The right way to the summit
The friendly lady in the tourist office in Aubignan explained a second way to the Mont Ventoux, namely via Bédoin. This was a good tip even to visit the small, nice town submontane of the Ventoux. However, there was a lot of tourists mainly French. It is Sunday (June 6)and the weather is very nice. Mainly caravans and cars with draw bar are on the car-park. Almost everyone has bicycles in, on or at their car. What do I say: the bicycles are the most modern racers! We can hide us with our "mingy" folding bikes, apart from that the summit cannot be reached by our small bikes. Once to conquer the Ventoux - this must be the ultimate buzz for every French!
Even a menu for biker: menu velo pour 9 euro
After a small pizza in a nice street café we started "mounting" the Ventoux, by 4 wheels and more than 100 horsepowers. A marvellous partly very steep road heads uphill. To the right and left French families camp at the edge of the forest with blankets, small chairs and tables. Picnic here at this road seems to have cult state. And over and over bikers fighting uphill or advanturously racing downhill. In the meantime the traffic gets more slowly and slowly until we must stop. An ambulance passes the line of cars uphill. We remember, that we saw a car of the Gendarmerie in Bédoin driving to the mount. An accident as we will learn later. a downhill cycling man fell obviously and collided with a car.
Slow passing at the scene of accident
After endless serpentines we reach the treeless zone. Already from a distance the white limestone looks like snow. It is the typical view of the Ventoux, the whit summit. Everywhere we see characters,names and shouts of encouragement painted on the road. They come from the recent Tour de France when it led on the Ventoux.
Approaching the summit by zigzag lines
At the top arrived angelangt, the sky overclouds. Some rain drops fall when we get off. Next to us we see an absolutely exhausted cyclist on his last meters applauded by his friends being here already. We cannot find a lonely mountain top as expected: a lot of people, kiosks and small souvenir shops. An observatory, a chapel and transmitters are settled here on the top. At clear weather you can make out in the south the Mediterrean Sea and in the north the Alps.
Atmosphere on the top
Lonely on the top (?)
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