Mont Ventoux (; ) is a mountain in the Provence region of southern France, located some northeast of Carpentras, Vaucluse. On the north side, the mountain borders the department of Drôme. At , it is the highest mountain in the region and has been nicknamed the "Beast of Provence", the "Giant of Provence", or "The Bald Mountain". 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.
thumb|Cyclists on the road to Mont Ventoux
In the 15th century, a chapel was constructed on the top and dedicated to the Holy Cross.
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.
alt=White and red summit communications tower on the rocky peak of Mont Ventoux under a clear blue sky|thumb|329x329px|Summit communications tower on Mont Ventoux
In the 1960s, a telecommunications mast was built.
From 1902 to 1976, the Mont Ventoux Hill Climb for car and motorcycle took place on the roads of the Mont.
Flora and fauna
thumb|View of Mont Ventoux from [[Mirabel-aux-Baronnies]]
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 on and around the mountain.
Climate
Road cycling
thumb|The view from the summit of Mont Ventoux at dawn
In road bicycle racing, the mountain can be climbed by three routes.
- From the South: climb starts in Bédoin: over . This is regarded as the most difficult ascent, and is ranked by PJAMM Cycling as the 3rd most difficult bike climb in France. The road to the summit has an average gradient of 7.43%. Until Saint-Estève, the climb is 3.9% over , but the remaining has an average gradient of 8.9%. To serve as a comparison the climb of Alpe d'Huez is about at an average gradient of 7.9%. The last kilometres may have strong, violent winds. The ride takes to hours for trained amateur riders. Professional riders take 60 to 75 minutes. The fastest time so far recorded has been that of Tadej Pogacar in Stage 16 of the 2025 Tour de France: 53min 47s. 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: over . About equal in difficulty as the Bédoin ascent, but better sheltered against the wind.
- From the East: climb starts in Sault: over . 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". Cyclists can become a member of the Cinglés du Mont Ventoux Club by ascending all 3 sides of the mountain in a single day. Within this club there are other even more difficult challenges such as the Galériens which is 4 ascents in 24 hours of Ventoux including a forest path as the 4th ascent, the Bicinglés which is 6 ascents, all 3 sides twice in 24 hours and is 8800m of elevation which is roughly equivalent to the elevation of Mount Everest. Beyond this there are unofficial and extremely challenging variants such as the Tricinglés which is an extension of the bicinglés and is all 3 sides three times in 24 hours, total of 9 ascents of Ventoux in a single day. 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.
Tour de France
thumb|Memorial of [[Tom Simpson, 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. 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 diarrhœa), use of amphetamines, and alcohol, although there is still speculation as to the exact cause of his death. 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.
Stage 16 of the 2025 Tour de France ended at the summit of Mont Ventoux and was won by Frenchman Valentin Paret-Peintre.
:{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Tour de France stages with summit finishes on Mont Ventoux
Climb 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 and an ascent of . The actual distance ridden is .
The average gradients in each kilometre are as follows:
:{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!Kilometre
!Average gradient
!Kilometre
!Average gradient
|-
| 1 || 1.9% || 12 || 10.1%
|-
| 2 || 2.8% || 13 || 9.2%
|-
| 3 || 3.8% || 14 || 9.4%
|-
| 4 || 5.8% || 15 || 8.8%
|-
| 5 || 5.6% || 16 || 6.9%
|-
| 6 || 3.1% || 17 || 6.6%
|-
| 7 || 8.6% || 18 || 6.8%
|-
| 8 || 9.4% || 19 || 7.4%
|-
| 9 || 10.5% || 20 || 8.3%
|-
| 10 || 10.1% || 21 || 9.1%
|-
| 11 || 9.3% || 22 || 10.0%
|}
Transcontinental Race
Mont Ventoux was used as the first checkpoint in the 2015 Transcontinental Race, which is a non-stop, unsupported bicycle race across Europe.
Skiing
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).
See also
- List of highest paved roads in Europe
- List of mountain passes
References
Further reading
External links
- Map, profiles, info for cycling all three sides of Ventoux
- Mont Ventoux on Google Maps (Tour de France classic climbs)
- Cycling up to Mont Ventoux: data, profile, map, photos and description
- Climbing Mont Ventoux by bike: information for cyclists, itineraries, pictures and profiles