Rolling Country and Ventoux Reflections

An apology to begin with.

Our hotel for the evening turns it Wi Fi off overnight. Apparently guests do not require internet access out of hours. As a result, this update is some hours late.

Secondly, yesterdays account of Ventoux was a little light on. Our group was on a high following the accent of the giant and the subsequent research into the merits of red wine and rose as sports re hydration drinks went late into the night.

Back to Ventoux. We were very lucky to actually have a weather window where we could make the climb.

When describing other climbs we have completed, the word relentless have been used frequently. Ventoux introduces a new meaning to the word relentless. There is no opportunity to recover - at all. Kilometre after kilometre of 9%, 9%, 10%, 9% up and up and up.

The radio tower at the summit is the objective and the mountain plays with your mind. You first sight the tower as you commence kilometre 11 (11 to go) and it looks close - very close.

You then spend the next 5 kilometres or so seemingly getting no closer to the objective.

Then, just when you are contemplating the free fall properties of a carbon fibre bike being hauled off a cliff, you are confronted by the additional challenge of a head breeze. This starts with 8 kilometres to go and then builds until the end. But the forecast was for only a 57 km wind at the summit on our day of accent.

Chateau Reynard sits 6 kilometres from the summit and also represents the last remains of vegetation. The cyclist is now at one with his bike, the strengthening wind, the moonscape terrain and that bastard of a radio mast you are aiming for.

Our group of 7 cyclists had all rounded bend that is Chateau Reynard and were battling the last 6 kilometres to the end. There was a roaring noise from behind and one wondered just what the Ventoux was giving us next. The noise was a fighter jet from the French air force doing a pass of the mountain. We decided it was in celebration of our pending collective achievement.

A little more about the wind on the final 6 kilometres. On the mountain, you are completely exposed. There is no vegetation to protect you from its force. It just 'slams' you and has you at its mercy. You turn a corner and and bang - it whips you from the side of from the front and there is nothing you can do but grit your teeth, hold the bars and keep pedaling. The 9% gradient becomes tougher and tougher. And it is a cold wind too - and the perspiration from the climb has wet you through magnifying the impact of the cold in the wind.

But arriving at the summit is exhilarating and satisfying to the extreme.

We did the photos at the summit, put every piece of warm clothing we had on and descended the 6 kilometres to the Chateau for lunch and shopping.

Back at the hotel, post ride beers were enjoyed in wonderful spirits. Dinner involved many pizzas (plus one salad) and multiple bottles of Ventoux Rouge and Rose.

Moving to our latest day, it was a quite tired group who set out from Orange bound for Nimes. Phil took the day off to try and get over his cold symptoms while the rest of us were keen to turn our legs over and enjoy some wonderful riding conditions.

We pushed through some sensational French country side and crossed a wonderful bridge at Caderousse where we saw a power station.

It was then onto Laudun-L'Ardoise where we had morning tea.

A few bumps and more magnificent riding later at it was lunch in the beautiful town of Pont St Nicolas.

A long down hill run, an 8 k uphill and then a long downhill found us in the centre of Nimes and almost at our hotel.

It was a wonderful days cycling through some beautiful country side in perfect French weather.