Souvenir du Tour de France
Mont Ventoux (Ventor in Provençal) is a mountain in the Provence region of southern France.
As the name might suggest (ventoux means windy in French), it can get windy at the summit, especially with the Mistral. Wind speeds as high as 320 km/h have been recorded. The wind blows at 90+ km/h 240 days a year. The road over the mountain is often closed due to strong winds, especially the "Col des tempêtes" ("storm pass") just before the summit.
The top of the mountain is bare limestone without vegetation or trees, which makes the mountain's barren peak appear from a distance as to be snow-capped all year round. Its isolated position overlooking the valley of the Rhône ensures it dominating the entire region and can be seen from many miles away on a clear day.
The Italian poet Petrarch wrote a possibly fictional account of an ascent accompanied by his brother on 26 April 1336, in his "Ascent of Mont Ventoux".
This mountain has become legendary as the scene of one of the most grueling climbs in the Tour de France bicycle race, which has ascended the mountain fifteen times since 1951. Its fame as a scene of great Tour dramas has made it a magnet for cyclists around the world.
Modest Petrovič Musorgskij, Une nuit sur le mont Chauve :
Souvenir du Tour de France
Mont Ventoux (Ventor in Provençal) is a mountain in the Provence region of southern France.
As the name might suggest (ventoux means windy in French), it can get windy at the summit, especially with the Mistral. Wind speeds as high as 320 km/h have been recorded. The wind blows at 90+ km/h 240 days a year. The road over the mountain is often closed due to strong winds, especially the "Col des tempêtes" ("storm pass") just before the summit.
The top of the mountain is bare limestone without vegetation or trees, which makes the mountain's barren peak appear from a distance as to be snow-capped all year round. Its isolated position overlooking the valley of the Rhône ensures it dominating the entire region and can be seen from many miles away on a clear day.
The Italian poet Petrarch wrote a possibly fictional account of an ascent accompanied by his brother on 26 April 1336, in his "Ascent of Mont Ventoux".
This mountain has become legendary as the scene of one of the most grueling climbs in the Tour de France bicycle race, which has ascended the mountain fifteen times since 1951. Its fame as a scene of great Tour dramas has made it a magnet for cyclists around the world.
Modest Petrovič Musorgskij, Une nuit sur le mont Chauve :