Cycling Mont Ventoux and Provence:
your ultimate guide

Routes: Cycling Mont Ventoux and beyond

Mont Ventoux routes

For many cyclists visiting the Luberon and Provence, it’s all about the Mont Ventoux climb.

The Giant of Provence, the Bald Mountain, the Lonely Mountain. Whatever you choose to call it, it towers above the Provençal countryside and is one of the world’s most iconic rides. It’s a big part of Tour de France history, books have been written on it, Tom Simpson died cycling it. The weather can be extreme. It is a dangerous, mythical, semi-religious place. It’s a ride every serious road cyclist should do at least once in their life.

There are three different Mont Ventoux cycle routes: check out our three guides below. They include Ventoux route maps, gradient profiles and GPX downloads

Cycling Mont Ventoux

21km 1580m

Cycling Mont Ventoux (via Malaucène)

21km 1570m

Cycling Mont Ventoux (via Sault)

26km 1250m

If once up Mont Ventoux isn’t enough…

If you think you’ve got what it takes, here are some more Mont Ventoux challenges – in ascending order of craziness:

1.  Granfondo Mont Ventoux. In 2016, the 130km route had an elevation gain of 3,600m. The 78km route had an elevation gain of 2,390m.
2.  Les Cinglés du Ventoux. You’ll need to cycle all three routes (up and down) in a day, in whichever order you like. If you complete this, you’ll be doing 72 km of climbing with 4300 meters of vertical gain.
3.  Bicinglette – double the Cingles! It requires six ascents and six descents within 24 hours.

Are you a member of the Club des Cingles du Mont Ventoux? Let us know in the comments below if you have attempted any of these Mont Ventoux cycling challenges – or if you plan to. We’d love to hear from you.

Don’t miss our Q&A on the Cinglés du Ventoux, with lots of firsthand tips and suggestions for how to conquer it.

Other top rides in the Luberon, Provence

There is another side to cycling in Provence, far away from Mont Ventoux: the less famous, easier going rides through bucolic countryside. The region is a wonderful place to cycle even if you (or someone you’re travelling with) doesn’t want to cycle Mont Ventoux itself. Creamy stone pool villas dot the countryside, there are markets to explore, superb restaurants in quiet villages, excellent little known wine producers, swimming lakes and bike paths for the kids too.

Two of our favourite Provence cycling routes are below.

1. Highlights of the Northern Luberon

2. Highlights Of The Southern Luberon

Signposted cycling routes in Provence

For those that don’t like following a Garmin, there is a range of excellent signposted routes:

• 236 km loop of the Luberon: map and GPX here.
• 51 km loop of the ochre landscapes of the Luberon: map and GPX here.
• Many more route ideas here.

Family rides around the Luberon, Provence

Here are some ideas for Provence cycling holidays with kids:

Veloroute – Voie Verte du Calavon

A superb bike path begins near the village of Coustellet and follows the Calavon valley for 37km. It’s almost flat (189m elevation gain over the whole ride), and much is well away from the road. One of the highlights is passing the Pont Julian Roman bridge.

Route Map and GPX

Perched villages loop

This 38km loop takes in some of the Luberon’s most attractive perched villages:

• Lacoste with its wonderful castle and panoramas over the Luberon.
• Menerbes, one of the Luberon’s most famous perched villages.
• Oppède le Vieux, this once abandoned terraced village is one of our favourite finds. An old gateway leads from the main square to the upper village – be prepared for countless steps and unforgettable views from the church at the top. You’ll need to leave your bikes at the bottom.

Tip: with 634m climbing, this route is only suitable for older children that are keen cyclists.

Route Map and GPX

Provence cycle tours

If you’d like some help with organising your trip to Provence, check out our article on the best Provence bike tour operators.

You might also be interested in our tips for how to pick the best bike tour company for your needs and the different kind of French cycling holidays out there.

Accommodation

Mont Ventoux hotels and cycling accommodation

Tip: See below for our Luberon accommodation suggestions

If your sole focus is Ventoux and you want to ride it multiple times, you’ll want to consider hotels near Mont Ventoux. Staying in or around Bédoin will give you easy access.

We haven’t stayed in Bédoin ourselves, but we would consider:

Hotel Crillon Le Brave, Crillon le Brave

Chateau de Mazan, Mazan

Hotel des Pins, Bédoin

Hotel La Garance, La Colombe

Where to stay in The Luberon

If you’re looking for a more all-around holiday destination and are just planning to ride Ventoux as a one-off, we’d suggest staying in the wonderful Luberon National Park. We think it’s the best base for cycling in Provence and it gives easy access to Ventoux. Depending on where you stay, it’s around 35-40km south of Bédoin.

Our favourite town in the Luberon is Bonnieux, because of its commanding position, winding streets and superb restaurants.

It’s swiftly followed by:

Read on for Luberon villa and hotel suggestions!

Our choice

We have stayed in three different villas in the Luberon. All were gorgeous, and we would happily recommend them to friends.

(If you’re after a hotel, check out our suggestion below.)

La Marachale, near Bonnieux

Pretty two bedroom, two bathroom first-floor apartment in an 18th century Provençal farmhouse, between Bonnieux and Lacoste.

What we loved

Things to know

Three bedroom townhouse in the centre of Roussillon

This beautifully furnished old house has a fabulous town centre location.

What we loved

Things to know

Les Genets near Lourmarin

A beautifully styled, three bedroom, two bedroom house in the village of Vaugines, 5km from Lourmarin

What we loved

Things to know

Hotels in the Luberon

Our next cycling trip to the Luberon will definitely incorporate a stay at the Coquillade Village in Gargas.

