Stefan Tabeling, dpa
In the midst of the eerie lunar landscape, Tom Simpson once lost consciousness whilst cycling and never woke up again. Lance Armstrong and Marco Pantani fought a breathtaking climbing duel here. And Chris Froome even had to make an involuntary run up the mountain after a spectacular mishap involving a TV motorbike.
Welcome to Mont Ventoux, the ‘Mountain of Terror’, the giant of Provence. Standing at 1,910 metres, with gradients of up to 15 per cent leading up to a weather station at the summit. There is hardly a mountain that commands as much respect from professional cyclists as this limestone colossus. On Friday, the women’s Tour de France will also tackle this legendary climb for the first time.
Up the hill on a mountain bike and with the analysis tool
“It’s really lovely to see how women’s cycling is growing. For example, we’ve already shown this year on the Angliru (note: a steep climb in Asturias) that we can achieve anything, and that it’s not just men who can conquer the big mountains,” says German champion Franziska Koch.
She once cycled up that infamous mountain on her mountain bike. She must have been 16 or 17. “To be honest, I can’t remember exactly. All I remember is that it was a very long climb,” says Koch. For her German colleague Antonio Niedermaier, who is high up in the overall standings, the mountain is, by contrast, uncharted territory. “I actually only know it from our analysis tool, but I know it inside out,” the Giro runner-up told BR24Sport.
The Simpson Tragedy
Just like the legendary tales that this ‘Mount of Destiny’ holds in store. One of the Tour’s greatest tragedies took place on 13 July 1967. The Briton Simpson – pumped full of a mixture of amphetamines and alcohol – struggled his way up the mountain in the group of favourites. Three kilometres from the finish – having long since passed the tree line – he fell from his bike, completely exhausted. A spectator helped him back onto his bike. He continued in a zigzag pattern before Simpson fell again. He eventually died in Avignon hospital.
There is a memorial stone to Simpson 1.5 kilometres from the finish line. When Eddy Merckx passed the spot on his way to victory in 1970, he crossed himself. By the time he reached the top, the cycling legend was completely exhausted and needed an oxygen mask.
Armstrong and Pantani did not need to do this; they fought a spectacular battle in 2000. In the end, the Italian ‘King of the Mountains’ came out on top, but Armstrong won the Tour. It later came to light that both had taken performance-enhancing substances to achieve their exceptional performances.
Froome’s running session
Mont Ventoux left four-time Tour winner Froome thoroughly shaken. In 2016, the Briton crashed 1.2 kilometres from the finish line after colliding with a TV motorbike. To make matters worse, he was also struck by a motorbike behind him, causing the frame of his bike to snap. Wearing his special cycling shoes, he ran desperately up the mountain before being handed a replacement bike – which was far too small – from the neutral support vehicle. Later, the race organisers decided that the time gaps would be recorded as they stood at the moment of the unbelievable crash.
The crash had no consequences; Froome won the Tour. But another chapter had been written on the legendary Ventoux. What chapter will the inaugural Women’s Tour bring?
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