Twenty-four hours before the Tour de France riders tackled the Mont Ventoux, we went there to unravel the mystery and mystique surrounding this iconic mountain, part of the Grande Boucle’s history since 1958, but famous since almost seven centuries ago, when Renaissance scholar and humanist Petrarch climbed it together with his brother.
Video: Sam Baguet
This is Vonu, Mont Vonu, France, and we’re here for the tour to France. All right. What does Vonu mean to you personally? It’s bloody hard climb. Where are we? We’re 3/4 away from two, the giant of Provence. Now tomorrow the tour is going great. The the biggest race maybe in the world for sure in the France because it’s all over the France and all over people in the world I think knows this this place this place and this race it’s a nice race nice mountain and I’m here third time. Yes. Yeah, I’m happy with the with the uh results is one of the most known uh mountain in France. Um no, it’s an iconic climb in one of the tour to France routes. is very uh special special for fun and for cyclist and is very very uh interesting mountain. We’ve done this a few times before. We we’re mad enough to do to have done the sess so um we’ve done this before but not as hot as this I don’t think before. Uh I know this place because I’m a cycler too and I regularly ride here and this side because we have three side uh to to ride VU and maybe this one is the hardest and we are here because it’s a beautiful site for us. We are recognized for tomorrow the best place to recognize to see the the races and we live in South of France so to your local. Yeah. Yeah. It’s hard. Yeah. Yeah. It is hard. Yeah, I I I It’s a long time ago. I think it’s about 5 or 6 years ago I cycled up here, but um I’ve only got about 6 milesi to go, so press on and get it done. It’s iconic, so you have to ride it. Yeah. Um so yeah, so we always come every year to one of the stages. So this is the stage to come to this year. Definitely. Uh mountain. Yeah, I prefer mountain everywhere. I I go to mountain like like Galib Mon to alier my my favorites for cycling. It’s so beautiful first. Mhm. Uh second reason uh the tour of France come here. Um and it’s a hard place to I know Pyrene I know Halp uh V too but here is um a very famous very famous place. You’re a Brit as well. The history with Tom Simpson. Tom Simpson. Yeah. as it is. Memorial is 1k to go at the top, isn’t it? Yeah. Yeah. And everyone puts a a bead on. Yeah. Next to the memorial. But uh think I might need my beons today. How high are you come? It’s not very beautiful because only rocks. White rocks only. Well, this is relatively regular gradient. It’s a long long climb, but you know, climbs like Altoes, they’re very, very hard to start with and ease up a little bit. This is quite consistent all the way up, so you can get into a bit of a rhythm. Um, but as Kate said, it’s been good. The amount of people on the mountain, different standards, different types of bikes, loads of kids as well. Fantastic. So, the amount of kids on the mountain, the first part is very full of trees, beautiful trees as you see. And um the top the top of this mountain this this coal um is very rocky uh a lot of a lot of sun and very very hard for races. And um the slope the slope is very very he very very very very strong. You understand my my English? I’m so I’m so sorry. I’m French, you know. Yesterday we arrived with the bikes and we see all the way from K we see all the the camper vans and when we doing going up until the we going up at B van and all the people are cheering you and they’re making you wet with a water pistol and everybody’s cheering for you and they’re ringing the cowbells. So, it’s really it’s really fun to to go to go up, you know, the the videos that you see of um the pros from the past going up headto head. Obviously, a few years ago, seeing FY run up it was was a great moment as well. It’s obvious a bit lower down, but um yeah, those things stick with you and and cyclist like no other sport, you know. We we can ride the roads that these guys are riding. You can’t do that in other sports. You can’t play at Wembley. You can’t play at Lords, you know. So, but we’re riding these roads. They’re fantastic. Maybe 14 years ago. Yeah. Uh here was very very strong windy and uh and the finish line was uh maybe kilome down. Yeah. And it’s crazy crazy experience. We made a banner for the caravans a target so everybody can throw the the things. So you’re looking forward to the the goodies. The goodies. Yeah. The noise in the park. A noise in the party. I come I come only for the goodies. Not not not for the not for the bikers. No, only for the goodies.
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🚵💨👌🍻
Just a fantastic collection of accents