4 times up Mont Ventoux: Jeffrey talks about his monster ride up the 'bare mountain'

There is something special about the Mont Ventoux. There are many wonderful climbs in Europe, but anyone who has climbed to the top of Bald Mountain once will agree that it is special. With the summit at 1,910 metres, you climb to the highest point in Provence. And you can feel it. In the final kilometres, all shelter falls away and you get the strong wind full in your face. For Jeffrey Wiese, the love of cycling began on this mountain, and after - literally - mountains and valleys in his 'cycling career', he felt there was on the Ventoux was still 'something' to be gained. That led him to the ultimate challenge: the Cinglé du Ventoux. But then with a twist: he climbed Mont Ventoux 4 times, with as fourth climb the gravel route. We spoke to him about his monster ride up the barren mountain.

_{Written by Maks Groeneveld | Photos: What If the Cycling Podcast}

The love of the Ventoux

‘You are one of those cyclists where the Ventoux evokes something special. Why do you have that with this particular mountain?‘

'When I was about 13, I went to France with my father. From the campsite we had a view of the Mont Ventoux, and immediately I was like wow, I have to go up there. At the time, I still had a 'normal bike' with me, with straight handlebars and few gears. We cycled up a little bit together. There I suddenly saw all cyclists and beautiful racing bikes. At that moment, literally on Mont Ventoux, my love for cycling was born. The following years we went back - then on a road bike. Three years later, I rode up the Ventoux for the first time from Sault, when I must have been 16. At the summit, I felt prouder than ever. On returning home, I enrolled in a club and started cycling races.'

‘How did you get the idea to climb Mont Ventoux 4 times?‘

'It was previously on my plan to climb the Ventoux three times, but I had to cancel that plan because I suffered a knee injury. I had to recover from that for over two years. The symptoms kept coming back after a lot of climbing, so I did put the challenge out of my mind. Later, when I started our podcast series 'The Cycling Dream' with two friends - in which all three of us would take on a cycling dream - I knew immediately that for me that would mean climbing the Ventoux three times after all.

We had a number of partnerships, including Foot Connection. That's where I got a really good bikefit. David from Foot Connection fitted soles for my cycling shoes. He helped me on one condition; I had to climb the mountain a fourth time. The sole greatly reduced my knee pain, and that suddenly made the challenge really achievable.'

‘How did you prepare for this challenge?‘

'Pooh. That was not good. During that period, I had a lot of work, which made training really minimal. I cycled when it was convenient. About a month prior to the challenge, I cycled in Limburg 15 times the Camerig climbed, to do a nice lot of altimeters and test my knee. On that day, I found out that I had a lot of was less fit than I thought. So it was getting exciting; I only had about two weeks left to train. During that time I did another 70-minute effort ride, and then it was all over. The week before the climb I deliberately rested.'

And then it was on: up Mont Ventoux 4 times!

The first climb - Malaucène (departure 06:30)

'I left from Vaison-la-Romaine and rode from there 10 kilometres to the start of the climb from Malaucène; my favourite. It was hugely foggy, cold and wet. Normally you meet many cyclists on the Ventoux, but now I was constantly alone. With music on, it did go nicely and fortunately my knee didn't bother me. At the top it was so cold and windy that I immediately put on warm clothes and started the descent. During that descent, I could see no more than 4 metres in front of me. At the bottom - in Sault - I sought out a local café to get my first stamp and have something to eat.'

The second climb - Sault

'This was my first ever climb, so I felt like cycling from Sault again. The sun started coming through and it got busier on the climb, allowing me to overtake cyclists. By always putting my aim on the next cyclists in front of me, I stayed sharp. Actually, I just enjoyed the second climb. Contrary to my expectations, I actually arrived at the top super fit and motivated. At the bottom, in Bédoin, I got my second stamp in a cycling café. There I did feel: this is only the half; it's still going to be tough.'

The third climb - gravel from Bédoin

'And then the gravel climb. First a bit on the road from Bédoin, then almost 14 kilometres of gravel and the last bit back on the road via the Malaucène route. So: time for the bike and shoe change. On the gravel section, I didn't encounter anyone. At times it was more like an MTB path, with lots of loose boulders. It was a really nice climb though, with 8% up at most. This change to gravel in between was super; time flew by. It was another 3 kilometres on the road up. There at the top I came up the freshest; I suddenly had a lot of energy, was comfortable. I thought; bring on that final climb. Around 18.45, I arrived in Bédoin. There I got the third stamp and finished a good plate of 'Pasta Bolo'. And then time started to run out; dusk was coming and I really didn't feel like climbing all in the dark.'

The fourth climb - Bédoin

'The last climb... And the toughest. On the terrace, tiredness set in - and the realisation that I had underestimated it a bit. At the bottom of the climb the sun went down and it immediately became a lot colder. So I put on leg and arm warmers and an extra jacket. At that point, I was at a loss for words, I think that was the low point. I had never gone that deep on the bike before. But then again, I 'only' had about 600 metres left of the 6100 altimeters. I was already SO close, so I had to finish it too. With lots of Haribo, Cola and enjoying myself with my music, I came higher and higher. On the way, I took a moment to myself; I stepped off and stood there all alone, in the dark on that barren mountain. With only the sound of the wind around me, I watched the beautiful lights in the valley. Then I got back on, and stomped on to the top. My friends were waiting at the top with the car. The car lights came closer and closer, and that motivated.

At 10.30pm, I came upstairs. At the summit, all sorts of things went through me; so much pride and euphoria at the same time. Something that had felt impossible before, I had now done all by myself. This challenge lay 100% with me, no one could help me in this. The fact that I had now ticked this off made me feel like I could handle anything. And the fact that this was now possible, after all the hassle with my knee injury, felt great.'

After the finish line: tips for others?

'When asked if Jeffrey has any tips for people who are hesitant to go for the Cinglé du Ventoux to go - or maybe the 4, 5 or 6 times, he says: "With a good nutrition strategy - 90 grams of carbohydrates per hour, with sports food your body is used to - you already come a long way. Furthermore, I found it super nice to have support along, to give a jacket or extra nutrition at the intermediate stops. And make sure you have a good gear on your bike, don't make it harder for yourself than necessary.'

And further: 'Just do it. The fact that you are thinking about it does say you should go for it. Make sure you have climbed all three sides beforehand, so you know exactly what it entails. And if you really don't succeed, dare to give up too.'

This monster ride - and its preparation - was fully captured for the podcast series 'The Cycling Dream'. Curious about the accompanying images and emotions of this adventure? Then watch the film on YouTube here.