Le Ventoux Diaries Day 4 - The Big One

Am awake at 7 am, not because I need to be, but because I didn't sleep much last night. I kept trying to doze off, but woke myself up with a slightly hysterical " oh my god, I'm going up Ventoux tomorrow" Unfortunately the wind has really picked up overnight, and it's blowing hard out there, I can only hope that it'll blow me up the mountain! am really nervous now! Part 2 ...it didn't blow me up the mountain, it nearly blew me off the mountain! Got dropped off at Sault, and straight away headed into a fierce headwind. The lower slopes were quite steep and it was really hard just to control the bike. They call this Le Mistral, which sounds lovely....let me tell you it is not lovely, it is an extremely strong wind which blows in your face no matter which way you turn! Disaster struck as after only 20 mins i was faced with a sign saying route ferme. The road was closed at the summit,  could only go as far as Chalet Reynard. This was devastating, all this planning and training and now  couldn't complete my challenge. I carried on and thought i'd just go as far as I could. This took a lot of will power!! It took me nearly an hour to do 5 miles! Once I got into the forest I was sheltered a bit from the wind, but it still gusted ferociously in my face every so often. I took it slow and easy and stopped when I needed to, but it was a relentless climb. The views along the way were breath taking. After about 3 hours I made it as far as Chalet Reynard where there were a few hardy cyclists. Although the barrier was down and the road was closed, you could just slip under it and have a go.  Well, I hadn't come all this way to let the trifling matter of a closed road stop me, so I went under it and started on the steepest part.  This was really hard. I met several people coming down who all told me not to try to get to the summit as it was just too dangerous. The winds were now gusting at over 120 kms per hour and you couldn't stand up in in, let alone cycle. One couple I met who had planned to go over the top and down another route had given up after the woman was nearly blown off the mountain, it was just too scary.  So how did I do? I got passed the Tom Simpson Memorial, past the 1 km to summit marker and with about 500 m to go there is the brow of the hill before the final part with all the buildings on, and there was absolutely no protection from the wind at all.  When I started to get hit on my helmet by flying stones and ice, and I could hardly stand up I had to admit defeat. I say defeat, but actually I consider myself to have made it! To carry on would have been dangerous, and I didn't want to make the news by flying off a mountain top and dying! I took some pictures and a video to show how ferocious it was, and then headed down. It had taken 4 hours to get to the top, but an amazing 45 mins to come down! Back in Sault I had a wee rest and screamed at Jane on the phone, then I set off on the return journey. This was actually the worst bit! After the euphoria of getting to the top, the 25 miles back to the hotel was hell. The trip notes describe it as mostly downhill, which is is, but the wind was so strong that I even had to pedal down these downhills! With 12 miles to go I had lost the will to cycle and was swearing loudly each time a gust stopped me in my tracks! I made it at last to the town before my hotel, only about 6 miles left, but the directions were rubbish and frankly I was lost. I sat on a bench and thought "I'm just not going any further" I asked a passer by how to get to Rousillon. And she was fantastic. She was German, and couldn't speak French, so spoke in English, phoned her husband  who came along with a variety of maps and between them and their daughter they planned my route back with the minimum number of up hills.  I could have kissed them all!! Arrived back after more than 8 hours and 63 miles completed today....then sank a few cold beers in celebration! Sod doing the longer route tomorrow!!