Mont Ventoux

File:Mont Ventoux from Avignon.jpg, around {{convert|50|km|-1|abbr=in}} away.]]

File:120613 Mont-Ventoux-Roussillon.jpg.]]

Although the hill was probably climbed in prehistoric times, the first recorded ascent was by Jean Buridan, who, on his way to the papal court in Avignon before the year 1334, climbed Mont Ventoux "in order to make some meteorological observations".Ernest A. Moody [http://www.u.arizona.edu/~aversa/scholastic/Dictionary%20of%20Scientific%20Biography/08.%20Buridan%20b.%20ca.%201295%20(Moody).pdf Jean Buridan] in the Dictionary of Scientific BiographyMichael Kimmelman, [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=travel&res=9F03E2DC153EF935A35755C0A96F958260 "NOT Because it's There"], New York Times, 6 June 1999. The Italian poet Petrarch wrote a possibly fictional account of an ascent accompanied by his brother on 26 April 1336, in his Ascent of Mont Ventoux.{{cite journal |last=Cassirer |first=Ernst |date=January 1943 |title=Some Remarks on the Question of the Originality of the Renaissance |jstor=2707236 |journal=Journal of the History of Ideas |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=49–74 |doi=10.2307/2707236}}{{cite web |url=http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/petrarch-ventoux.asp |title=Petrarch: The Ascent of Mount Ventoux |last1=Halsall |first1=Paul |date=August 1998 |website=fordham.edu |publisher=Fordham University |access-date=5 March 2014}}

In the 15th century, a chapel was constructed on the top and dedicated to the Holy Cross.{{fact|date=July 2021}}

In 1882, a meteorological station was constructed on the summit, but it is no longer in use. This observatory had been planned in 1879, along with a carriage road for access.{{cite journal | title=Notes | date=6 November 1879 | pages=18–19 | journal=Nature | volume=21 | issue=519 | doi = 10.1126/science.ns-21.519.18 | pmid=17744197 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ocsKAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA19 | access-date=19 April 2011 }}

In the 1960s, a {{convert|50|m|ft|adj=mid|-tall}} telecommunications mast was built.{{fact|date=July 2021}}

From 1902 to 1976, the Mont Ventoux Hill Climb for car and motorcycle took place on the roads of the Mont.{{fact|date=July 2021}}

File:Mont ventoux from mirabel.jpg]]

Originally forested, Mont Ventoux was systematically stripped of trees from the 12th century onwards to serve the demands of the shipbuilders of the naval port of Toulon. Some areas have been reforested since 1860 with a variety of hardwood trees (such as holm oaks and beeches) as well as coniferous species, such as Atlas cedars and larches. A little higher, junipers are common.

The mountain comprises the species boundary or ecotone between the flora and fauna of northern and southern France. Some species, including various types of spiders and butterflies, are unique to Mont Ventoux. It is a good place to spot the short-toed snake eagle (Circaetus gallicus).

Its biological distinctiveness was recognised by UNESCO in 1990 when the Réserve de Biosphère du Mont Ventoux was created, protecting an area of 810 square kilometres (200,150 acres) on and around the mountain.

{{Weather box|width=auto

|collapsed=y

|location = Beaumont du Ventoux (Mont Serein), 1445m (1991−2020 normals)

