Mont Ventoux rises alone from the plains of Provence, and the summit, at 1,909 metres, is a bald white dome of shattered limestone that looks from a distance like a snowfield even in July. Nothing else stands near it. This isolation is the key to its character, because the mistral, the cold northerly wind of the Rhône valley, hits it with full force, and the weather on top is often wild when the lowlands are warm and sunny. Gusts above a hundred kilometres per hour are not unusual, and the summit has a long record of cold, wind and fog.
The mountain has a history that few can match. The poet Petrarch climbed it in 1336 and wrote a famous letter about the experience, often cited as the first account of climbing a mountain for the view. In the twentieth century, the Tour de France made it a legend, and a memorial near the top marks the spot where the British rider Tom Simpson collapsed and died in 1967. Cyclists leave bottles, caps and messages there, and it is a quiet place to pause. The red-and-white weather station tower on the summit is a famous landmark, and you can see it from many kilometres away.
The riding is more serious than it first appears. From Bédoin, the classic approach, the road climbs for about twenty-two kilometres through forest of oak and pine, with a steady gradient, then emerges at the Chalet Reynard onto the bare moonscape of the upper slope, with long, exposed bends and no cover. From Malaucène on the north side, the road climbs in a similar way. The surface is generally good, but the wind can be dangerous for a motorcyclist, so watch the gusts near the exposed bends, and keep both hands on the bars. The upper road is closed in winter because of snow, usually from late autumn to spring, so check before you go. A cold layer is essential even on a hot day.
The mountain is a UNESCO biosphere reserve, with an unusual range of habitats from Mediterranean oak at the bottom to alpine plants on the summit. Cedar forests, planted in the nineteenth century, cover parts of the slope, and the view from the top, on a clear day, takes in the Alps to the east, the Rhône valley to the west and even the Mediterranean to the south.
On the summit, a small shop and kiosk sell drinks, snacks and souvenirs in season.