with some bike mates two days in a row in 2006 in early September from Bedoin. There was no wind, and very warm. We had trained for this back in Canada with lots of hillwork, but it still kicked up for us and was a good workout. Initially, in the first three kilometers we were taking it slow and a pretty blonde French woman passed us on her five speed and then turned off! When we got to the top we were standing there and all of a sudden a French Mirage jet came towards the top and at the last second, banked and roared off. We could almost have touched it . formidable! Such a memory.

My first climb up the mount. I started from the Bedoin side. As an overweight guy who only started training in February (in the flattest country in the world), I found the ride was easier than I had expected. Sure, it was steep, but I just plugged away with pedalling. It wasn''t a race for me. The worst thing was going up the route in a car the day before (and the day after). It seemed so much worse in the car...

I did this as part of the Ventoux3 event (raising money for brain tumour research). Definitely going to do it again next year (with the goal of cycling the three routes).

It is a beautiful climb and the atmosphere at the top and around is special and priceless. < Br/>
When you look at the mountain from the valley you cannot imagine that it is 12 degrees colder up there.

Hello, on 22 September 2016 I set off to climb the Ventoux from Bédoin to go back down to Malaucène and join Bédoin by the "valley" road. After 1h50 I'm at the top (gear ratio 34-25). Superb view! I go back down to Malaucène and after thinking about it I decide to return by the summit! From the 6th km onwards everything becomes harder! Lack of training is obvious, the 34-28 is often used. Finally the second climb is done after almost 2 hours of effort. I'll come back but with more training in my legs to do the 3 climbs in a day. However big disappointment because of the hundreds of energy packages thrown on the side of the road. Those who can't take what they bring with them are pathetic!

On 11 July 2016, together with my 15-year-old daughter, I climbed the Mont Ventoux from Sault. Time 2.45 incl. a small stop at the chalet. On Wednesday 13 July, alone from Maulacene to the top in 2 hours with a mistral of 90 km/per hour and at the top. 5 degrees. Great experience. On Thursday 14 July the tour on the Ventoux did not go to the top but to the chalet because of the strong mistral. Was planning to go to the top via Bédoin on Friday but because of the hard mistral it was not possible. Definitely going back to do the last climb. All in all a great experience. Only pity that the mythical mountain has become a kind of fairground attraction, trained fine but don't go up this mountain if you're not trained.

During last summer holiday, it just had to happen. I had done the Grand Colombier last year and it tasted like more. First 2 hours drive from the campsite and some muffins chopped away in the car. Parked the car just before Bédoin and cycled the last 5 km to Bédoin. There was a market in the village, so I put my Polar on pause. Shortly after the start of the climb I found out that my Polar was still on pause! So back and climb again. Perfect weather and quite busy with other cyclists. Finally, without much effort, I reached the top in 1h31. The climb is particularly impressive because of its length and name. In terms of beauty of the climb and difficulty, I think for example the Grand Colombier is much nicer. Final mark: 8

My best cycling memory in 2h16. The firent part is terrible and offers no respite. I rode it with 2500 Belgians present for an association sponsored by Eddy Merckx: I had the impression of being on the tour. The arrival at the fox chalet was a bit of a relief. I found the lunar part less difficult (although I had been told the opposite), the wind was blowing very girl and people were falling down cd which almost happened to me at the col des tempêtes. My most beautiful memory is of a bike (be sure to cover up because you lose 20 degrees at the top)

Hello, I climbed the Mont chauve by Bédoin for the 20th time on 8/10/15 in 2h01; but it was only the second time by mountain bike; what a pleasure always renewed; it's difficult to describe the feeling at the top, I'm 68 years old soon and I'll do it again as soon as possible; it's a monster to climb like no other in France because there are always special weather conditions

I took on the Club des Cinglés du Mont-Ventoux challenge earlier this month with a friend - both of us had turned 60 this year. We did it on the way back from L''Eroica in Tuscany - both great challenges that I''d recommend highly, but while I enjoyed the steel for L''Eroica it was strictly carbon for Ventoux.

We went for the ''standard'' order of Bédoin, Malaucène and then Sault - I''ve nothing to compare that with but it worked well for us.

Being October, the first two ascents were into the cloud and the wind, which made it very cold at the summit and even colder for the first few miles of the descents. The top cleared for the third ascent but the wind got up even more - coming up a sheltered and gentle slope from Sault at 15mph and turning into a headwind that knocks you down to 4mph in an instant is quite an experience.

We took it very steadily, knowing it would be a tough day, and although all we completed all three ascents non-stop, they took 2hr 15min, 2hr 8min and 2hr 2min respectively. With breaks in Malaucène and Sault to defrost, we were out for nearly 10 hours in all.

My club membership just arrived as a reminder of a great experience. Whether you climb it once or more, give it a go.

5''10", 10st 4lb, lowest gear 34/28

Excellent climb on a day with ideal conditions at the start - warm with light cloud and gentle breeze. 26C at the bottom but a very different story at the top!

The gentler slopes for the first 5km were an ideal warm up. After that it feels like an unrelentling 10% for most of the rest!!

With a couple of bands at theoadside and locals cheering you on it broke the seemingly unending slog uphill. Being a Saturday there were plenty of cyclists on the road which helped too.

