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news
Mont Ventoux (licensed CC BY ND 2.0 by Nicolas Aix on Flickr)Survey: Ventoux the TdF climb Brits most want to ride - but are sportives losing their allure?
Mont Ventoux is the Tour de France climb more British cyclists want to ride than any other, but it’s Italy that has far greater appeal than its transalpine neighbour as a destination for cycling, according to a new survey from Wattbike.
The firm surveyed 1,396 British cyclists to find out their views on those issues plus others including what they considered to be the greatest Tour de France battles – Sir Bradley Wiggins vs Chris Froome coming top there – and sportives and cycling challenges.
While Ventoux is the mountain more people want to climb on their bikes than any other – 46.6 per cent versus 32.2 per cent who said Alpe d’Huez, the positions of the two ascents were reversed when it came to deciding which is the most iconic ascent of the Tour de France.
Other climbs cyclists want to tackle include the Col du Tourmalet and Col du Galibier, at 9 per cent and 8 per cent respectively, and even Yorkshire’s Holme Moss, used during last year’s Grand Départ, managed to sneak in, with 1.8 per cent of the votes.
The Wiggins versus Froome falling-out in 2012 was seen as the most iconic Tour de France moment of the past three decades, chosen by 28.7 per cent, ahead of the 1998 duel between Marco Pantani and Jan Ullrich, on 18 per cent.
Besides the Team Sky pair, internal team rivalries seem to fire the imagination – third is Greg LeMond’s tussle with Bernard Hinault in 1986, and (after LeMond’s 1989 duel with Laurent Fignon) fifth comes the battle in the 2009 Tour between the winner, Alberto Contador, and Astana team mate Lance Armstrong, riding his first Tour since retirement.
The latter would finish third, but subsequently be stripped of that result, as well as his seven successive victories in the race – indeed, 5.8 per cent of respondents chose USADA vs Armstrong as the most iconic battle in cycling during the past 30 years.
Wattbike says that six times as many people view Italy rather than France as the best place to ride their bike, but it also suggests that the popularity of sportives is on the wane – one third of people (32.4 per cent) see the events as something to be avoided while 40.6 per cent say they use them to prepare for bigger challenges.
What those challenges might be divides opinion – 29.4 per cent would most like to undertake an event on the Continent such as L’Etape du Tour, La Marmotte or a climb that features in the Tour de France or Giro d’Italia.
Almost as many – 28.6 per cent – aspire to undertake a multi-day ride, with Land’s End to John O’Groats and the Race Across America the two most popular choices among them.
Wattbike’s John Wilson said that the responses reflected one of the ways in which the sport is evolving here.
“Cycling in the UK has changed and a 100-mile sportive is no longer seen as the daunting challenge it once was,” he explained.
“While people are still riding them, the data suggests that the majority are doing so simply to train for something bigger and harder.”
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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14 comments
I absolutely love Ventoux, I've ridden many times, and always want to go back almost immediately.
I've also ridden the Route des Grande Alpes a few times, so have taken in lots of the big TdF climbs including Bonette and L'Iseran etc, but Ventoux is extra special for me.
All those other climbs have just required me to be fit enough to ride them, but Ventoux so often has a will of it's own, and the weather, be it wind, heat or snow, can decide whether you are going to make it.
Some of my most memorable riding has been done on Ventoux, I was snowed in at the summit on my own once, watched as other riders were physically blown from their bikes on another occasion. I always feel Ventoux has a hand in whether I get to the top or not, and that feels special to me.
Add to that that it is in Provence which is beautiful, and has other rides like the Gorge de la Nesque nearby.
I absolutely love Ventoux, I've ridden many times, and always want to go back almost immediately.
I've also ridden the Route des Grande Alpes a few times, so have taken in lots of the big TdF climbs including Bonette and L'Iseran etc, but Ventoux is extra special for me.
All those other climbs have just required me to be fit enough to ride them, but Ventoux so often has a will of it's own, and the weather, be it wind, heat or snow, can decide whether you are going to make it.
Some of my most memorable riding has been done on Ventoux, I was snowed in at the summit on my own once, watched as other riders were physically blown from their bikes on another occasion. I always feel Ventoux has a hand in whether I get to the top or not, and that feels special to me.
Add to that that it is in Provence which is beautiful, and has other rides like the Gorge de la Nesque nearby.
I might describe Ventoux as a bit "meh" if i'd only done the classic ascent from Bedoin and skipped Maucalene & Sault (which is one of the prettiest descents through forests and lavender fields I have ever done).
The views from the summit are amongst the best I have ever experienced in light of how far you can see across France.
There's also some lovely Provencale villages to explore and if you want to really stretch your legs Google the route for the Dutch "cannibale" sportive.
still, horses for courses !
Taking my teenaged son to the Alps in August. I was thinking that Ventoux might be worth 6 hours of driving as I've not done it. Probably easier to let him kick my arse closer to our base. It's the only place I've been in on the continent before (near Bourg s'Oisans) and there's plenty of scenery to be enjoyed while you winch yourself up in bottom gear.
Maybe I should lend him my Kindle so he can read a book while he's waiting at the top of the climbs.
I did the same with some mates last year - we stayed a week in the Alps then took a detaour via Ventoux on the way home. Very glad we did - definitely worth it. Probably my favourite day's riding of the week (which included Alpe d'Huez, Galibier, both sides of the Izoard.....) We parked in Malaucene, rode round to Bedoin, climbed from there then descended back down to Malaucene.
I'm serious.
I've ridden it a lot, solo, with team mates, on a Wednesday evening.. and it is the best ride in Europe. I hope to ride it again before I die.
http://inrng.com/2014/01/schelde-river-path-fietspad/
The best ride in Europe is from Gent to Oudenaarde down the Schelde canal and back.
Keep your hills...
Haha - depends what time of year you're doing it
Col bagging is, to me at least, a bit weird. There are hundreds of cols and passes in France, most of which the TdF never touches, that are amazing. The big TdF showstoppers leave me a bit cold.
There is some very beautiful riding around Mont Ventoux. I would not dismiss it.
To be honest France has amazing destinations. It's hard to go wrong.
Can't read the above comments without feeling a bit of sick in my mouth. Wall pissing competition into alpine climbs. " o I road a sheep track at the back of duez village that 9 people died on and you have to get permission from god to do it and its 79% at the hairpins."
Just enjoy the marriage of your bike and some iconic vistas. All glorious. But a day in the dales with good company can be better that the tourmalet alone. Just bike .
Sorry? What wall pissing comments? people want to tick stuff off the list, particularly if you are really into the actual sport and history of road cycling, that's understandable, but there are many lesser known climbs that are just absolutely incredible. For me the Bonnette climb is amazing, working up through the valley past waterfalls and marmottes running over the road. Feeling the air get colder as you pass napoleonic ruins and bits of the maginot line. Marvellous stuff.
Certainly prefer the North Eastern end of the Alps.
Garmins and Strava/RWGPS making sportives redundant, except for a few iconic dates. Download the GPX, pack some snacks and go ride it. No need to pay £35 for the privilege.
Meh. Ventoux is very meh. Particularly the forested bit. Not a patch on Bonnette or I'zoard.