|single line = Y

|metric first = Y

|Jan record high C = 12.7

|Feb record high C = 14.7

|Mar record high C = 17.0

|Apr record high C = 20.0

|May record high C = 26.9

|Jun record high C = 33.4

|Jul record high C = 30.0

|Aug record high C = 32.1

|Sep record high C = 24.7

|Oct record high C = 19.6

|Nov record high C = 16.1

|Dec record high C = 14.0

|Jan record low C = −15.0

|Feb record low C = −18.0

|Mar record low C = −13.0

|Apr record low C = −9.0

|May record low C = −4.7

|Jun record low C = −0.5

|Jul record low C = 1.5

|Aug record low C = 3.2

|Sep record low C = −1.8

|Oct record low C = −8.0

|Nov record low C = −11.0

|Dec record low C = −14.9

|Jan high C = 1.2

|Feb high C = 1.6

|Mar high C = 5.2

|Apr high C = 8.2

|May high C = 13.2

|Jun high C = 17.7

|Jul high C = 20.7

|Aug high C = 20.5

|Sep high C = 14.6

|Oct high C = 9.9

|Nov high C = 4.6

|Dec high C = 2.0

|year high C =

|Jan mean C = −0.7

|Feb mean C = −0.7

|Mar mean C = 2.3

|Apr mean C = 4.9

|May mean C = 9.6

|Jun mean C = 13.7

|Jul mean C = 16.4

|Aug mean C = 16.4

|Sep mean C = 11.3

|Oct mean C = 7.5

|Nov mean C = 2.7

|Dec mean C = 0.1

|year mean C =

|Jan low C = −2.6

|Feb low C = −3.1

|Mar low C = −0.6

|Apr low C = 1.7

|May low C = 6.1

|Jun low C = 9.7

|Jul low C = 12.0

|Aug low C = 12.3

|Sep low C = 8.0

|Oct low C = 5.2

|Nov low C = 0.8

|Dec low C = −1.8

|year low C =

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 130.9

|Feb precipitation mm = 84.9

|Mar precipitation mm = 82.5

|Apr precipitation mm = 125.7

|May precipitation mm = 112.3

|Jun precipitation mm = 76.4

|Jul precipitation mm = 43.7

|Aug precipitation mm = 59.5

|Sep precipitation mm = 138.8

|Oct precipitation mm = 169.2

|Nov precipitation mm = 177.2

|Dec precipitation mm = 115.9

|year precipitation mm =

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 8.8

|Feb precipitation days = 7.2

|Mar precipitation days = 7.5

|Apr precipitation days = 9.4

|May precipitation days = 8.9

|Jun precipitation days = 6.0

|Jul precipitation days = 4.3

|Aug precipitation days = 4.6

|Sep precipitation days = 6.9

|Oct precipitation days = 8.8

|Nov precipitation days = 10.3

|Dec precipitation days = 8.9

|year precipitation days =

|source 1 = Météo-France{{cite web

| url = https://donneespubliques.meteofrance.fr/FichesClim/FICHECLIM_84015002.pdf

| title=Fiche Climatologique Statistiques 1991-2020 et records

| language = fr

| publisher = Météo-France

| access-date = August 29, 2023}}}}

File:MontVentouxDawn.jpg

In road bicycle racing, the mountain can be climbed by three routes.

• From the South: climb starts in Bédoin: {{cvt|1617|m|ft}} over {{cvt|21.8|km}}. This is regarded as the most difficult ascent, and is ranked by PJAMM Cycling as the 3rd most difficult bike climb in France.{{cite web |title=France - Top Bike Climbs |url=https://pjammcycling.com/zone/61.France |website=pjammcycling.com |publisher=PJAMM Cycling Inc |access-date=22 December 2022}} The road to the summit has an average gradient of 7.43%. Until Saint-Estève, the climb is 3.9% over {{cvt|5.8|km}}, but the remaining {{cvt|16|km}} has an average gradient of 8.9%. To serve as a comparison the climb of Alpe d'Huez is about {{cvt|13.8|km}} at an average gradient of 7.9%. The last kilometres may have strong, violent winds. The ride takes {{frac|1|1|2}} to {{frac|2|1|2}} hours for trained amateur riders. Professional riders take 60 to 75 minutes. The fastest time so far recorded has been that of Iban Mayo in the individual climbing time trial of the 2004 Dauphiné Libéré: 55 min 51 s. The time was measured from Bédoin for the first time in the 1958 Tour de France, in which Charly Gaul was the fastest at 62 min 9 s.
• From the Northwest: climb starts in Malaucène: {{cvt|1570|m}} over {{cvt|21.5|km}}. About equal in difficulty as the Bédoin ascent, but better sheltered against the wind.
• From the East: climb starts in Sault: {{cvt|1210|m}} over {{cvt|26|km}}. The easiest route. After Chalet Reynard (where the "lunar landscape" of the summit starts), the climb is the same as the Bédoin ascent. Average gradient of 4.4%.

