So a couple of weeks ago I did my first real ‘Col’. Together with my family I stayed in the vicinity of the Mont Ventoux in France. This legendary mountain would become my first real climb. I came prepared but I wasn’t in the best shape ever so I was still a bit nervous about the whole undertaking. In the end the conditions where ideal : almost no wind (a rarety on this ‘windy mountain’), not too hot and a bit cloudy. I did the climb from Bedoin together with two mates in just under two hours and never got into trouble. I’m not saying it was easy but I never felt any cramps or so. All in all I was pretty pleased. Now, for people who want to climb this mountain for the first time : here are some tips :- choose your bike wisely, especially concerning gears. My bike is fitted with a ‘compact 34-50′ which means I have two gears in front to choose from. A tripple gives you more gears so you can switch to an even easier gear when the climb goes steep. To compensate I fitted a mountain-cassette so my traditional 12-25 cassette was replaced with a 13-29 cassette which let’s you go up the mountain much ‘smoother’. Some people might prefer to use a mountainbike. Most mountainbikes have more than enough gears so if needed you can really creep up the mountain at 2-3 Mph. But of course MTB’s are often heavier than race bikes and the fat tyres require more power to keep rolling on the asphalt so choose thin almost slick tires that cause as little drag as possible if you can.
train : if you haven’t ridden a bike in years then maybe the Mont Ventoux is not for you. I would suggest to train at least for a couple of months before undertaking this effort. You might get to the top with minimal training but it won’t be a pleasant experience at all. Try to climb as much as possible. Don’t worry if the climbs are not long ones, as long as there are many that’s not a problem. Here in Belgium where I live there are no mountains so most climbs end after 1 or 2 kms but do 10 of these (sometimes very steep) climbs in one stage and you will definitely grow some muscle and be ready for the Mont Ventoux if your overall condition is good.- drink : it’s very important to drink a lot 24 hours before the climb and of course during the climb. If you feel thirsty during the climb, it’s probably already too late and you should drink immediately. I had about 1.6 litres of sport drink with me and drank about 0.5 liters of water before the climb itself in Bedoin (we did a 15 km warm-up) and that was enough for me.
- eat : It’s very important to get your energy levels up before and during the climb. Many people will advise you to eat spaghetti before the climb but I chose to stick with what I’m used to : corn flakes (lots of corn flakes), a banana, an energy bar and orange juice. Then after about 4 km’s into the climb, just before it got steeper it ate an energy bar. A friend of mine ate a banana when the incline was at 10% constantly and that didn’t seem to go so well so I was glad I ate before things got difficult. I had another energybar when I reached Chalet Renard and that was enough to make it to the top without any problems.
- explore the climb : I read a lot about the climb from Benoit so I knew just what to expect : the first 5 kms are pretty easy with an average incline of about 5%. Then the next 9 kms in the forest are hard with inclines from 9% up to almost 11%. Then past Chalet Renard it gets a bit easier again only to get very hard in the last few kms to the top. Once you know that, you only need to look at your bike computer to see how far you are. This helped me mentally.
don’t overdo it : you have to ride your own tempo on the Mont Ventoux. It’s almost useless to try to follow a faster rider. You will almost certainly pay for it later on in the climb. But also realize that the climb is by no means easy. You will have to work hard, you will sweat like a pig and you will at some time feel discomfort. Once you expect these things, it’s much easier to deal with. Another tip is also to alway take the least steep route in corners. When you enter the steep part of the climb after 5kms you have to take a sharp corner. If you take the outside of this bend it’s a brease, if you take the inside you will almost stall and you will have to push hard.- get out of the saddle : this was a tip of a friend of mine and it really helped. Sometimes during the climb I felt a lot of pressure om my legs and to relieve them I got out of the saddle once or twice every km. I didn’t really accelate during these ‘manouvers’ and it only lasted for a few seconds but when I got back in the saddle my legs felt much better. A simple trick that really helps.
- smile : there are usually a couple of photographers on the track. Smile when they take a photo of you, drive slowly and take the card. Don’t let anybody see how much you’re sufferring
So, now you’re ready. The only thing to do now is train hard and head off to the mountain. I hope you’re as lucky with the weather conditions as I was.
