June 18, 2011

We set off early.  There is a fine drizzle and we can´t see Mont Ventoux at all as it is shrouded in cloud.  The forecast said rain early but sun by mid-day, so we are hoping that it will clear as we go.

We feel liberated with our lack of luggage and the initial climb is an easy run through Lavender fields followed by forest.  Far from clearing, the drizzle becomes real rain.  By the time we reach Chalet Reynard, 6 km from the summit, we can only see about 5 metres ahead because of the rain and the cloud.  On the run up from Chalet Reynard to the summit we are part of a steady stream of cyclists, although we are the only ones not in full racing kit on top of the range racing bikes.

I keep waiting for the really difficult part of the climb but it never comes as suddenly there is a steep, sharp right-hand bend and out of the gloom appears the finish line.  Was that it?  The climbs we have done already with the bikes fully loaded have been much harder.

The weather now is truly horrible.  We are saturated to the skin and it is cold.  There is absolutely nothing to see (see photo of view from summit) and we quickly turn the bikes around and start back down again.  I cannot remember such an unpleasant descent as this one – the cold makes us shiver and all our muscles go into spasm.  We cannot wait to get back to the camp-site for a hot shower and a warm tent (not!).

Well, we’ve done it but we feel a bit cheated especially as by 3pm the sun returns and the summit of Mont Ventoux can be clearly seen from our ‘base camp’.  We’ve even discussed going up again tomorrow if it is sunny but then decided that would be a bit obsessive of us – we’ve never been known to be obsessive!  We’ll come back on that return visit with our racing bikes.