Mont Ventoux
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Mont Ventoux

North side of the summit of Mont Ventoux
Elevation 1,912 metres (6,273 feet)
Location Vaucluse, France
Range periphery of the Alps
Coordinates 44°10′N 5°17′E / 44.167, 5.283Coordinates: 44°10′N 5°17′E / 44.167, 5.283
First ascent Prior to Petrarch; probably ancient
Easiest route hike

Mont Ventoux (Occitan: Ventor in classical norm or Ventour in Mistralian norm) is a mountain in the Provence region of southern France, located some 20 km north-east of Carpentras, Vaucluse. On the north-side, the mountain borders the Drôme département. It is the largest mountain in the region and has been nicknamed the "Giant of Provence", or "The Bald Mountain".

As the name might suggest (venteux means windy in French), it can get windy at the summit, especially with the mistral; windspeeds as high as 320 km/h (193 mph) have been recorded. The road over the mountain is often closed due to high winds. Especially the "col de tempêtes" ("storm pass") just before the summit is known for its strong winds. The real origins of the name are thought to trace back to the 1st or 2nd century AD, when it was named 'Vintur' after a Gaulish god of the summits, or 'Ven-Top', meaning "snowy peak" in the ancient Gallic language. In the 10th century, the names Mons Ventosus and Mons Ventorius appear.

Mont Ventoux, although geologically part of the Alps, is often considered to be separate from them, due to the lack of mountains of a similar height nearby. It stands alone to the west of the Luberon range, and just to the east of the Dentelles de Montmirail, its foothills. The top of the mountain is bare limestone without vegetation or trees. The white limestone on the mountain's barren peak means it appears from a distance to be snow-capped all year round (its snow cover actually lasts from December to April). Its isolated position overlooking the valley of the Rhône ensures that it dominates the entire region and can be seen from many miles away on a clear day. The view from the top is correspondingly superb.

Contents

History

Mont Ventoux as seen from Avignon
Mont Ventoux as seen from Avignon

Jean Buridan climbed the mountain early in the fourteenth century; Petrarch repeated the feat on April 26, 1336, and claimed to have been the first to climb the mountain since antiquity, which has been widely repeated since. [1]

The 15th century saw the construction of a chapel on the top, dedicated to the Holy Cross.

In 1882, a meteorological station was constructed on the summit, though it is no longer in use. In the 1960s a 50m-high telecommunications mast was built.

Flora and fauna

View of Mont Ventoux from Mirabel-aux-Baronnies
View of Mont Ventoux from Mirabel-aux-Baronnies

Originally forested, Mont Ventoux was systematically stripped of trees from the 12th century onwards to serve the demands of the shipbuilders of the naval port of Toulon. Some areas have been reforested since 1860 with a variety of deciduous trees (such as holm oaks and beeches) as well as coniferous species, such as Atlas cedars and larches. A little higher, junipers are common.

The mountain comprises the species boundary or ecotone between the flora and fauna of northern and southern France. Some species, including various types of spiders and butterflies, are unique to Mont Ventoux. It is a good place to spot the Short-toed Eagle (Circaetus gallicus).

Its biological distinctiveness was recognised by UNESCO in 1990 when the Réserve de Biosphère du Mont Ventoux was created, protecting an area of 810 square kilometres (200,150 acres) on and around the mountain.

Road cycling

For road bicycle racing enthusiasts, the mountain can be climbed by three roads.

  • East from Bédoin: 22 km over 1610 m. This is the most famous and difficult ascent. The road to the summit has an average gradient of 7.6%. Until Saint-Estève, the climb is easy, but the 16 remaining kilometres have an average gradient of 8,9%. The last kilometres have strong, violent winds. The ride takes 2-3 hours for trained amateur individuals, and professionals can ride it in 1-1.5 hours. The fastest time so far recorded has been that of Iban Mayo in the individual climbing time trial of the 2004 Dauphiné Libéré: 55' 51". The time was measured from Bédoin for the first time in the 1958 Tour de France, in which Charly Gaul was the fastest at 1h 2' 9".
  • East from Malaucène: 21 km over 1570 m. A little easier than the Bédoin ascent, better sheltered against the wind.
  • North-west from Sault: 26 km over 1220 m. The easiest route. After Chalet Reynard (where the "lunar landscape" of the summit starts), the climb is the same as the Bédoin ascent. Average gradient of 4.4%.

Every year there are amateur races to climb the mountain as quickly and often as possible in 24 hours. On May 16, 2006, Jean-Pascal Roux from Bédoin broke the record of climbs in 24 hours, with eleven climbs, all of them from Bédoin [2].

Tour de France

Memorial to Tom Simpson on Mont Ventoux
Memorial to Tom Simpson on Mont Ventoux

Mont Ventoux has become legendary as the scene of one of the most gruelling climbs in the Tour de France bicycle race, which has ascended the mountain thirteen times since 1951. The followed trail mostly passes through Bédoin. Its fame as a scene of great Tour dramas has made it a magnet for cyclists around the world.

