| Mont Ventoux | |
|---|---|
 South side of the summit of Mont Ventoux | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 1,910 m (6,270 ft) |
| Prominence | 1,148 m (3,766 ft)[1] |
| Coordinates | 44°10′28″N5°16′44″E / 44.17444°N 5.27889°E /44.17444; 5.27889 |
| Geography | |
  Mont Ventoux Vaucluse, France | |
| Parent range | periphery of theAlps |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | Prior toJean Buridan; probably ancient |
| Easiest route | Hike |
| Mont Ventoux | |
|---|---|
 North side of the summit of Mont Ventoux | |
| Elevation | 1,910 m (6,266 ft) |
| Traversed by | road |
| Location |  France |
| Range | Free-standing on the western periphery of theAlps |
| Coordinates | 44°10′28″N5°16′44″E / 44.17444°N 5.27889°E /44.17444; 5.27889 |
  Mont Ventoux Mont Ventoux | |
Mont Ventoux (French:[mɔ̃vɑ̃tu];Provençal:Ventor[venˈtu]) is a mountain in theProvence region of southernFrance, located some 20 km (12 miles) northeast ofCarpentras,Vaucluse. On the north side, the mountain borders thedepartment ofDrôme. At 1,910 m (6,270 ft), it is the highest mountain in the region and has been nicknamed the "Beast of Provence",[2] the "Giant of Provence",[3][4] or "The Bald Mountain".[4] It has gained fame through its inclusion in theTour de France cycling race;[4] in2009 it was the scene of the first penultimate-day mountain top finish in the Tour de France.
Mont Ventoux, although geologically part of theAlps, is often considered to be separate from them, due to the lack of mountains of a similar height nearby. It stands alone to the north of theLuberon range, separated by theMonts de Vaucluse, and just to the east of theDentelles de Montmirail, its foothills. The top of the mountain is barelimestone without vegetation or trees, which makes the mountain's barren peak appear from a distance to be snow-capped all year round (its snow cover actually only lasts from December to April). Its isolated position overlooking the valley of theRhône ensures that it dominates the entire region and can be seen from a long distance away on a clear day.
Venteux means windy inFrench. In the 10th century, the namesMons Ventosus andMons Ventorius were used interchangeably. Themistral has created wind speeds at the summit as high as 320 km/h (200 mph). The wind blows over the mountains at 90 km/h (56 mph) for roughly 240 days a year. The road over the mountain is often closed due to high winds, especially thecol des tempêtes ("storm pass") just before the summit.
Humans have probably scaled Mount Ventoux since prehistory. The first recorded ascent was by the influential 14th‑century French scholastic philosopherJean Buridan who is recorded climbing Mont Ventoux before 1334 while on his way to thepapal court inAvignon "in order to make some meteorological observations".[5][6] TheItalian poetPetrarch wrote a possibly fictional account of an ascent accompanied by his brother on 26 April 1336, in hisAscent of Mont Ventoux.[7][8]
In the 15th century, a chapel was constructed on the top and dedicated to theHoly Cross.[citation needed]
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.[9]
In the 1960s, a 50-metre-tall (160 ft) telecommunications mast was built.[citation needed]
From 1902 to 1976, theMont Ventoux Hill Climb for car and motorcycle took place on the roads of the Mont.[citation needed]
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 ofToulon. Some areas have been reforested since 1860 with a variety ofhardwood trees (such asholm oaks andbeeches) as well asconiferous species, such asAtlas cedars andlarches. A little higher,junipers are common.
The mountain comprises the species boundary orecotone between the flora and fauna of northern and southern France. Some species, including various types ofspiders andbutterflies, are unique to Mont Ventoux. It is a good place to spot theshort-toed snake eagle (Circaetus gallicus).
Its biological distinctiveness was recognised byUNESCO in 1990 when the Réserve de Biosphère du Mont Ventoux was created, protecting an area of 810 square kilometres (200,150 acres) on and around the mountain.
| Climate data for Beaumont du Ventoux (Mont Serein), 1445m (1991−2020 normals) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 12.7 (54.9) | 14.7 (58.5) | 17.0 (62.6) | 20.0 (68.0) | 26.9 (80.4) | 33.4 (92.1) | 30.0 (86.0) | 32.1 (89.8) | 24.7 (76.5) | 19.6 (67.3) | 16.1 (61.0) | 14.0 (57.2) | 33.4 (92.1) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 1.2 (34.2) | 1.6 (34.9) | 5.2 (41.4) | 8.2 (46.8) | 13.2 (55.8) | 17.7 (63.9) | 20.7 (69.3) | 20.5 (68.9) | 14.6 (58.3) | 9.9 (49.8) | 4.6 (40.3) | 2.0 (35.6) | 10.0 (49.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −0.7 (30.7) | −0.7 (30.7) | 2.3 (36.1) | 4.9 (40.8) | 9.6 (49.3) | 13.7 (56.7) | 16.4 (61.5) | 16.4 (61.5) | 11.3 (52.3) | 7.5 (45.5) | 2.7 (36.9) | 0.1 (32.2) | 7.0 (44.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −2.6 (27.3) | −3.1 (26.4) | −0.6 (30.9) | 1.7 (35.1) | 6.1 (43.0) | 9.7 (49.5) | 12.0 (53.6) | 12.3 (54.1) | 8.0 (46.4) | 5.2 (41.4) | 0.8 (33.4) | −1.8 (28.8) | 4.0 (39.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −15 (5) | −18 (0) | −13 (9) | −9 (16) | −4.7 (23.5) | −0.5 (31.1) | 1.5 (34.7) | 3.2 (37.8) | −1.8 (28.8) | −8 (18) | −11 (12) | −14.9 (5.2) | −18 (0) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 130.9 (5.15) | 84.9 (3.34) | 82.5 (3.25) | 125.7 (4.95) | 112.3 (4.42) | 76.4 (3.01) | 43.7 (1.72) | 59.5 (2.34) | 138.8 (5.46) | 169.2 (6.66) | 177.2 (6.98) | 115.9 (4.56) | 1,317 (51.84) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 8.8 | 7.2 | 7.5 | 9.4 | 8.9 | 6.0 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 6.9 | 8.8 | 10.3 | 8.9 | 91.6 |
| Source:Météo-France[10] | |||||||||||||
Inroad bicycle racing, the mountain can be climbed by three routes.
