Thursday, 18 October 2007

France trip, Jul 2007 - Mont Ventoux


Mont Ventoux, or "windy mountain", is the largest mountain in the region. As the name suggests, it does get very windy at the summit.

The roads to the summit is very popular with cyclist. There are 3 roads that lead to the top. The cyclists at the Tour de France take the toughest trail, which has an average gradient of 10% in the final 16 kilometres! There are also strong, violent winds on the last kilometre. For the trained amateurs, the ride would take about 2-3 hours. But for the professionals, they can manage it in 1-1.5 hours, which is simply amazing.


It was a clear day so we can see far far away!

I don't know why this sign is patched. But according to the sign, the altitude is 1,912m.
Buying bon bons from the mountain top stall

View of the transmission tower. The last kilometre is all bare and rocky.

A memorial to Tom Simpson, who died of exhaustion on the slopes of Mont Ventoux during the Tour de France in 1967. Simpson is a respected cyclist. On the day after his death, "the other riders were reluctant to continue racing so soon after his death and asked the organisers for a postponement. In the end, they agreed to ride but with the condition that they would allow a British rider to win the stage. This honour went to Barry Hoban." (source: wiki)
Panoramic view from the top (click to enlarge):

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