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Mont Ventoux ( in the Provence region of southern France , located some 20 km north-east of Carpentras , Vaucluse . On the north-side, the mountain borders the Drôme '' Département ''. It is the largest mountain in the region and has been nicknamed the "Giant of Provence", or "The Bald Mountain". 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 320 km/h (193 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. HISTORY link to a collection of several letters in the same issue. 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. FLORA AND FAUNA ]] 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. ROAD CYCLING For Road Bicycle Racing enthusiasts, the mountain can be climbed by three roads.
Every year there are amateur races to climb the mountain as quickly and often as possible in 24 hours. On May 16 , 2006 , Jean-Pascal Roux from Bédoin broke the record of climbs in 24 hours, with eleven climbs, all of them from Bédoin Site from Velo101.com . Tour de France 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 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. In 1994 , Eros Poli , not known for his climbing ability, stole away at the beginning of the day's stage, built up a substantial time gap from the peloton, and was first over the Ventoux and eventual stage winner despite losing a minute of his lead per kilometre of the ascent. The last winner on the Ventoux was the French climber Richard Virenque . Winners of the Mont Ventoux stage at the Tour de France
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