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".[12] 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.[13]
Mont Ventoux is the scene of one of the most grueling climbs in theTour de France bicycle race, which has ascended the mountain eighteen times since 1951.[14][15] 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 cyclistTom Simpsondied on the mountain on 13 July 1967 fromheat exhaustion caused by a combination of factors, includingdehydration (caused by lack of fluid intake anddiarrhea), use ofamphetamines, andalcohol, although there is still speculation as to the exact cause of his death.[14] He began to wildly weave across the road before he fell down.[14] He was delirious and asked spectators to put him back on the bike, which he rode to within a kilometre of the summit before collapsing dead, still clipped into his pedals. Amphetamines were found in his jersey and bloodstream. There is a memorial to Simpson near the summit, which has become a shrine to fans of cycling, who often leave small tokens of remembrance there.[14] In 1970,Eddy Merckx rode himself to the brink of collapse while winning the stage. He received oxygen, recovered, and won the Tour.[14] In 1994,Eros Poli, not known for his climbing ability, stole away at the beginning of the day's stage, built up a substantial time gap from the peloton, and was first over the Ventoux and eventual stage winner despite losing a minute of his lead per kilometre of the ascent.
The race has finished at the summit of Mont Ventoux ten times. The finish line is at 1,910 m (6,270 ft), although in 1965, 1967, 1972 and 1974 the finish was lower, at 1,895 m (6,217 ft).
Three riders have won on top of the mountain, and gone on to win the Tour;Charly Gaul in 1958,Eddy Merckx in 1970 andChris Froome in 2013. Both Merckx and Froome won while wearing the yellow jersey, maintaining the overall lead until Paris. Gaul was not in yellow when he won on the Ventoux, nor did he immediately gain the maillot jaune following the victory, Gaul only taking the overall lead of the tour several stages later.
In September 2008, it was announced by Claude Haut, the president of the Vaucluse province, that in 2009 the Tour de France would visit Mont Ventoux after a seven-year absence. Unusually, the riders climbed the mountain on the second-to-last day of the race, on 25 July 2009, prior to transferring to Paris for thetraditional parade on theChamps-Élysées. It was next featured in the100th Tour de France in 2013 on Stage 15.
In2016, the stage to Mont Ventoux was shortened by 6 km (3.7 mi) the day before, after a weather forecast of high winds at the summit. The stage then finished at Chalet Reynard at 1,435 m (4,708 ft), with approximately 10 km (6 mi) of ascent up the mountain.[16] This stage also featured a motorcycle-induced crash which damagedChris 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 2025Tour de France ended at the summit of Mont Ventoux and was won by FrenchmanValentin Paret-Peintre.
The race has also crossed the summit eight times.
| Year | Stage | Category | Start | Finish | Leader at the summit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 18 | 1 | Montpellier | Avignon | Lucien Lazaridès (FRA) |
| 1952 | 14 | 1 | Aix-en-Provence | Avignon | Jean Robic (FRA) |
| 1955 | 11 | 1 | Marseille | Avignon | Louison Bobet (FRA) |
| 1967 | 13 | 1 | Marseille | Carpentras |  Julio Jiménez (ESP) |
| 1974 | 12 | 1 | Savines-le-Lac | Orange | Gonzalo Aja (ESP) |
| 1994 | 15 | HC | Montpellier | Carpentras |  Eros Poli (ITA) |
| 2021 | 11 | 1 | Sorgues | Malaucène | Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) |
| HC |  Wout Van Aert (BEL) |
In 1951, the approach to the summit was fromMalaucène. In 2021, the first ascent was fromSault, whilst the second was fromBédoin. In all other years, the approach has been fromBédoin.
Stage 7 of the2026 Tour de France Femmes will end at the summit of Mont Ventoux.[17]
The climb by bike fromBédoin 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 21.765 km (13.524 mi) and an ascent of 1,617 m (5,305 ft). The actual distance ridden is 21.825 km (13.561 mi).
The average gradients in each kilometre are as follows:
| 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% |
Mont Ventoux was used as the first checkpoint in the 2015Transcontinental Race, which is a non-stop, unsupported bicycle race across Europe.
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).
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
