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news
Mont Ventoux (licensed CC BY ND 2.0 by Nicolas Aix on Flickr)Mont Ventoux set to return to Tour de France next year
The Tour de France is reportedly set to return to Mont Ventoux in 2016, three years after Chris Froome won there on his way to winning the race for the first time – and once again, the stage will take place on Bastille Day, 14 July.
The Avignon-based newspaper, La Provence, reports that the fabled ascent will be confirmed as making its return to the race when the route of next year’s 103rd edition is announced in Paris on Tuesday 20 October.
– Video: Mike Cotty & The Col Collective take you up Mont Ventoux
The mayor of Bedoin, where the approach from the south that is most commonly used to tackle the mountain begins, told the newspaper: “Nothing is official yet but it seems the ascent will start in Bedoin since I’ve just got my invitation to attend the official presentation in Paris.”
La Provence says that the stage will begin in Montpellier, as the race heads from the Pyrenees towards a final week in the Alps.
– Video: London cyclist tackles Mont Ventoux 6 times in 1 day
If confirmed a week tomorrow – and Thomas Vergouwen, who successfully predicts the course of the race each year on his Velowire blog believes it will be – it would be the Tour de France’s 16th visit to Mont Ventoux, and the 10th summit finish there.
On the way to the summit, Stage 12 of the race on 14 July would also pass the memorial to one of Britain’s greatest cyclists, Tom Simpson. The 49th anniversary of his death on the mountain during the 1967 Tour de France will have fallen the previous day.
– Video: Boris bike vs Mont Ventoux
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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9 comments
My problem is I love that climb so much that I find myself feeling a bit proprietorial over it, and get a bit jealous when others climb it, especially the likes of Froome shaving(!) thirty minutes off my times.
I've 'dunnit' in a virtual world and it's one Mother of a hill for a big chap, no let up in gradient. I find the likes of the zoncalon and alp d huez much easier in comparison.
Now there's something you don't hear every day. Even with your cassettes that's impressive
Why still the fascination with Tommy Simpson??? He was on more drugs than Armstrong and Pantani, the whole of the peloton of that era combined.
Dunnit
"I’ve just got me invitation to attend" - is the mayor a nothern lad? Ta muchly
I thought that too but thought it was a bit weak, maybe more like....
" I just got me in'tation t' show "
Excellent. Ventoux is my favourite climb in France. I can't wait!