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Yesterday's ride was a good one: Mont Ventoux.
My wife and I stayed at Chambres D'Hotes Metafort in Methamis on Saturday night in the shadow of Ventoux. This is a beautiful guesthouse with genial hosts Isa and Phillippe. On Saturday night Isa served a four course menu degustation and Phillippe paired wine with the dishes. The better part of two bottles probably wasn't the best preparation.
After a deep sleep and a breakfast of bread, jam and coffee, I set out to cover the 12 km to Bedoin for the start of the climb. Some adjustment of the hire bike was needed on arrival in Bedoin (Trek Madone 6 / Ultegra Di2; would now recommend both), where I also had to buy bidons. Once done I set off, noting passage of the official start point at 10.21.
I new the first part of the climb was the simplest, so despite 'good sensations' I reined myself in and kept it gentle. With the peak visible to the left it was easy to remember the extent of the task in hand. Vineyards, the smell of lavender, and a stall selling cherries by the roadside gave this segment romance.
That was short lived, however, as I pushed into the forest and the roadside markers started reading over 9 percent. I have three memories of the haul to Chalet Reynard. Envisioning myself as Tony Martin (I don't know why); a period where I didn't see a marker between 15km to 11km when I started to worry; and a rider wearing flat shoes and carrying an Eastpak bag whom it took some 45 minutes to reel in and pass.
Despite these inauspicious signs I was feeling good at Chalet Reynard and decided to press on without a stop. I had managed my effort ok thus far and resolved to give it a hard push to the top. The first three km after Chalet Reynard have a shallower gradient and turning the gear felt easy. Thereafter a French club rider came up to me and we swapped turns at a good tempo. Into the last 500 metres, with footage of Armstrong versus Pantani flashing through the minds eye, I responded to a little dig from my companion and gave it full beans to the top. A glance down at the watch noted the time as 11.59, giving me an ascent time of 1 hour 38 minutes.
I spent the next five minutes trying to regain my breath and consuming an outrageously expensive coke, before realising it was about 5 degrees and deciding to get off the top before the rain came. The descent down to Malaucene was fun, fast and enjoyable after I lost altitude and gained warmth. There followed the hardest part of the day as I rode back to Methamis via Bedoin, with a nagging headwind sapping my dead legs.