Notes from a recce of the Etape route
There’s a great gift shop at the top of Mont Ventoux. Great because it’s inside and out of the wind that’s ripping across the top of the mountain, providing a considerable chill factor to the nominal temperature of 11C. Actually the postcards are rather good and they do a nice line in miniature white and yellow French milestones. But that’s not why I’ve spent two hours riding the 22km up here from Bedoin.
I’m on a recce of the Etape route, split over two days and we’ll come back to the Giant of Provence later. First we all have to get to Bedoin where the climb starts - and with 8,000 riders on 150km of sometimes narrow roads in the heat and wind.
I stayed with three friends at a B&B http://www.veloventoux.com run by an English couple Craig and Vicky about an hour’s ride away from Bedoin. You can see Mont Ventoux from the bedroom window. You can see Mont Ventoux from most places in the area because it dominates the landscape.
We pick up the route near Nyons and trundled down to Saint Jalle at a brisk pace. As per the recce DVD the road narrows into the village and there’s a right turn with a water fountain on the right. Cross a bridge and you’re on to the start of the first major climb, the Col d’Ey. It’s a gentle gradient but you’re climbing quickly and after a few turns you realise this is going to be long - about 6km from where the gradient picks up to around 6%. I do around 15km/h here, distracted by the spectacular views. It takes 25 minutes.
Over the top it’s a twisty descent where some of the road has been re-surfaced. There are more visual distractions with a glimpse of Mont Ventoux and we roll on to Buis-les-Baronnies. Remember the name. There’s a water fountain on the left in this town.
Soon we turn off for the Col de Fontaube. It seems to take a while to reach the start of what is a lovely climb with Mont Ventoux looming round one bend. After the top you start to descend but then there’s a surprise. Another Col after 3km. Then we head down again and on to what should be a relatively flat section. However, the wind is now blowing into our faces and slowing progress. I make a note to shelter in a bunch at this point on the Etape.
We’re now heading towards Aurel and the road starts to rise imperceptibly and I realise this is the next climb. It’s fairly gentle and in the town there’s another water fountain on the left. The run into Sault is quite quick. Here you could cheat and go up the easiest of the approaches to the summit of Ventoux. But the Tour organisers have other ideas. We have to head off to the near 1,000m Col de Notre Dame des Abeilles. Fact: In French, this means the summit of Our Lady of the Bees. It looks hard as you approach, with the road rising up against the backdrop of the rock but you can get a good rhythm going.
Bottom to top it’s 9km and half an hour in Andy-time. But just when you reach the altitude, 3km from the top, the road plunges and rises, then plunges again before taking you to the top. From here you’re going to drop down 600m in 12km on a wide road. The crosswind is making an odd noise in the spokes of my front wheel which is a bit un-nerving at 70km/h.
So into the next village where there’s some street furniture to look out for. There’s a fountain but it says ‘eau non-potable’ - not drinking water.
It’s on to Bedoin, where there is a welcome fountain, on the left of course, just at the start of the final 22km to the summit of Mont Ventoux.
The road starts gently with the peak to your left. After passing through Sainte-Colombe the gradient begins to rise to 4- 5%. At you pass through Les Bruns it picks up. There is a water fountain on the left. 7km of the 22km done and this is the start of the climb proper as you turn left and head into the forest. Only 15km to go.
There are some old signs painted on the road wishing a happy 40th birthday to, I think, a woman called Julie Ann. It’s hard to read through the tears.
I pass a milestone giving the altitude. 1,028 metres. How can there be nearly 900 metres left? I distract myself by looking at the signs about the various tree species. I am going slow enough to take a good look. 9km/h. The gradient is never too awful as I pass some riders. One or two others come past me now and then. I’m trying to spin but am doing revs in the 50s.
I see the first snow pole. We are still in the forest. The road kicks up to 15%. The milestone says we’re at 1200m. 700 metres to climb with 8km to go.
There’s a sign saying 800 m to drinking water at Chalet Reynard. Good news. Everyone says the gradient drops from this point, which is where the trees stop and you’re in Ventoux’s famous moonscape.
I catch the rider who’s been 100m ahead of me for the last hour as I hit a dizzying 18km/h. Then the wind hits me. The last 6km are tough. There’s some relief from the incessant gradient as it drops to 4% then rises to 9% but the summit still seems a way off. The Tom Simpson memorial is in a bleak place.
The final corner, if my Garmin is to be believed, is 30%. Maybe it’s as whacked as I am.
So here we are with riders from several nations and a tip from a Dutch rider who tells me to open my water bottles before the descent ‘because of the pressure’. Maybe they’ll explode.
I’m glad I have arm warmers and a gilet for the trip down to Malaucene but I still find my teeth are chattering with the cold.
As the temperature rises so do my spirits, knowing I have a souvenier key-ring from the gift shop safely in my back pocket.
Visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/andyivy/sets/72157618065762343/ for more photos.
2 Responses to “Notes from a recce of the Etape route”
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June 15th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
There’s a useful guide to the route here: http://www.kingstonwheelers.com/edt2009.shtml
June 20th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
Here are two more sites with lots of information and tips:
http://www.roadcyclinguk.com:80/news/article/mps/UAN/4124&source=weeklyemail&attr=editorial5
http://giantonabike.blogspot.com/2009/06/bit-of-route-analysis.html