There’s no climb quite like Mont Ventoux. It stands alone in the Provence landscape, an abrupt monument to everything cycling holds dear: endurance, suffering, and the promise of glory. When the Tour de France returns to the ‘Giant of Provence’, as it does again on stage 16 of the 2025 race, it brings with it more than just a route. It brings a mythology.
The bare limestone summit, visible for over 100km on a clear day, is etched into the memory of the sport – from Tom Simpson’s tragic collapse in 1967 to Wout van Aert’s stunning solo win during the double ascent in 2021. It is unforgiving, brutal, even surreal. As Roland Barthes famously put it, “It never pardons the weak.”
But for all its fearsome reputation, Mont Ventoux has also become a dream destination for cyclists and fans. It’s both the beauty and the beast – a mountain where triumph and torment exist side by side.
Riding the Mont Ventoux legend climb
The traditional ascent from Bédoin is the most iconic route up Ventoux – 21.5km of relentless climbing, with no switchbacks to offer respite. The first 6km may lull you into false hope, winding gently through vineyards and pine forest, but from Saint-Estève onwards, the road stiffens into a cruel corridor of double-digit gradients.
Then comes the transition to the exposed moonscape above Chalet Reynard, where wind and sun become your chief adversaries. The final 6km average 8%, with pitches above 10% and the meteorological station at the summit forever dangling in view but always just out of reach.
Even by car, the scale of the challenge is impressive. The road never truly levels out. Cyclists zigzag with effort, some walking, others weaving. Those who reach the top share the same battered joy – whether professional or first-time amateur.
Best advice? Don’t wing it
If you’re planning a Tour de France trip to Mont Ventoux – particularly for a stage like this year’s summit finish – preparation is everything. Access roads will be closed from July 21, with limited vehicle entry early on the morning of stage 16. By 1pm, the mountain is effectively sealed off.
That means arriving by bike or on foot is often the best bet. Consider staying in towns like Bédoin, Malaucène or Sault, or even further afield in Carpentras with a ride or shuttle to the base.
And if you really want to make it smooth? Go with an official Tour travel partner. Riders like Kelly Sisario and Roger Register – American fans who travelled with a premium package – got not just roadside access, but hospitality tents, bike support, food, drinks and even podium photo opportunities.
“We’ve done the climb before,” Sisario said. “This time we’re more freaked out. You see the gradient signs, and your eyes can’t help but read them.”
Mont Ventoux: Layered with history
Ventoux is more than just a climb – it’s a storybook written in switchbacks. It’s where Eddy Merckx needed oxygen in 1970 and where Chris Froome famously ran without a bike in 2016 after a moto crash. And of course, it is forever haunted by the ghost of Tom Simpson, whose memorial stands near the summit as a sobering reminder of cycling’s darkest day.
The mountain’s impact goes beyond racing. For many, it’s a personal pilgrimage. Whether it’s Eros Poli defying his 6ft 4in frame to win in 1994, or club riders making the summit after hours of effort, Ventoux holds a magnetic pull that few places in cycling can match.
Bédoin, the town at its foot, has embraced its role as the gateway to the climb. Shops sell Ventoux jerseys, cafés serve post-ride drinks, and bike mechanics tinker with gears for yet another hopeful challenger. The summit may be stark, but the culture around the mountain is rich.
A place to return to? Or is one visit is enough?
Mont Ventoux isn’t just a tick on a bucket list – it’s an experience that changes with each visit. Some will return again and again to chase new times or better weather. Others, like Chris Boardman, will remember their struggle there forever. “Look, there’s Boardman over there, crying!” he once recalled of his own Etape ride to the summit.
For all its harshness, Mont Ventoux remains a place of celebration, reflection and storytelling. And whether you’re chasing a personal record or soaking in the Tour de France atmosphere, it’s a climb that guarantees one thing above all else: you will never forget it.
