Mont Ventoux from Bédoin: the forest decides it, the wind finishes it

Mont Ventoux stands alone above Provence, and from Bédoin it is one of the hardest climbs in France: about 22 km and 1,600 m of climbing to a bare, white summit at 1,910 m with a weather station on top. Everyone remembers the last six kilometres across the stones. The climb is actually decided lower down, in the forest, where 8 km average more than 9%. Here is how the road is built, how to pace it in the heat, and what the local tourist office asks riders to know.

The climb, in three parts

The Ventoux Provence tourist office gives the climb from Bédoin as 21.8 km with 1,598 m of height gain, an average of 7.5% and sections at 15%. Our track on this page measures 21.4 km and 1,600 m. The office splits the road into three parts, and they ride very differently.

• Bédoin to Saint-Estève: the warm-up. About 5.5 km at an average of 4.5%. It is easy enough to feel like a ride to the start of the climb, which is exactly the trap.
• Saint-Estève to Chalet Reynard: the forest. At the Saint-Estève bend the road turns hard uphill and stays there: 8 km at an average of 9.4%, which the tourist office calls probably the hardest part of the climb. Our track has its steepest kilometres here, close to 11%.
• Chalet Reynard to the summit: the stones. At Chalet Reynard the road from Sault joins, the gradient eases briefly and the forest ends. The last 6 km average about 8% across a bare, lunar slope. The difficulty grows the higher you go, according to the office, because of the fatigue you carry and the exposure to sun and wind. Near the top, at the Col des Tempêtes, riders often meet the strongest wind of the day. The last bend before the summit is steep.

How to pace the Ventoux

The tourist office puts the climb at between an hour and a half and three and a half hours. Whatever your time, it is long enough that your pacing in the forest decides the summit.

• Ride the first 5 km easily. The office suggests warming up for at least 30 minutes before the climb. The opening stretch to Saint-Estève can be part of that, at an effort that feels almost too easy.
• Set a steady power for the forest and stick to it. Eight kilometres at over 9% will take many riders 45 minutes or more. Pick an effort you could hold for well over an hour, then hold it. Our guide to pacing a climb with power explains how to choose it.
• Recover at Chalet Reynard, not before. The short easing there is your only break. Eat, drink and shift down before the stones.
• Drink a lot. The tourist office suggests about 0.5 litres an hour. There are fountains in front of the tourist office in Bédoin, at Chalet Reynard and at the Fontaine de la Grave, 1.6 km above it. See hydration in the heat.
• Gear low. Long sections at 9–10% are hard on the knees. A compact with a 32 or 34 sprocket is not too much; gearing for climbing has the detail.

Why it is the Ventoux

Few mountains look like this one. The Mont-Ventoux regional park describes the climb from Bédoin as one of the legendary stages of the Tour de France, and the tourist office notes that several Tour stages have finished at the summit. The whole massif was recognised by UNESCO as a biosphere reserve in 1990.

Its reputation comes from the weather as much as the road. The mistral can blow very hard across the summit, and the tourist office warns that the top can be very cold, even freezing, in summer. Meanwhile the tourist office tells riders to avoid the hottest hours in summer. The same climb can be two entirely different rides.

When to go, and what to watch for

• Season. The road over the top is closed every year from 15 November to 15 April. Chalet Reynard can be reached all year.
• Heat. In summer, start very early or after 16:00, as the tourist office advises.
• Wind and storms. The office advises against the climb in a storm or with wind above 80 km/h, and points riders to meteo-ventoux.fr for live conditions. Check the forecast for the summit, not for Bédoin; our guide to wind forecasts for cyclists helps.
• Crowds. In summer there can be up to 1,000 ascents by bike in a day. Keep right on the way up and down, ride in single file in a group, and signal before you stop or overtake.
• The descent. Most accidents happen going down, according to the tourist office. The road is fast and the summit exposed: take a windproof, keep your hands on the brakes and stay seated. Descending faster and safer covers the technique.
• Other sides. The office also describes the climbs from Malaucène (21 km at 7.5%) and from Sault (25.6 km at 5%, very hard only at the end). The Bédoin side is the classic.

Ride it in Moveee Indoor

The route on this page is the real road from Bédoin to the summit, with its height at every point. In Moveee Indoor your smart trainer reproduces that gradient as you ride: the gentle run to Saint-Estève, then the long forest wall where the climb is won or lost. The world around you is built from map data of the real place, so the stones above Chalet Reynard come into view when they would on the mountain.

The forest is the part to practise. Ride it at your planned power and see whether you still have something left for the last 6 km. Your ride is saved with its power data, so you can check where you faded. It works in the browser or as the Mac and Windows app. Prefer your own device? Download the GPX above and load it into any app that rides GPX files.

The short version

About 22 km and 1,600 m from Bédoin to the summit at 1,910 m. The first 5 km are easy, the 8 km through the forest average 9.4% and decide the day, and the last 6 km cross bare stone in the wind. Start early, drink at every fountain, stay off the mountain in a storm or a gale, and take care on the way down.