The 2025 version of the Tour de France will mark the nineteenth time that the peloton will go head-on with Mont Ventoux.
It is a mountain with seemingly countless slopes that weave throughout the barren and lifeless panorama, setting Ventoux aside from different iconic climbs to function within the Tour.
When Ventoux appeared in 2021 with a spectacular double ascent, it culminated in Wout van Aert claiming a solo victory within the close by city of Malaucène.
This stage additionally marked the primary battle between two of the game’s titans as Jonas Vingegaard locked horns with Tadej Pogačar – briefly distancing the Slovenian close to the summit of the monster climb.
For 2025, the organisers have reverted to a summit end – 12 years since a Tour stage final culminated on the prime of the legendary peak.
Nevertheless, Mont Ventoux is not at all the very best peak to grace the Tour, nor the longest or steepest. So why is it that biking followers internationally might be earmarking this stage as one that may’t be missed?
Right here’s all the pieces you want to know concerning the ‘Big of Provence’.
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The place is Mont Ventoux?
Located within the area of Provence within the southeast of France, Mont Ventoux is positioned roughly 20km northeast of the city of Carpentras. Whereas outlined as being within the periphery of the Alps geographically, Ventoux is commonly seen as separate from the French Alps because of its remoted place.
Because the crow flies, Mont Ventoux lies 120km southwest of Alpe d’Huez – one other of the Tour de France’s iconic climbs.
Including to its legendary nature, it protrudes from the encompassing lowlands, making it appear all of the extra daunting of a problem to ascend by bike given its publicity to the weather.
As early because the twelfth century, deforestation for shipbuilding in Toulon helped to create a harsh panorama of gray stone. Sheep herding within the years since has added to the lifeless panorama. It is solely because the Fifties that reforestation programmes have been launched, with a lot of the mountain beneath 1500m now hidden by timber as soon as once more.
Nonetheless, the ultimate few hundred metres to the height stay like a scene from one other planet. Limestone scree from constant storms and freezing circumstances ensures Ventoux appears like no different mountain to grace the Tour de France.
This lack of shelter on the higher slopes can usually add an additional merciless twist to the problem of ascending Ventoux.
As soon as above the tree line, there’s no place to cover from the dazzling sunshine and intense warmth. As Ben O’Connor instructed Cyclingnews in 2021, “I do know what it feels prefer to be cooked within the solar, and I used to be cooked within the solar.”
Then there may be unrelenting wind – the mistral – that sits above 90km/h for greater than two-thirds of the 12 months. Therefore why some say the mountain’s identify originates from the French ‘venteux’ which suggests ‘windy’.
The awful panorama juxtaposed with the wonderful French summer season sunshine can create a considerably otherworldly scene.
How tough is Mont Ventoux?
Apart from the rarity of Ventoux’s inclusion in La Grande Boucle making it such an iconic a part of the race’s historical past, its issue additionally units it aside from different climbs that the organisers flip to after they’re planning these five-star, Tour-defining levels.
The summit of Mont Ventoux sits at 1,910m. It may be climbed from three separate instructions however has nearly at all times been tackled from Bédoin – which will probably be as soon as extra in 2025.
Essentially the most well-pedalled route rises 1,610m for 21.5km with a median gradient of seven.43%, nevertheless, there are a number of sections of this ascent which dramatically range in gradient.
The primary 5 kilometres could be thought of a delicate warm-up for the wrestle to come back, not exceeding a median gradient above six per cent earlier than kilometre seven.
A quick reprieve at kilometre six, with the gradient dipping to three.1%, permits riders a second to prepared themselves earlier than the lonely highway kicks up for a second time.
The common slope for the subsequent 9 kilometres is relentless – between 8.6% and 10.5%.
A second ‘plateau’ of six per cent gradients observe for just a few kilometres earlier than the needle is turned up as soon as extra because the summit comes into view.
The ultimate three kilometres push each final ounce of power out of the rider, leaping from 8.3% as much as 10%.
Of the opposite two routes, the experience from Malaucène is comparable in total issue however with extra frequent adjustments in gradient.
In the meantime, the route from Sault has hardly been touched by professional biking over time. It’s longer than the opposite two ascents, at 26km, however shallower with solely 1220m gained.
Why is Mont Ventoux so historic?