The mountain achieved worldwide notoriety when it claimed the life of British cyclist Tom Simpson, who died here on July 13, 1967 from heat exhaustion caused by a combination of factors including dehydration (caused by lack of fluid intake and diarrhoea), amphetamines, and alcohol; although there is still speculation as to the exact cause of his death. He began to wildly weave across the road before he fell down. He was delirious and asked spectators to put him back on the bike, which he rode to within a half mile of the summit before collapsing dead, still clipped into his pedals. Amphetamines were found in his jersey and bloodstream. There is a memorial to Simpson near the summit which has become a shrine to fans of cycling, who often leave small tokens of remembrance there. In 1970, Eddy Merckx rode himself to the brink of collapse while winning the stage. He received oxygen, recovered, and won the Tour. In 1994, Eros Poli, not known for his climbing ability, stole away at the beginning of the day's stage, built up a substantial time gap from the peloton, and was first over the Ventoux and eventual stage winner despite losing a minute of his lead per kilometre of the ascent. The last winner on the Ventoux was the French climber Richard Virenque.

Tour de France stage finishes

The race has finished at the summit of Mont Ventoux seven times. The finish line is at 1909 m, although in 1965, 1967, 1972 and 1974 the finish was lower, at 1895 m.

In September 2008, it was announced by Claude Haut, the president of the Vaucluse province that the tour de france will once more visit Mont Ventoux after a seven year abscence. The big news is about the day that the riders will have to climb the "Giant of Provence" – it will be on the second last day of the race, on July 25, prior to transferring to Paris for the traditional parade on the Champs-Élysées. This will be confirmed when the full race route is announced on October 22nd 2008.

Year Stage Start of stage Distance (km) Category Stage winner Nationality Yellow jersey
2009 20 tbc Montélimar T.B.C. HC --- 0 ---
2002 14 Lodève 221 HC Richard Virenque  France Lance Armstrong
2000 12 Carpentras 149 HC Marco Pantani  Italy Lance Armstrong
1987 18 Carpentras 36.5 (ITT) HC Jean-François Bernard  France Jean-François Bernard
1972 11 Carnon-Plage 207 1 Bernard Thévenet  France Eddy Merckx
1970 14 Gap 170 1 Eddy Merckx  Belgium Eddy Merckx
1965 14 Montpellier 173 1 Raymond Poulidor  France Felice Gimondi
1958 18 Bédoin 21.5 (ITT) 1 Charly Gaul  Luxembourg Raphaël Geminiani

Other appearances in Tour de France

The race has also crossed the summit six times.

Year Stage Category Start Finish Leader at the summit Nationality
1994 15 HC Montpellier Carpentras Eros Poli  Italy
1974 12 1 Savines-le-Lac Orange Gonzalo Aja  Spain
1967 13 1 Marseille Carpentras Julio Jimenez  Spain
1955 11 1 Marseille Avignon Louison Bobet  France
1952 14 1 Aix-en-Provence Avignon Jean Robic  France
1951 18 1 Montpellier Avignon Lucien Lazarides  France

In 1951, the approach to the summit was from Malaucène. In all other years, the approach has been from Bédoin

The climb from Bédoin to the Mont Ventoux

The climb by bike from Bédoin to the Mont Ventoux is one of the toughest in professional cycling. Every climb has its own unique particulars. To get a detailed impression of this climb, the route has been measured accurately.

The figure for the average gradients per kilometre can be found in many books and websites on cycling. The average gradient of the total climb and also the average gradients per kilometre differ slightly, depending on the source of the information. Accurate measurements result in an average gradient for the total climb of 7.43%, based on a horizontal distance of 21765 metres and an ascent height of 1617 metres. The actual distance riden is 21825 metres.

The average gradients per kilometer are as follows:

Kilometre Average gradient Kilometre Average gradient
1 1.9 % 12 10.1 %
2 2.8 % 13 9.2 %
3 3.8 % 14 9.4 %
4 5.8 % 15 8.8 %
5 5.6 % 16 6.9 %
6 3.1 % 17 6.6 %
7 8.6 % 18 6.8 %
8 9.4 % 19 7.4 %
9 10.5 % 20 8.3 %
10 10.1 % 21 9.1 %
11 9.3 % 22 10.0 %

Skiing

There is a small skiing facility on the Northern side of Mont Ventoux. High winds and the modest altitude tend to limit the amount of time when this is open to the public.

References

  1. ^ Lynn Thorndike, Renaissance or Prenaissance, Journal of the History of Ideas, Vol. 4, No. 1. (Jan., 1943), pp. 69-74. JSTOR link to a collection of several letters in the same issue.
  2. ^ Site from Velo101.com

External links

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