Ventoux #19

stats of the week: run 14 km, cycled 153 km, gym 3 h

Summer has arrived in France with increasing temperatures, rising up to 37°c in our area. Before leaving for Germany it was time to tackle Mont Ventoux. And this time from Bédoin, regarded as the toughest of the 3 routes. No question, this is also the route of the Tour de France Femmes on 6th of August. And also of the l'etape on 5th of  August that I have entered.

We chose Thursday to tackle it. Coincidently it was also the day of a big Dutch charity event, the Tour du ALS. At this event you can either walk, run or cycle up to the summit of Mt Ventoux. For the cyclists there are even three options: to climb Ventoux once, twice or three times! It is a big party with thousands of participants, all starting at Malaucène.

Luckily we met the masses only at the summit where they finished on the Malaucène route from the north. Our Bédoin route turned out to be quite calm with very few traffic. I was not sure if I was able to do it. It was tough, especially in the heat, we took two short breaks and a third one at Chalet Reynard. Finally we arrived in good shape, me only 8 minutes slower than 3 years before, C with just 35% power used of her race ebike. It was my 19th climb by bike and the 6th on the Bédoin Route.

Photos: On the final stretch

in good mood

Done

To make it a round trip, we passed the Gorges de la Nesque on the way back

Increasing Performance

stats of the week: run 19 km, cycled 157 km, gym 3 h

The good news is that I am now capable to climb 1,000 meters of ascent on the bike without too much exhaustion. The weather is going to be hot meanwhile, cycling in the late afternoon is no longer possible with degrees well over 30°c. We still have one week in Mollans, with a prospect of nearly 40°c, luckily when we will be leaving for less hot Germany. Plans for our last week are now to try the ascent of Mont Ventoux from Bédoin which is the classic and toughest route and will be the route for the Tour de France Femmes in August.

Photos: The view downhill from Col d'Ey in direction of Buis les Baronnies

Mirabel-aux-Baronnies is a nice little village with all kind of shops

The 500-year-old bridge of Les Pilles was destroyed before end of World War II

The view from Col de Propiac is always a reward.

Cycling against the doubts

stats of the week: run 7 km, cycled 201 km (2,900 m ascent)

The focus is still on cycling, and I would consider this week a respectable one for a 73 year old. However, so far I have gained the impression that I am not yet capable of completing a bike tour involving 3,000 metres of climbing.

This week, I rode around Mont Ventoux, covering 105 kilometres and accumulating 1,300 metres of ascent. By the end, I was completely exhausted. There was no chance of attempting the climb up Ventoux, particularly from Bédoin, after such a warm up.

On the running side, I am pleased to be able to complete my 7 km loop without having to take a walking break. On the other hand, it is not particularly encouraging that the damaged nerve appears to tolerate running better than cycling, given that cycling remains my primary focus.

Photos: Cols de la Chaine and Suzette will be part of the Tour de France Femmes. With great views of the Dentelles de Montmirail.

Collecting climbs

stats of the week: run 7 km, cycled 180 km, gym 4.5 h

My focus is on hilly cycling at the moment, as I am still hoping to get fit enough for the L'Étape du Tour Femmes on 6 August. I am not sure whether I will be able to cope with 3,000 metres of climbing, but training comes first and then I will have a better idea.

I am very keen to get started. If necessary, I can always stop at Bédoin. By that point, I will already have had a wonderful experience.

I managed 2,400 metres of climbing this week and felt some improvement, although the nerve is still a nuisance. The good news is that I feel best when I am active, whether that is running or cycling.

photo: a must every year, les Gorges de la Nesque

The view from Col de Fontaube to Ventoux

Evening view from our piquenique place

Three Thirds to ride

stats of the week: run 12 km, cycled 123 km, gym 3 h

When I discovered this year’s L’Étape du Tour Femmes, I could not resist entering the event. Unfortunately, I was not aware of the final route that had been designed. I had assumed we would start in Vaison and head straight towards Beaumes-de-Venise before climbing up to Suzette.

I have since realised that there is an initial loop taking riders over the Col de Propiac. With 3,000 metres of climbing, it is far more demanding than I had expected. On the other hand, this makes it even more appealing to me, as the route passes through our home village of Mollans and follows one of the most beautiful roads in the region.

To familiarise myself with the course, I divided the route into three sections, each of which I can ride directly from home. I completed the first third, the easiest section with 60 km and 700 metres of climbing, on Thursday. This was followed by the second third on Sunday: 62 km with 780 metres of ascent, including the steep climb to Suzette.

The final third, of course, will be Mont Ventoux. I shall certainly need to put in more training if I am to be properly prepared for this challenge.

Sightseeing week

stats of the week: run 7 km, cycled 57 km, walked 35 km, gym 1.5 h

We felt tired and exhausted every evening from the daily sightseeing. But it was great to see parts of Vaison, Avignon and Aix that we didn't know before. We saw the Pope's Palace, the Quartier de Teinturiers, the Museum Calvet at Avignon, the Roman Remains at Vaison and Museum Granet at Aix.

Too much walking to add proper training. I still hope to come back to a continous half marathon without walking breaks. This will probably have to wait until autumn when we plan to complete our Superhalfs Series with races at Copenhagen, Cardiff and Valencia.

Photos:

Roman Arena at Nîmes

The Pope's Palace at Avignon

Museum Calvet at Avignon

Quartier de Teinturiers at Avignon

Roman bridge at Vaison-la-Romaine

The fabulous Pont du Gard

Busy weeks

stats of the week: run 29 km, cycled 50 km, gym 4.5 h
stats of the previous week: cycled 68 km
stats of the week before: run 53 km, gym 1.5 h 

result London Marathon: 5:22:38

The past few weeks have been rather busy, with the London Marathon, including working as a tour guide for Interair, travelling to France, and hosting my son Daniel and his friend Mersud. I showed them around and we visited Nîmes, Avignon and Aix-en-Provence.

First of all, my 27th London Marathon went very much as expected. Given the limited training distances I had managed beforehand, I was able to run the first 30 kilometres, but from then on I had to walk most of the remaining distance. So it was much the same as last year, but this time I was mentally prepared and simply happy to finish and receive my medal.

My shirt read, “Finally Goodbye London”, although I still hope it was not my last marathon there. I would miss it enormously, especially the London weekend with my colleagues from Interair and our large group of German runners.

While recovering in France, I was delighted to take part in a half marathon near Mont Ventoux, following the beautiful road through the Gorges de la Nesque. The course included a climb of around 450 metres before descending steeply into the valley to finish beside a lake.

There was only one other runner in my age group, and he was considerably faster than I was. Nevertheless, I was pleased with my performance, finishing in 2:23:19, with around a quarter of the 350 participants coming in behind me.