What happened when MH took on Mt Ventoux?

Almost as famous as the event itself, the mountain climbs of the Tour de France are visited daily by professional and amateur cyclists alike. They’ve become symbols of suffering and physical challenge, where riders can emulate their heroes whilst pushing their own limits.

To experience just a small slice of what the pro peloton has to contend with, we took a road trip to one of the most revered climbs and summit finishes in the race’s history - Mount Ventoux.

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The ‘Giant of Provence’ is famously known as the climb that claimed the life of British rider Tommy Simpson at the 1967 tour. This year marks the 50th anniversary. This mountain has always been a back drop for dramatic racing, the most recent scene being Chris Froome in the yellow jersey, running sans bikes, towards the summit.

Thankfully, there was no need for any running as we set off on our ride. Under the care of Rapha Travel, who offer tour packages of Ventoux and many other bucket list cycling destinations, there was a 10km warm up from the hotel to Bedoin, the start point for our ascent.

With some words of encouragement and a final call of nature to deal with, the road began to creep upwards and before I knew it I was in the forest and maxing out my heart rate.

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From what I knew of the climb, there were two stages to it; the forest with brutal gradients and the summit with no forest, slightly less gradient and wind. Lots of wind.

The forest didn’t disappoint as I stuck the bike in its smallest gear and told my legs to keep moving. The week before had seen temperatures reach 40ºc, although thankfully we were, mercifully, treated to temps in the mid-twenties.

In the forest however, this didn’t seem to matter as the canopy created a dense, humid atmosphere. As I dug deep to reach the wheel in front of me, bit by bit I ploughed through whatever energy reserves were left, leaving nothing for the top. This is when the luxury of having a support car became apparent as James, head of operations, appeared like a vision on the horizon with fresh water bottles and ice. A quick on-the-move handover and off we went again.

Time becomes distorted as you battle against a seemingly endless inversion. My only real guide to where I was on the climb were the roadside markers, but eventually I found company and reprieve in the wheel of our head guide and former pro rider, Alison Testroete, as we journeyed on and out of the forest.

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Ventoux has a unique place in Tour history because of its brutality and location. With its barren peak and striped tower lording over the surrounding landscape, it’s difficult not feel a sense of achievement when you first spy it on route to the top. It’s short-lived, however, as the top seemingly gets further away the closer you climb, a strange illusion created by the lunar landscape that now surrounds you.

Ali and I battled on, the pace never dropped despite our halting conversation. It seemed that having someone to talk to moved my focus from the pain in my legs and lungs to trying to string words together, a welcome distraction until 2km from the summit when the talking stopped. It was time to really dig in and push, out of respect for the ride, the mountain and the monument to Tommy Simpson that you pass.

1 hour, 38 minutes later, we were at the top. It was a clear day with little wind and the view (when given a chance to enjoy it) is spectacular. After a quick food break it was time to enjoy the going down bit of the ride, but not without a final stop at the Simpson memorial.