Finally I pay my respects

I have wanted to climb Mount Ventoux for more years than I can remember. On the way down to the Tour De France I headed over to Bedoin and cycled up the famous mountain. Everyone knows the story of Tom Simpson. He was a brilliant rider who tragically died on the slopes of the Ventoux. The mountain indeed lived up to its reputation. It was over 30degrees and very windy on the top. I purposely climbed it pretty quick wanting to get a feel what it was like on that fateful day in the tour all those years ago.

I found it pretty tough but managed to climb it in the 39x23 gearing. Its a hard pull up and goes on forever with the heat like a furnace coming first off the road and then off the rocks as you come out of the forest. Ten minutes on the top then I freewheeled back down to Tommy's memorial stone. ( There is now a Pete Bland bumbag there). I then blasted back down to Bedoin at crazy pace. A couple of hours riding on the flat roads around Carpantras and then I called it a day and started the drive down to the Pyreneese.