The hardest part of the climb was the last km for me as it seemed to never end with no visibility at all.

At the top the temperature was below 10C but felt even colder with thick fog and howling wind. After a short stop at the top it was an exhilarating descent to Malaucene before attempting to climb it twice more!

Bédoin - top in 2.50 approximately.

Knowing that I just round the 110 kilos, I think it's still a decent time.

All in all, I'm not wildly enthusiastic.

First you drive through a fly-infested forest where the many hundreds of cars tear past you as if they were at Francorchamps.

Then after an annoying 7 boring 2 hours you arrive at Chalet Renard and there the wind blows you almost down the mountain!

But very happy to be at the top in the end.

Descent towards Malaucène is nice, nice runner.

Good luck to everyone who climbs it but in my opinion there are much nicer/ nicer/ more challenging mountains, first of all the Stelvio.

Greetings, Marc.

Last year, my friend and I climbed Ventoux from Malaucene. I ride vintage steel bikes, but bottled it and hired a carbon bike. I made it in 2 hours and 5 mins and, apart from the nasty 4k after halfway, felt I could have gone quicker. I was 20 minutes ahead of my friend.

This year, I built up a 1985 Eddy Merckx frame with chain rings and cogs that I thought would be suffieient to get me up. And with the same friend we took on the Bedoin climb.

I decided to peg it up the first, flatter section. But then hit the dreaded forest. While in theory there''s not a lot of difference between the two main Ventoux climbs, in practice the forest section of Bedoin is almost mystical in nature. It just goes on and on. Relentless. No views. No respite. 15kms.

I didn''t have enough cogs either. Shortly after I hit the steeper section I was on the smaller chainring (39) and largest cog (26) and out of the saddle for half of the time.

I stopped briefly to take on water at Reynard and then tackled the supposedly easier final 5k. But I''d spent so much on the lower sections I really struggled - especially as the air was feeling pretty thin.

But, notwithstanding a heavier bike, a tougher climb and not enough cogs, I made it in 1 hour 57

When an invite came to stay with family for a week''s holiday near Carpentras , together with the comment from my brother in law to ''get some cycle training in'' I looked up cycle routes nearby and came across The Ventoux!

I hadn''t cycled at all since poly......I am 50 in October. I bought the cheapest gear I could and did 5 weeks training in the hills of Cheshire and Derbyshire - Brickworks, Windgather Rocks, Cat and Fiddle, etc. Any training was good, but I can''t say that it came close to preparing me for what lay ahead. A comment I read on one forum recommended flat out training for an hour or two without hills and I think that is good advice, replicating the experience of just having to keep on going, head down, legs pumping....We (B in law and nephew - both good cyclists) set of at 8.00 from Caromb - about 10k from Bedoin. The weather was clear, cool and still. Once we hit the first hairpin, at the point the real fun starts, I let them go on ahead. I hit the easiest ''granny gear'' and set in to a rhythm that carried me to Chalet R. The slog of the hill is brutal, not helped by the annoying flies. The hill eases off for a short while after CR, but the last k is a killer! The decent is unreal and great fun.

I am Roland momentarily the recordholder of number of climbs in Belgium as well in the Netherlands.I climbed mont Ventoux for the 187th time on sunday 7 th of June 2015.Iam emotionally attached to this mountain because there is a statue since 1979 on the Col des Temêpêtes with my name on it but the statue is dedicated to all cyclists of the world the. Each climb is different and I enjoy every moment ,greeting picknickers ,greeting cyclists passing me or encouraging cyclists standing by foot because they underestimated the climb or are using the wrong gear to tame this beast.I know each curve, each stretch and adapt my speed with the right gear. Coming through the wood is welcome with the Chalet Reynard in sight.Some riders make a stop .I mostly don''t interrrupt my rhythm I am a fan of small gears -seen my age and weight.My heart beat rate is about 115-120 maximum. and my average for the climb is 2h50-3hours...and I Always laugh at the top!

Hello everyone...

My short testimony after a few climbs through Bedoin.

Two important points to consider in addition to the demanding nature of the Giant of Provence where you will always be in the "grip" without ever being able to let go of the effort. It is the food, and the mental.
To you

I''m 2m tall and 90kgs, age 25, time 1hr41 from Bedoin.


Once you hit the forrest it''s a world of pain, this is possibly the worst part as theres no hope of the pain ending, the km''s seem to tick by very slowly. You gasp in amazment that you have only travelled 1km since the last marker and are racking your brains, hoping it is some kind of mistake!

Once you are out of the woods and you can see the top, you are in theory "not out of the woods yet". However the beautiful iconic views of the summit spur you on and this is where you should find your rhythm. At this point it starts to dawn on you that you might actually finish the climb.

The last KM are difficult to enjoy but its something of a bitter sweet sensation like no other. you are going through a lot of suffering but the elation and feeling of accomplishment is almost enough to balance it out.

A once in a lifetime climb. Whatever your age or cycling background. Thoroughly recommended.

In 2010 together with my son I climbed the Ventoux, I was exhausted and hot as hell under 40°C. The man in the bike shop didn't think it was a good idea, but I still went up to set a time, in 1h51m40sec I was totally exhausted but a very special euphoria, I can't describe it.