Past Ride
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Wed Sep 18th 2013
| Languedoc Day 4 | 3* |
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Leader:Chris Walters |
Start Time:9:00 am |
Start Location:Uzes |
Description:Ventoux! |
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Riders:Andy PixtonChris Walters Colin Maxwell David Smith John Talbot John Tranter Katherine Boyce Phil Stubbings Ursula Hallam Riders = 9 Weather:  Report:The big day! When cycling in Languedoc, you can’t help but notive the omnipresent Mont Ventoux towering in the distance – the “windy mountain” which is an erratic of the geology of the Alps, somewhat misplaced in Provence.An early start as there was a drive to get out there, we picked up new rider Colin in the Carrefour car park in Uzes. I say “new” with caveats as he upped the average age of the group a bit, and also has ridden up Ventoux every year since 2005. Traffic in Avignon was bad so was lost a little time, but made up for it by having a tour around the perimeter of the papal palace. From Bedoin (the hard route), Ventoux starts benignly enough with a gentle uphill through some meadows. Then it hits the forest. Then it goes uphill. And doesn’t stop until the sanctuary of Chalet Reynard is reached, some 10km at 10% further on. Knowing this we stopped for photos by the Ventoux sign in Bedoin before setting off. Once in the forest, adjectives abounded. Brutal. Relentless. Demoralising. When-does-it-end. Other words that can’t be printed on a family website. On that note, I was overtaken in the forest by a very attractive young Dutch lady, who literally swore her way up the mountain! Every now and again a tactical breather was necessary for some, mainly because it was too steep to safely eat and drink. Chalet Reynard appeared and provided brief respite for some (the slower ones) and somewhat longer recovery time for the whippets, as that’s where we’d agreed to regroup. Above Chalet Reynard, it could be a different mountain. Gone is the green, to be replaced by shattered white limestone reflecting the heat from the sun whenever it poked its’ head through the clouds. Slightly easier (for now), there are constant switchbacks either into the wind or back out of it. You’ve never seen so many cyclists on a stretch of public road with no event going on. Ventoux IS the event! The wind got stronger, past the Simpson memorial (no time to stop on the way up) and at the Col du Tempetes was brutal, and gusting for good measure. Beyond that, the final 800m of road felt like it was in slow motion. Cadence dropped down to silly levels (28 for John Talbot), and the battle was on. The final hairpin before the finish saw some riders being blown off their bikes (not us thankfully) and we had all made it to the top – congratulatory handshakes, obligatory photos and the chill of the summit were the order of the day. Descending to a late lunch was interesting to say the least. And rather quicker than the climb. Cyclists, cars, wind, 10% gradient. The omelettes were rather grand though and a few souvenir Ventoux shirts were added to l’addition… The road down to Sault was just awesome. 5-7%, and freshly relaid, the 20km of sweeping bends, forest, lavender fields and the very odd car or cyclist made it the descent of a lifetime. Ursula found her descending mojo and came to a rest at the bottom with a king-sized Cheshire cat grin! Next stage was the Gorges de la Nesque. Stopping at the bottom of the Sault descent was a tiny bridge with a tiny ditch called la Nesque. In 10kms time we were clinging on to the edges of the deep gorge (think halfway between Cheddar and the Grand Canyon) on a gently dropping sinuous road that went on forever… and ever… and ever… (there was a bonus climb at the start which was appreciated by everyone). I’ve never been on such a fantastic cycling road – it even made the Alps descents from last year seem second rate. At the bottom of the gorge, it was a short and steady climb back to the cars at Flassan, where the magical ride leader even managed to conjure up a toilet for our Chairman at a few minutes notice, in the middle of nowhere in rural France… we were on a roll! A truly magical day on the bike. Recovery ride tomorrow, methinks… | ||
Distance:86.20 km (53.56 mi) | Ride Details:http://ridewithgps.com/trips/1817138 | |
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Comment on this ride | ||
1
Written by : Glenn Posted on : September 19, 2013 at 4:37 PM |
Wow!...Fantastic!...Well done all! Makes my huff and puff up Dragon Hill at the weekend seem a bit tame now!...Enjoy :-) |
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