Cycling Mont Ventoux: Bédoin route

Highlights of Mont Ventoux (Bédoin)

Leaving the forest and coming out into the white lunar landscape, is incredible. The sun on the white rocks is dazzling after the relative dark of the forest. You can see the hairpins stretching ahead of you, and it feels both exhilarating and daunting.

The contrast is a big part of what makes this route so memorable. For kilometre after kilometre, the forest can feel eerily quiet and enclosed, with trees on either side and very little wind reaching the road. Then, at Chalet Reynard, everything changes. The trees disappear, the summit comes into view and you are suddenly exposed to the elements on Ventoux’s distinctive white upper slopes.

Route notes

1. The easy warm-up: 0-5.5 kilometres:

You leave Bédoin on an open, relatively gentle road through vineyards, olive groves and cherry orchards. After about 3.5 kilometres you pass through Saint Colombe, an attractive village with some hotels/B&Bs and a few restaurants.

The opening kilometres can feel deceptively manageable, almost like a false flat in places. The change comes around the St Estève bend, where the road turns left and the gradient noticeably kicks up. From here, there is little doubt that the main climb has begun

2. The forest: 5.5-16 kilometres

After Les Bruns and the St Estève bend, you head up into the forest on a wiggly, merciless road through the forest.  The gradient rarely drops beneath 9%, the road is quite narrow, and sightlines are poor.

This is arguably as much a mental challenge as a physical one. The pine forest can feel strangely still, with little breeze and switchback after switchback looking remarkably similar. The trees also provide considerable shelter from the Mistral, so conditions here may feel completely different from those higher up the mountain.

With the gradient staying steep for such a long stretch, it can feel as though you are making very little progress. One useful approach is to treat the forest as a section in its own right. Settle into a sustainable pace rather than chasing individual efforts and focus on reaching Chalet Reynard. Once you emerge from the trees, the character of the climb changes completely.

3. The lunar landscape: 16-21.5 kilometres

At Chalet Reynard, you leave the forest for an unforgettable six kilometres through the white rock to the summit. The gradient reduces for a few hundred metres as you leave Chalet Reynard, but be prepared for wind as you leave the trees; if you don’t get a brutal headwind, you’re lucky!

From here, there is nowhere to hide from the Mistral. Even when conditions lower down feel calm, the exposed upper slopes can be a very different story. In particularly strong winds, the road above Chalet Reynard may be closed, so don’t assume that good conditions in Bédoin mean the summit will be rideable.

The challenge changes here too. In the forest, it is the sustained gradient and repetition that wear you down. Above Chalet Reynard, exposure and wind become much more important.

You can also see the summit tower for much of this final section. That sounds encouraging, but it can play tricks on you: the tower seems to stay the same distance away as the road continues around bend after bend. Then, quite suddenly, the final corner arrives and you are there.

At around 20 kilometres, you pass the memorial to Tom Simpson, and many choose to make a stop here.

4. Descent

The road down can be hair-raising. The gradient is severe, the road is often wet, there are multiple hairpins and strong gusts of wind.

Take particular care above Chalet Reynard. This is the most exposed part of the mountain, and sudden gusts can make descending considerably harder than the conditions in Bédoin might suggest. If the wind becomes uncomfortable, Chalet Reynard provides a useful place to stop before continuing down.

Enjoying the descent to Bédoin

Café stops

There are quite a few choices in Bedoin, at the start and end of your ride. Favourites include:

• Pista Cycling Café (map) – for a relaxed vibe and nice garden. 
• Le Flandrien (map) – perfect for a Belgian beer or two after the ride! 

On the way up Ventoux, Chalet Reynard is a popular place to stop. It’s about seven kilometres before the summit, and it’s impossible to miss: there are some post-boxes at the side of the road, followed by wooden cabins and a sign for Chalet Reynard.

• Chalet Reynard has a bar-restaurant with a decent indoor area with an open fireplace. There are also outdoor terraces. It serves simple food and drinks to predominantly cyclists and hikers and is open seven days a week. It is also a landmark in its own right. It marks the point where the sheltered forest ends and the exposed final section of Mont Ventoux begins. Inside, cycling memorabilia reflects the mountain’s long connection with the sport, while its position makes it a useful refuge if conditions on the upper slopes become particularly windy.
• Non-road cyclists might be interested in the Ventoux Bike Park at Chalet Reynard. It has a ski lift up to the start of three mountain biking trails. You can hire bikes at the restaurant. It’s open at weekends during the summer, weather permitting and is suitable for adults and children over the age of ten.
• There is a reasonable amount of car parking outside the restaurant.