There isn’t one defining motive why Mont Ventoux has grow to be a mainstay in Tour de France folklore. As talked about earlier, it isn’t the very best peak to function within the race, nor the steepest or longest. But, its harsh, otherworldly setting and legendary nature have left a mark on many riders’ careers, for higher or worse.
Ventoux first graced the Tour de France route again in 1951 – by way of the route from Malaucène – with Lucien Lazarides the primary rider to crest the highest. A climb that organisers preferred the look of, it returned 12 months later when Jean Robic tackled the Bédoin climb on his technique to stage victory down in Avignon.
Nevertheless, the climb left its first lasting mark on the race in 1955. Louison Bobet powered clear with the observatory in sight and was not seen once more till the end line 60 kilometres later.
His margin of victory was six minutes, all however wrapping up his third maillot jaune.
It wasn’t simply the Frenchman’s GC grasp that was strengthened that day although, so too was Mont Ventoux’s presence throughout the material of the race. A number of riders have been put to the sword by the mountain’s unforgiving circumstances and, as would grow to be even clearer within the years to come back, their dicing gamble with primitive efficiency enhancements.
The ‘Bald Mountain’ has an uncomfortable hyperlink to biking’s doping downside, with no clearer tie than the dying of Tom Simpson on its higher slopes in 1967.
Simpson collapsed twice after being dropped by the lead group on stage 13 of the 54th version of the race. He was pronounced useless by the point he was airlifted off the mountain, with amphetamines discovered his in jersey pockets.
A 12 months after the British rider’s dying, the earliest anti-doping measure was launched at Le Tour when drug testing happened.
When the race subsequent visited in 1970, Eddy Merckx powered previous a monument erected in Simpson’s honour on his technique to victory on the summit. But, maybe one of many greatest testaments to Mont Ventoux’s standing was that the Belgian needed to be given oxygen in an ambulance after the end. Uttering “No, it is unattainable,” as he crossed the road.
It chewed the Cannibal up and really almost spat him out complete.
A hiatus of 13 years between 1974 and 1987 noticed the mountain step again from its function of creating or breaking yellow jersey tilts.
But when it returned, its impact was nonetheless there – even when Jean-François Bernard thought he’d obtained the higher of the ‘Big of Provence’.
The Frenchman moved into the maillot jaune after storming the mountain time trial held on the climb and regarded set to write down his identify into Tour’s roll of honour. That was till he haemorrhaged 4 minutes on the next stage, sinking to fourth within the standings. He might solely recuperate sufficient for third on GC.
Italian rider Eros Poli gained the stage with an emphatic 171km solo when Ventoux subsequent featured on the route map in 1994 – and one of many few events it didn’t sign the stage end.
Nevertheless, it was one other Italian who completed tenth that day elevating his arms the subsequent time a Tour stage completed at 1,900m – even when he wasn’t notably completely satisfied about it.
Marco Pantani got here to the road alongside Lance Armstrong in 2000, but as an alternative of duelling it out for the stage, Armstrong – the yellow jersey holder – gifted it to the Italian.
The Pirate was lower than happy by the gesture.
Armstrong could have regretted that generosity two years later when he might solely muster third on the stage, gained by Richard Virenque. “That mountain does not like me,” the Texan – whose efforts can be struck via a decade later when he misplaced all of his Tour wins and was banned for all times for doping – bemoaned afterwards.
When Chris Froome powered to victory in 2013, so dominant was his show that he confronted comparisons with the now-outcast Armstrong. But for his managed ascent of the mountain throughout his first yellow jersey-winning version, leaving the likes of Alberto Contador and Nairo Quintana in his wake, he needed to overcome obstacles past his management in 2016.
Breakaway specialist Thomas de Gendt could have gained the stage that day – which completed 7km down the mountain at Chalet Reynard because of robust winds – however it was overshadowed by occasions within the GC pack.
The shortened stage meant the decrease slopes have been overwhelmed with followers and Froome, alongside Richie Porte and Bauke Mollema, collided with a TV motorcycle amidst the chaos.
It resulted in one of many most iconic photos in latest Tour historical past. Froome, within the maillot jaune, operating up Ventoux’s slopes with no bike in sight.
The Crew Sky chief initially misplaced the yellow jersey and two minutes on his rivals, just for the race officers to later reverse the time gaps and preserve the Briton on the prime of the standings.
