The first 4km was a breeze, a glorious sunny day, no wind and only 4% gradient. We had a great time!
We passed a small village along the way, and everything was just so picturesque.
Looking up at the summit was a little intimidating. The clouds sat so low, you couldn't see the top!
As you can imagine, the good feeling couldn't last to the top. In fact, by the time we hit the forest (with 15km to go), the gradient became steeper and with it our effort.
Contrary to what we have read in our research of the climb, the 9% gradient didn't seem to ease at all till the top. It was a brutal slow grind all the way to the summit. My heart rate monitor didn't drop below 175 beats per minute for 4 hours! (except short stops to take photos and blow my nose..)
Jake struggled for energy, especially that his recent illness depleted him from all nutrients and hydration.
The speedo read 6km / hr most of the way up. When the climb 'leveled off' a bit, we could crank it up to 7.4.
And then it got harder at about 6km to go, when the landscape changed from forest to moon-like with rocks all around.
The wind picked up and the temperature dropped noticeably. By that point, we had eaten all of our energy food supplies and were eternally grateful for a small snack bar which sold us some mars bars to take us up to the top.
The landscape was nothing we have ever seen before. We were so high up, that the clouds were at our eye level. We could see the summit for miles, which it made it extra hard because although it seemed so near, the speed at which we were going made it oh-so far!
At just under 1km to the top, here it was, the famous Tom Simpson memorial. Englishman Tom died during the 1967 Tour de France stage to the top of the Ventoux. Exhaustion, illness, drugs and alcohol combined to see him draw his last breath just 800m from the summit as he fell behind the race leaders. His dying words on the site of the memorial where "put me back on my bike."
I don't actually know how we managed the last 800m. All I know for sure is we don't want to talk about the time, number of stops, or average speed!
And finally we got to the top. The sheer magnitude of the effort, the mountain and the scene from the top was emotional.
No words can accurately describe the view from the top of this 2000m summit. You can clearly see the French Alps hundreds of kilometers away.
We finished the day with a bowl of penne bolognaise overlooking the top of the world (literally)
Got back to the hotel at 6pm, had a shower and another amazing 3 course meal at our local restaurant and Jake was asleep by 8 :)
Relieved to have the hardest day ever in the saddle behind us but aware that we need a little bit more stamina for tomorrow's 50km ride to Gordes where we'll be staying another 3 nights and riding every day, luck and legs permitting.
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