Lots of riders choose to pay their respects at the memorial to Tom Simpson, a few kilometres from the summit (on the righthand side). There is a water fountain near the Tom Simpson memorial.

At the summit, there is a restaurant that serves basic meals.

The famous Chalet Reynard

Accommodation

The town of Bédoin is the starting point for this route up Ventoux, and it has lots of accommodation options. You can find our hotel suggestions and tips on where to stay to ride Ventoux here.

Some of the outlying villages around Bédoin are also worth considering as bases as they’re quieter and less touristy. For example, Mormoiron and Villes-sur-Auzon are particularly well positioned as they are a good springboard to the Luberon, Gorges de la Nesque and yet within easy reach of Bédoin.

Mazan is another option worth considering, particularly if you are staying for longer than a few nights and want to explore more of Provence rather than basing the whole trip around Ventoux.

If your trip is about more than riding Ventoux once, staying a little farther from the mountain can open up a wider range of rides. The Gorges de la Nesque, for example, offers a gentler balcony road with long views across the gorge and provides a very different day on the bike from Ventoux.

Tips

Check the wind forecast

Don’t choose your Ventoux day based only on whether rain is forecast. Wind is one of the biggest considerations on this mountain, particularly once you leave the shelter of the forest above Chalet Reynard. Check the wind forecast for the upper slopes and be prepared to change your plans if conditions are poor.

Choose the right time of year

Late May through to September generally gives you the best window for tackling the climb, although the Mistral can occur throughout the year. Earlier in the season, spells of strong wind can persist for several days, whereas summer Mistral conditions may be more localised and shorter-lived.

Keep your itinerary flexible

It is worth keeping your itinerary flexible rather than fixing your Ventoux ride to one particular day. If the wind is too strong, switch to another ride and return when conditions improve. The Gorges de la Nesque is one obvious alternative and gives you a worthwhile ride without having to abandon the day altogether.

Train for the climb

It’s also worth building some long, sustained climbing into your training. Bédoin is not simply a succession of short steep ramps. The difficulty comes from having to keep climbing for a long time, particularly through the forest, so pacing yourself from the start matters.

Plan your trip and bike hire

Read our tips for cycling Ventoux before you set out.

Check out our complete guide to planning a holiday to Provence and Ventoux. This includes details of Mont Ventoux location velo/bike hire in Bedoin.

If once up Ventoux isn’t enough of a challenge… take a look at our Q&A on the Cinglés du Ventoux: three times up and down in 24 hours!

Bédoin Location, a bicycle rental and repair shop

Take on the Cinglés du Ventoux

If once up Ventoux isn’t enough of a challenge… take a look at our Q&A on the Cinglés du Ventoux: three times up and down in 24 hours!

Riders taking on the Cinglés use a card to record their three ascents, collecting stamps as proof of their progress. Stamps can be picked up at participating cafés and local shops in Bédoin, Malaucène and Sault.

Final thoughts

Cycling Mont Ventoux from Bédoin is a serious challenge, but that is a big part of its appeal. From the deceptively gentle opening kilometres to the relentless forest and exposed final slopes above Chalet Reynard, each part of the climb brings something different.

Come prepared, keep an eye on the wind and pace yourself through the forest. When you finally reach the summit, you’ll understand why this road has earned such an important place in cycling history. And if one climb leaves you wanting more, Provence has plenty of other excellent rides waiting nearby.

What’s next?

• We’d love to hear from you – comment below or drop us a line.
• Check out our complete guide to planning a holiday in the Ventoux and Provence region plus other articles on the region, below.
• Don’t miss our ride guides to the Sault and Malaucène routes up Ventoux.
• Of course Ventoux features in our list of the best climbs in Europe – check out the other climbs here!

Clare Dewey is a cyclist with a passion for travel. She set up epicroadrides.com in 2018 to help make it easy for cyclists to explore the world by bike. Today her mission is still inspiring cyclists to discover new places on two wheels - and doing what she can to make sure they have the best possible time while they're there. Clare has visited 50+ destinations around the world, many of them by bike.

Want to connect with Clare? Find her over on LinkedIn.