Day 9 Bedoin to La Motte Chaloncon

Well that was rather a hard day...

Mont Ventoux was a brutal climb, 12.5 miles with hardly any let up for the screaming legs and back. I had to stop a few times to get the heart rate down a bit and stretch out my lower back that really doesn’t like steep gradients. One of my breathing points was at the memorial to Tom Simpson, the spirited and stylish English cyclist who collapsed and died during the ascent of Mont Ventoux in the 1967 TdF. Fortunately I have avoided the amphetamines and alcohol.

The top of the mountain is being rebuilt which makes it a bit of a chaotic finish line, but the obligatory photo still has to be taken (once I had stopped puffing and swearing).

The view from the top is every bit as spectacular as expected.



We descended to Sault on a fabulous sweeping road with a smooth road surface and I surprised myself by really enjoying it instead of hanging onto the brakes as I usually do on big descents. It was a huge sense of achievement doing this iconic climb but the ride was far from over - 37 more miles through beautiful, empty countryside and 3 more cols.









The final col was particularly evil - 5 miles at an average of 7%. The knackered body did not appreciate the Col de Soubeyrand.



At least the down bit was fun..



Dinner was at Chez Angele’s, a farm auberge with everything grown on the farm or very locally. It was a great dinner and a lovely experience to finish off a knackering but special day. I may sleep rather well tonight!










Comments

  1. BikewallahSeptember 9, 2020 at 4:23 AM

    Finally checked that iconic climb off! Glad the weather treated you well. Only time I did it, a hail storm started as we went over the top (in July!). Had to walk some of the way down to Sault as I could no longer operate the brakes. Coldest I’ve been in my life. Anyway, well done and great photos as usual!

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