Bike hire

We have listed below some companies that should be able to help with bike rental for Mont Ventoux and the wider Luberon/Provence region. We have always taken our bikes with us, so haven’t tried these suggestions.

Bédoin, Mont Ventoux bike hire If you’re looking for Mont Ventoux bike hire, you’ll find lots of options in Bédoin for bike hire. We haven’t rented a bike in Bédoin, but we’ve heard good things about the following:
La Route du Ventoux 57 Route du Mont-Ventoux 84410 Bédoin +33 (0)4 90 67 07 40	La Route du Ventoux is also known as France Bike Rentals as the owners of La Route du Ventoux are part owners of France Bike Rentals, a company which rents and delivers bikes all over France.
Ventoux Bikes 1, Avenue de Verdun,  84340 Malaucène +33 (0)9 62 30 25 73
Albion Cycles Route de Saint Trinit, 84390 Sault +33 (0)4 90 64 09 32
Luberon bike hire There are lots of places to rent bikes in the Luberon and Provence and we’ve listed some below.
Rent Bike Luberon 2, Rue Marceau, 84 480 Bonnieux +33 (0)7 78 68 34 94
Sun e bike 1 Avenue Clovis Hugues, 84480 Bonnieux +33 (0)4 90 74 09 96	You need to contact them about road bike hire since they primarily rent electric bikes.
BMC cycling centre Coquillade Village, Le Perrotet, 84400 Gargas +33 (0)4 90 74 71 71	The cycle centre is part of the Coquillade Hotel. We contacted the hotel to check it is possible to hire bikes if you are not a guest and they told us: “You can hire our bikes if you do not stay at the hotel. However, the bike always must return in the evening at the Rental Shop.”
Velo Luberon ZAC Saint Martin, 84120 Pertuis +33 (0)4 90 09 17 33
Luberon Biking Conservatoire des Ocres D104 84220 Roussillon +33 (0)4 90 90 14 62

Tips:

Undecided on whether to hire a bike or bring your own? Read this.

When to go

Our favourite time to visit the Luberon and Ventoux is June when it’s hot, without being ridiculous, the lavender fields look and smell amazing, and the roads aren’t inundated with families on school holidays. That said, we’ve visited in July and (contrary to what most people say!) preferred it to September simply due to the lavender fields being in flower and the reliably hot days.

It comes down to your priorities. Hopefully, this chart will help you decide. The weather on Ventoux is changeable whatever the time of year and the Mistral may well be blowing hard – even in high summer.

If you want to cycle Ventoux, check the Mont Ventoux weather forecast before you set out.

January	Ventoux climb closed.
February
March
April	Ventoux may be closed, depending on weather and which route you want to ride.
May	May still be a bit of snow at the top of Ventoux and unlikely to see the lavender fields in bloom. But tourist numbers should be low, and the heat shouldn’t be too intense.
June	Warm days for cycling, without the intense heat of July/August, fewer tourists and, in late June, the lavender fields should be in bloom.
July	School holidays in France, UK (from mid-July) and US; Le Festival d’Avignon makes the area particularly busy; and it could be very hot. But you should see lavender and sunflowers in full bloom.
August	School holidays in France, UK and US; intense heat will make Ventoux hard work. But you should see lavender and sunflowers (lavender is generally harvested from mid-July to late August).
September	Can get some heavy rain/thunderstorms and the lavender will have been harvested but generally a good combination of lower temperature and fewer tourists. Great for foodies: markets packed with ripe produce, e.g. Cavaillon melons.
October	Earlier on in October, you may well have good temperatures and clear roads for climbing Ventoux. Towards the middle and end of the month, the road may be shut depending on weather and route.
November	Ventoux may well be closed, depending on weather and which route you want to ride.
December	Ventoux climb closed.

Tips

Books and maps

Luberon and Mont Ventoux maps

If you like to look at bike routes on a physical map, consider this map of the Vaucluse department (which is where the Luberon and Ventoux are located). The IGN Ventoux map may also be useful.

Reference

Daniel Friebe’s coffee table sized Mountain High is an excellent addition to any cycling library. It covers a selection of Europe’s greatest climbs, including Mont Ventoux. It has four pages of the cycling history of Ventoux as well as good photos and profiles of the Bédoin and Malaucène routes.

Alternatively, Simon Warren’s (almost) pocket-sized 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Tour de France gives a brief but practical description of Ventoux.

Ride a Stage of the Tour de France by Kristian Bauer is in a similar vein. It is a translation from the German original published in 2006, but don’t let that put you off. It’s in a slightly larger format than Warren’s book, and so has more room for detail. It includes ten pages on Ventoux, covering the Bédoin and Malaucène routes, and including maps, profiles, photos and history.

Biographies

Tom Simpson and Mont Ventoux are practically synonymous. His death on Ventoux is a prominent part of the mountain’s history. These books will fill you in.

If you would prefer something a bit lighter:

Films

DVDs of Tour de France highlights will of course feature Ventoux. There is also Virtual Rides Ventoux Cycling Training if you want to have Ventoux as your backdrop as you train for your ride.

Things to do in Provence (when you’re not cycling)

If you’re looking for inspiration for what to do when you’re not cycling, this helpful article gives you 7 days of things to do and see in Provence.

Good to know

Mont Ventoux: Tour de France history

Interesting facts

Over to you!

We hope you’ve enjoyed our guide to the Ventoux and Luberon/Provence region. Drop us a line or let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Want to check out some other destinations? Search for more amazing cycling destinations and if you know when you want to travel, speed up the decision process by filtering by the month you want to travel.