Some call the Mont Ventoux Sault route “Ventoux-lite”. We prefer to call it the connoisseur’s route. If you’ve ridden Bédoin and are looking to your next ascent of Mont Ventoux, this is the route we’d suggest next.
Sault-Mont Ventoux is longer, and the gradients are much less severe than the Bédoin and Malaucène routes.
You’ll get less bragging rights if you ride up this way, but on the plus side, you also get far-reaching views and (in season) unforgettable lavender fields. It’s also far quieter; both in the way of cars and other cyclists.
All metrics in this article are approximate.
Highlights of Mont Ventoux (Sault)
The road up Ventoux from Sault is awesome as you can get in a steady rhythm and power up; it’s so much fun it almost doesn’t feel like you can be climbing Ventoux!
So it’s a bit of a shock when you get to Chalet Reynard and hit the multitudes grinding up from Bédoin. You can’t help feeling a bit smug that a) you’ve got to the same point as they have on significantly less effort and b) you still get the benefit of the incredible last six kilometres.
Route notes
1. The beginning and the middle: 0-20 km
You descend slightly from Sault, down to the valley bottom, and then gently meander upwards, through trees, meadows and lavender fields. This is a gorgeous, gradual ride. It’s peaceful too with few other cyclists or cars to bother you.
2. The lunar landscape from Chalet Reynard: 20-26km
You join the road from Bédoin at Chalet Reynard. It’s then an unforgettable six kilometres through the white rock to the summit. Be prepared for wind; if you don’t get a brutal headwind, you’re lucky!
3. 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.
Café stops
In Sault, Dylan from Mont Ventoux Cycling Club recommends the café at Hotel le Nesk (map) – it’s got a great cycling museum and nice terrace looking across at Mont Ventoux.
Once you’ve left Sault on the Sault to Mont Ventoux route, there’s nowhere to stop for water/refreshment between Sault and Chalet Reynard.
Take a look at Ventoux (from Bedoin) for details after Chalet Reynard. In summary:
Accommodation
The village of Sault is the starting point for this route up Ventoux. You can find our suggestions for hotels in and around 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 del la Nesque and yet within easy reach of Bédoin, Malaucène and Sault.
Tips
Our tips for cycling Ventoux are a good starting point.
Don’t expect the milestone markers found on the other routes up Ventoux: there are none between Sault and Chalet Reynard. Likewise, there are no barriers at the side of the road.
If you’re looking for a warm up ride before the Bédoin or Malaucène routes up Ventoux, our favourite climb up Ventoux is the Sault climb – and not just because that is the ‘easy’ side! If you have a chance to ride the Gorges de la Nesque and then do the climb from Sault it sets you in really good stead to take on the more challenging climbs from Bedoin and Malaucène.
If you’re interested in an even bigger challenge – check out our Q&A on the Cinglés du Ventoux: three times up and down Ventoux in 24 hours!
Found this Mont Ventoux via Sault guide useful?
Check out our complete guide to planning a holiday in the Ventoux and Provence region plus other articles on the region, below.
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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.
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Superb and relevant info. Many thanks
I fulfilled a dream by riding up the Sault route yesterday. The views were splendid, the last 6km were brutal (on these 72 year-old legs pushing a 30lb Bianchi hybrid), but it was well worth the effort. The lunar landscape, the sadness of the Simpson memorial, the sheer exhilaration of standing at the top, are memories that will be with me forever
Congrats! What a ride it is. The sort that stays with you forever. Hope you got some nice weather!