One of the must dos on the trip to Provence was to check out Mont Ventoux. If you are not a follower of the Tour, this is one of the regular mountain stages they do. It was not on the year's tour route, so we took the opportunity to drive, not ride, to the top. It is a tough mountain to climb. You do not get the true nature of the difficulty by watching it on TV. We drove up the typical, and most difficult route, starting in Bedoin. I copied a description from Wikipedia, just to give you some details.
"South from Bédoin: 1617 m over 21,8 km. This is the most famous and difficult ascent. The road to the summit has an average gradient of 7.43%. Until Saint-Estève, the climb is easy: 3.9% over 5,8 km, but the 16 remaining kilometres have an average gradient of 8.9%. The last kilometres may have strong, violent winds. The ride takes 1h30m-2h30m for trained amateur riders."
I'm not sure I would try this, but must admit many were out there giving it a go. I have climbed The Geysers in Sonoma County, but this is far worse. I think Mt. Hamilton might be comparable, but I don't think it is as high. At any rate, it would be a challenge. There are easier routes with the same distance but less average grade. Hmmmm...
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