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@pharoahsanders
Since I am on holiday in France every day is a weekend. This week we are in Provence, and the family gave me a day to cycle. So I decided to have a go up Ventoux.
Luckily for me, the most accessible gateway was from Sault in the east, which I would later learn is the easiest route. It was also fortunate because Ms. Pharoah loves lavender, and this village is the centre of the lavender trade. Our day here was even the annual Lavender Fete, when they cover the streets with the stuff. The whole village smelled of lavender.
But I was here to ride. So off I went into the beautiful morning, a perfect 15 degrees and sunny. I hadn’t done much research so had no idea what to expect. Turns out that by going this way the first 20 kms of the 26 kms total are a pretty steady 4% to 6%, across newly resurfaced tarmac. I kept thinking, “Am I really going the right way? Where is the suffering?”
Then I reached the Café Reynaud, where the route joins the D974 from Bedoin for the famous final 6 kms. This was the Ventoux I was expecting all along. I just kept grinding through the final sting of 11% or so until I reached the tower. The day was perfect, sunny but not hot, a gentle wind. Would ride again. Will try another route next time, but this was a good introduction.