The bleakly stunning moonscapes of Mont Ventoux would be the backdrop and terrain of one of many decisive closing phases of the 2025 Tour d France on Tuesday. The ‘Large of Provence’ is the primary, and arguably probably the most essential, of the Tour’s third week mountain battles.
Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease A Bike) believes the Tour de France GC battle to not be over regardless of lagging behind Tadej Pogačar (UAE Workforce Emirates-XRG) by 4:13. That’s over a minute greater than Pogačar’s 3:09 margin over the Dane on the similar level within the 2024 race, so if Vingegaard needs to try to impression on the Slovenian, the Ventoux is a chance he can in poor health afford to overlook.
The Dane can take hope from the truth that when the race final went over the Ventoux in 2021, he managed to drop Pogačar near the summit, even when Pogacar then caught him on the lengthy drop to the end.
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If Vingegaard manages to repeat that feat on Tuesday, the actual fact the race finishes on the summit of the Ventoux this time spherical, not within the valley beneath, would imply any time gained by the 2022 and 2023 Tour winner can be inconceivable for his successor to recuperate.
Vingegaard also can take coronary heart from his a lot improved climbing performances within the second a part of the Pyrenees and maybe indicators of Pogačar fatigue and slight sickness.
The record of stand-out winners on the summit of Mont Ventoux vary from Charly Gaul in 1958 via to Eddy Merckx, Bernard Thévenet, Marco Pantani and Chris Froome. These names will certainly act as inspiration to Pogačar, too, to try to add a fifth stage win to his 2025 tally of success. The uncovered, typically wind-strick climb ought to produce a Pogačar- Vingegaard showdown
But the Ventoux isn’t a predictable beast.
If Pogačar struggling in 2021 was a shock after his domination of the primary two weeks, the climb isn’t uneventful in itself.
In 2016, the race’s final summit end, the stage was decreased in size to Chalet Reynard, half-way up the climb, due to excessive winds. The sight of yellow jersey Froome operating in direction of the end, determined for a motorcycle change after he was poleaxed by a race bike, stays one of the emblematic photographs of his profession.
The climate is about to be good on Tuesday and the end line – for now at the very least – stays on the high. Nonetheless, the Ventoux’s climate situations are notoriously fickle and as one of many highest peaks in the entire of the area, with its good white scree slopes of the higher half seen for a lot of miles round, in that as in lots of different senses, the Ventoux stays a mountain with legal guidelines of its personal.
The excessive winds that blast throughout the highest when it is useless calm within the valley beneath are only one instance of the distinctiveness of Mont Ventoux.
So too are its relentlessly rising slopes. These hardly ever fall beneath 9% within the first 9 kilometres and the ultimate two kilometres. The Ventoux has no false flats or small descents to alleviate the ache throughout its 15km size. All the way in which from the village of Bedoin to the climate station on the high, there may be actually no respite from the ache.
The concern and respect for Mont Ventoux
Mont Ventoux affords three principal extra issues this July.
The primary being it comes straight after the remainder day. After a day with out racing, a troublesome problem on the opening stage of the second and third week can profit some riders, however others typically discover themselves struggling to get again into race rhythm. Think about a climb as lengthy and arduous because the Ventoux and a chink in a rider’s armour might abruptly blow broad open.
Secondly there’s the query of summer season warmth. Temperatures are forecast to rise above 30 levels on the decrease slopes of the Ventoux and surrounding space after an extended spell of racing throughout the flatlands of southern France.
Thirdly, the Ventoux is the one categorized climb of the day, with 133 kilometres of rolling roads adopted by 22 kilometres of light uphill gradient, after which 15.7 kilometre of a lone Hors Categorie climb to the summit end.
Nearly all of the vertical climbing of the phases whole of two,950 metres are within the finale. This could just about be sure that no person struggling on the climbs is exterior the time minimize, however it additionally will possible see an enormous pack on the foot of the ascent. Positioning, then, shall be important.
Pogačar and Vingegaard’s GC battle is unquestionably going to be one principal attraction of the Tour’s nineteenth go to to the Ventoux. For these not concerned within the battle for the general and who aren’t specialist climbers, going up a mountain as legendary because the ‘Large of Provence represents a really big day all the identical.
“I’ve by no means been up it, however it ought to be good with the crowds, one thing to recollect,” Luke Plapp (Jayco-AlUla) instructed Cyclingnews throughout the remainder day.
“We’ll see how the race unfolds, stick with the group you match into finest. I feel there will be two totally different ranges on the mountain and as soon as you agree into your rhythm, it is in all probability not a climb most individuals can win on and even get a consequence on.
“If I am not with the group, I will simply be having fun with what there may be to supply. I grew up watching the crowds on the Ventoux as a child and it simply seems to be completely wonderful. I am actually trying ahead to that.”
Stage 16 of the Tour de France will begin from Montpellier after the second relaxation day. The race heads in a northeasterly path via Provence, concluding with a summit end on the enduring Mont Ventoux (15.7km at 8.8%).
There has not been a end atop the Géant de Provence on the race since 2013, when Chris Froome received within the maillot jaune on the way in which to his first Tour de France victory. Nonetheless, the climb was featured as lately as 2021, the place the riders took on two totally different ascents earlier than descending down the opposite facet to the end in Malaucène.
The riders will climb from the city of Bédoin as much as Chalet Reynard, the place stage 12 of the 2016 Tour de France completed after being shortened attributable to excessive winds. They may then enter the uncovered space that the climb is famend for, as the dearth of tree cowl leaves the riders fully open to the weather.
Mont Ventoux at all times leaves its mark on the Tour de France at any time when it options within the race, from the tragedy of Tom Simpson in 1967, to Lance Armstrong versus Marco Pantani in 2000, and even Froome operating with out a bike in 2016. In its most up-to-date inclusion, we noticed Jonas Vingegaard distance Tadej Pogačar for the very first time, which may very well be an indication of issues to return for this yr’s race the place they face one another once more.
Stage 16 map and profile
Picture 1 of two
Stage 16 Sprints
Chàteauneuf-du-Pape, km. 112.4
Stage 16 Mountains
Mont Ventoux (HC) km. 165.3
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