Every year there are amateur races to climb the mountain as quickly and often as possible in 24 hours, the Ventoux Masterseries and "Les Cinglés du Mont Ventoux".[http://www.clubcinglesventoux.org/en/ Club des Cinglés du Mont-Ventoux] On 16 May 2006, Jean-Pascal Roux from Bédoin broke the record of climbs in 24 hours, with eleven climbs, all of them from Bédoin.{{cite web|url=http://www.velo101.com/actualite/default.asp?Id=10444&Section=Cyclosport |title=Record de la montée du Ventoux en 24 heures : le live |publisher=Velo101.com |date=16 May 2006 |access-date=15 July 2013}}

File:Tom Simpson memorial, Mont Ventoux, 2 May 2009.jpg, who died near the summit during the 1967 Tour de France, aged 29.]]

Mont Ventoux is the scene of one of the most grueling climbs in the Tour de France bicycle race, which has ascended the mountain eighteen times since 1951.{{cite web|url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/tour-de-france-gallery-mont-ventoux |title=Tour de France Gallery: Mont Ventoux|author=Peter Hymas |date= 13 July 2011 |work=Cycling News|publisher=Future Publishing Limited|access-date=13 July 2013}} See also Julian Barnes's "Tour de France 2000", (pages 71-89), in his book of essays, Something to Declare (2002).{{cite web|url=https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/chris-froome-returns-to-mont-ventoux-riding-a-different-kind-of-tour-de-france/ |title=Chris Froome returns to Mont Ventoux riding a different kind of Tour de France|author=Barry Ryan |date= 6 July 2021 |work=Cycling News|publisher=Future Publishing Limited|access-date=12 July 2021}} The followed trail mostly passes through Bédoin. Its fame as a scene of great Tour dramas has made it a magnet for cyclists around the world.

British cyclist Tom Simpson died on the mountain on 13 July 1967 from heat exhaustion caused by a combination of factors, including dehydration (caused by lack of fluid intake and diarrhea), use of amphetamines, and alcohol, although there is still speculation as to the exact cause of his death. He began to wildly weave across the road before he fell down. He was delirious and asked spectators to put him back on the bike, which he rode to within a kilometre of the summit before collapsing dead, still clipped into his pedals. Amphetamines were found in his jersey and bloodstream. There is a memorial to Simpson near the summit, which has become a shrine to fans of cycling, who often leave small tokens of remembrance there. In 1970, Eddy Merckx rode himself to the brink of collapse while winning the stage. He received oxygen, recovered, and won the Tour. In 1994, Eros Poli, not known for his climbing ability, stole away at the beginning of the day's stage, built up a substantial time gap from the peloton, and was first over the Ventoux and eventual stage winner despite losing a minute of his lead per kilometre of the ascent.

File:Ventoux - Froome & Quintana.JPG and Nairo Quintana climbing Mont Ventoux at the 2013 Tour de France]]

The race has finished at the summit of Mont Ventoux ten times. The finish line is at {{cvt|1910|m}}, although in 1965, 1967, 1972 and 1974 the finish was lower, at {{cvt|1895|m}}.

File:MontVentoux Summit.jpg Three riders have won on top of the mountain, and gone on to win the Tour; Charly Gaul in 1958, Eddy Merckx in 1970 and Chris Froome in 2013. Both Merckx and Froome won while wearing the yellow jersey, maintaining the overall lead until Paris. Gaul was not in yellow when he won on the Ventoux, nor did he immediately gain the maillot jaune following the victory, Gaul only taking the overall lead of the tour several stages later.

