It's lunch time and I'm sat in a sports bar, about 20km away from the base of Mt Ventoux in a town called Malaucene and this place is buzzing with cyclists. Some grabbing a quick energy boost before making the climb, and others seeking replenishment after. The boys are about half an hour away, so I am grabbing a quick coffee.
The boys will have already ridden about 80 miles so far this morning, but they seemed very keen to make the journey up Ventoux when we discussed it last night. On the drive here, even from 100km away it looked menacing on the horizon, far taller than all the other peaks. Up close it looks even more dramatic. The image below does it no justice.
I have concerns for the car making it up, but we are all keen to get there as a group. If their motivation is faltering, this is sure to get them excited again. Everything is Ventoux themed - like giant ice creme sundaes, and there are loads of cycling shops selling Ventoux themed jerseys.
I walked over to one of those "you are here" maps. It displayed proudly that this is an area of cycle routes, attracting riders from all around. Yet of all the suggested cycling routes, none of them went to the peak of Ventoux. Even on Strava's difficulty rating it is listed as "beyond classification."
I feel nervous for them...
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