Day 15 Saturday September 14 CLIMB MT. VENTOUX!!

PART TWO:  Le Mont Ventoux

 

We have traveled 836 miles in fourteen days of riding.  Three more riding days to go. 

Just the stats: 15 miles to the top, I climbed for two hours twenty two minutes. I stopped for a total of 4 minutes during the climb.  It was sunny with high clouds all day, 60 at the bottom and 43 degrees at the top.

 

The elevation on top of Mt Ventoux is 6,224 feet above sea level.  The ascent was 3,635 feet. 

When you get done your climb, you go back down the way you came up – that 15 mile descent took about 42 minutes! 

Calories burned on the climb – 3,143. My average heart rate during this climb was 123 bpm.

 

 

I took this picture of my Garmin at the top of Mt Ventoux. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We finished our 44 mile morning ride at 1:30 pm.  Nine of the group of twelve on this tour decided to climb Mt Ventoux. – Brian, Allison, Peter, Andrew, Chris, Erica, Alexandra, Sharon and Tom (me).  Five men, four women.

We were told that weather conditions are often too bad to do this climb.  50 to 70 mph winds, clouds and cold weather are common.  Well not today.  It was clear skies and the riders who had ascended in the morning said conditions were good for a climb.

So off we went.

The climb up Mt Ventoux is really pretty simple, pedal and don’t let up for 15 miles.  You have to keep pressure on your pedals all the time or you stop.  There is no coasting and no down hills on this climb.  It is a 4% to 8% grade most of the way up with a few steeper sections along the way.  The killer is the last 6 km’s (3.75 miles).  That grade is 18% to 24%.

The last five miles took me 44 minutes to reach the top.






Do you notice the blue skys and no wind?  Calm, just like Drake Passage in Feburary!

 

 

 

 

Before I started the climb, I talked to Yvonne and asked for prayers for this climb.  She later told me she had many praying for me.  I appreciate that and felt those prayers as I climbed, I knew I was covered.










Hallelujah! Glory, Glory, Glory!

I am so blessed and so joyful, I am really overcome with graditude. 

Le Chalet Reymond is just off the summit.