In September 2008, it was announced by Claude Haut, the president of the Vaucluse province, that in 2009 the Tour de France would visit Mont Ventoux after a seven-year absence. Unusually, the riders climbed the mountain on the second-to-last day of the race, on 25 July 2009, prior to transferring to Paris for the traditional parade on the Champs-Élysées. It was next featured in the 100th Tour de France in 2013 on Stage 15.

In 2016, the stage to Mont Ventoux was shortened by {{convert|6|km|mi|abbr=on}} the day before, after a weather forecast of high winds at the summit. The stage then finished at Chalet Reynard at {{cvt|1435|m|ft}}, with approximately {{cvt|10|km|0}} of ascent up the mountain.{{cite news|url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tour-de-france-ventoux-stage-shortened-due-to-risk-of-100km-h-winds/|title=Tour de France: Ventoux stage shortened due to risk of 100km/h winds|work=Cycling News|first=Barry|last=Ryan|date=13 July 2016|access-date=13 July 2016}} This stage also featured a motorcycle-induced crash which damaged Chris Froome's bike, prompting him to jog some 100 metres up the mountain until he was able to get a neutral service bike (as his team car was too far back at the time), which did not fit him properly.

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::Note: As a result of an investigation into doping in 2012 Lance Armstrong was stripped of his Tour de France titles between 1999 and 2005 by the UCI. As such the tours for those years have no winner.

The race has also crossed the summit eight times.

:

In 1951, the approach to the summit was from Malaucène. In 2021, the first ascent was from Sault, whilst the second was from Bédoin. In all other years, the approach has been from Bédoin.

The climb by bike from Bédoin to Mont Ventoux is one of the toughest in professional cycling. The figure for the average gradients per kilometre can be found in many books and websites on cycling. The average gradient of the total climb and also the average gradients per kilometre differ slightly, depending on the source of the information. Accurate measurements result in an average gradient for the total climb of 7.43%, based on a horizontal distance of {{cvt|21.765|km}} and an ascent of {{cvt|1617|m}}. The actual distance ridden is {{cvt|21.825|km}}.

The average gradients in each kilometre are as follows:

:

Mont Ventoux was used as the first checkpoint in the 2015 Transcontinental Race, which is a non-stop, unsupported bicycle race across Europe.

There are two small ski stations on the mountain: "Mont Serein" on the north side, and "Chalet Reynard" on the south. High winds and the modest elevation tend to limit the ski season. Weather conditions are such that the northern slope is often icy, leading to a saying among people of the surrounding region regarding the challenges of skiing the mountain: Qui skie au Ventoux, skie partout (If you can ski Ventoux, you can ski anywhere).

• List of highest paved roads in Europe
• List of mountain passes

{{reflist|30em}}

• {{cite book|title=Mapping Le Tour|first=Ellis|last=Bacon|publisher=HarperCollins Publishers|location=Glasgow|year=2014|pages=260–261|isbn=9780007543991|oclc=872700415}}

{{commons category|Mont Ventoux}}

• [http://www.cycling-challenge.com/mont-ventoux-all-three-sides/ Map, profiles, info for cycling all three sides of Ventoux]
• [https://archive.today/20131012081031/http://goo.gl/maps/mQsto Mont Ventoux on Google Maps (Tour de France classic climbs)]
• [http://cyclingup.eu/english/France_Alps/Mont_Ventoux-south.php Cycling up to Mont Ventoux: data, profile, map, photos and description]
• [http://www.sport-passion.fr/en/routes/mont-ventoux-climbing.php Climbing Mont Ventoux by bike: information for cyclists, itineraries, pictures and profiles]

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Category:Biosphere reserves of France

Category:Climbs in cycle racing in France

Category:Landforms of Vaucluse

Category:Mountains of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur