is a
Mountain in the
Provence region of southern
France , located some 20 km north-east of
Carpentras ,
Vaucluse at coordinates . On the north-side, the mountain borders the
Drôme ''
Département ''. It is by far the biggest mountain in the region and has been dubbed the "Giant of Provence".
As the name might suggest (''venteux'' means "windy" in
French ) it can get windy at the summit, especially with the ''
Mistral ''; windspeeds as high as 300 km/h (180 mph) have been recorded. The road over the mountain is often closed due to high winds. The real origins of the name are thought to trace back to the 1st or 2nd century AD, when it was named 'Vintur' after a
Gaul ish god of the summits, or 'Ven-Top', meaning "snowy peak" in the ancient Gallic language. In the
10th Century , the names ''Mons Ventosus'' and ''Mons Ventorius'' appear.
Mont Ventoux, although geologically part of the
Alps , is often considered to be separate from them, due to the lack of mountains of a similar height nearby. It stands alone to the west of the
Luberon range, and just to the east of the
Dentelles De Montmirail , its foothills. The top of the mountain is bare
Limestone without vegetation or trees. The white limestone on the mountain's barren peak means it appears from a distance to be snow-capped all year round (its snow cover actually lasts from December to April). Its isolated position overlooking the valley of the
Rhône ensures that it dominates the entire region, and can be seen from many miles away on a clear day. The view from the top is correspondingly superb.
The mountain first gained fame as the site of
Petrarch 's
1336 ascent, which he recorded in a letter to a friend. This letter is viewed as one of the earliest products of
Renaissance and
Humanism , as the ascent is inspired by a passage in
Livy 's ''History of Rome''. Petrarch is considered the father of
Alpinism , as he expressed the desire to climb Mont Ventoux merely for the joy of seeing the view. He climbed the mountain on April 26 together with his brother and two others. He knew the region well as he lived in
Avignon from
1333 to
1349 .
The
15th Century saw the construction of a chapel on the top, dedicated to the
Holy Cross .
In
1882 , a meteorological station was constructed on the summit, though it is no longer in use. In the
1960s a 50m-high telecommunications mast was built.
Originally forested, Mont Ventoux was systematically stripped of trees from the
12th Century onwards to serve the demands of the shipbuilders of the naval port of
Toulon . Some areas have been reforested since
1860 with a variety of
Deciduous trees (such as
Holm Oak s and
Beech es) as well as
Coniferous species, such as
Atlas Cedar s and
Larch es. A little higher,
Juniper s are common.
The mountain comprises the species boundary or
Ecotone between the flora and fauna of northern and southern France. Some species, including various types of
Spiders and
Butterflies , are unique to Mont Ventoux. It is a good place to spot the
Short-toed Eagle (''Circaetus gallicus'').
Its biological distinctiveness was recognised by
UNESCO in
1990 when the Réserve de Biosphère du Mont Ventoux was created, protecting an area of 810 square kilometres (200,150 acres) on and around the mountain.
For
Road Bicycle Racing enthusiasts, the mountain can be climbed by three roads.
- South from , in which Charly Gaul was the fastest at 1h 2' 9".
- North from Malaucène : 21 km over 1570 m. A little easier than the Bédoin ascent, better sheltered against the wind.
- East from Sault : 26 km over 1220 m. The easiest route. After Chalet Reynard (where the "lunar landscape" of the summit starts), the climb is the same as the Bédoin ascent. Average gradient of 4.4%.
Every year there are amateur races to climb the mountain as quickly and often as possible in 24 hours. On June 29 2004,
Jean-Pascal Roux from Bédoin broke the record of seven climbs in 24 hours, with ten climbs, 4 from Bédoin, 3 from Malaucéne and 3 from Sault.
Mont Ventoux has become legendary as the regular scene of one of the most gruelling climbs in the
Tour De France bicycle race, which has ascended the mountain thirteen times since
1951 . The followed trail mostly passes through Bédoin. Its fame as a scene of great Tour dramas has made it a magnet for cyclists around the world.
The mountain achieved worldwide notoriety when it claimed the life of the great English cyclist
Tom Simpson , who died here on
July 13 ,
1967 from a combination of
Amphetamine s,
Alcohol and
Heat Exhaustion . He began to wildly weave across the road before he fell down. He was delirious and asked spectators to put him back on the bike, which he rode to within a half mile of the summit before collapsing dead, still clipped into his pedals. Amphetamines were found in his jersey and bloodstream. There is a memorial to Simpson near the summit which has become a shrine to fans of cycling, who often leave small tokens of remembrance there. In
1970 ,
Eddy Merckx rode himself to the brink of collapse while winning the stage. He received oxygen, recovered, and won the Tour. The last winner on the Ventoux was the great French climber
Richard Virenque , who easily fended off an attack by
Lance Armstrong to win the stage.
