Travel: Les Cingles Challenge

Got your interest? Well you can learn more about how to go about it below.

It’s fair to say that Mont Ventoux is one of the more famous climbs in cycling history which alongside its relative difficulty makes it a real bucket list climb.  The peak is visible for miles around and the white limestone and weather station  at the summit make it hugely distinctive.

(View down from Summit)

On great thing about doing Les Cingles is that its a big European challenge not too dissimilar from the La Marmotte, 312 or L'Etape, but unlike those you can ride it basically anytime that the weather allows so travel and hotels etc need not be completely jammed when you go.  The route is around 135km in total with 4,400 metres of climbing and apart from some stretches on the Sault route which are flat or shallow in gradient you will otherwise be either going up or down at 6%+ all day.  

To get into some detail, the three ascents start at Bedoin, Malaucene and Sault and you can ride them in any order of your choosing, meaning you can get accommodation close to either of these three small towns.  We stayed in Bedoin which was really very nice.  Hotel L'Escapade was pretty basic but did have AC in the bedroom and a dedicated bike store (bring a lock).  While our flying visit didn't allow us to try much by way of restaurants I would not personally race back to Pizza Paradiso.  The whole area is actually really quite geared up for cyclists and there are plenty of bike rental options in the area if that makes it easier from a travel perspective.  

The most common order to ascend is to do Bedoin then Maluacene, leaving what is generally considered the easier climb from Sault for last.  Having said that the final 6km of the Sault climb are the same stretch from Chalet Reynard that you'll have taken on from the Bedoin side which are broadly at 7%,7%,8%,8%,10%,10% averages for those 6 kilometres.  Whichever order you choose to do it in the routes up are extremely obvious to follow and when you descend down to each of the towns you'll easily find shops and restaurants to re-fuel and recuperate.   

A quick note on weather.  Although we were lucky with the weather it can be very unpredictable and changeable with high winds/temperatures in the summer making things challenging on any given day.  Additionally it can get very cold at the summit so almost regardless of the forecast it would be advisable to bring a rain jacket for the descents as well as applying plenty of sun cream if its a hot day.

If you choose to take on the challenge then I'd suggest you take away one single suggestion which would be to try and get as much gearing ratio on your bike as you can.  Really whatever your fitness level you will have to manage your effort for much of the day and having a gear to spin just that little bit easier and at higher cadence may be a life saver in terms of getting around and enjoying it to the maximum.  Whether that is a larger cassette at the back or switching to a smaller little chainring I would be very surprised if you thought it a bad investment at the end of the day.   

Obviously for a long and very challenging day in the saddle nutrition and hydration are important to think about.  It's probably sufficient to re-stock two 750ml bidons with energy drink for each climb and you can additionally drink more if you stop for a few minutes or longer between climbs.  You can get drinks at Chalet Reynard if it is open and required (it may not be open for your first climb if you start early).  On top of that we completed the ride with a couple of bars per ascent and added one or two gels for the final climb.  Of course you can alternatively stop and have a proper meal.  Particularly if it is a hot day I'd recommend taking something salty like a bag of peanuts to eat from about the halfway stage.

So, what is it like to actually ride?!  Setting off before 6am from Bedoin as the sun was coming up was genuinely one of the nicest parts of any ride anywhere (see Blog main image) and there were almost no cars and very few cyclists seen until Chalet Reynard.  The first climb felt fine although it was hard to try and ride at the lower intensity I had planned to.  The long drive the day before and two nights poor sleep perhaps contributing to that.  It probably is advisable to try and get the first climb done almost as easily as you can to minimise fatigue later in the day.  The forest you pass through is prettier than I'd expected. 

(Early morning climbing through the forest from Bedoin)

The "lunar landscape" near the summit on the Reynard side is I would say less obvious when on the bike than the images you see from the air during the Tour etc but fear not, you'll likely get the authentic increase in wind strength in the final kilometres.  The descent down to Malaucene is then pretty nice, (note the long, straight and fast sections!) as is the first stretch of the climb back up.  We were coming back mostly say 9-10:30am but even at that time there is a long stretch in the middle with steep 10% type gradients which is very exposed to the sun which felt really hot and tough. 

(Lower and upper parts of climb from Malaucene)

Having ticked off the two harder climbs by 10:30 I then felt good about heading down to Sault but in some ways that long descent and the longer, flatter climb back from Sault with a lot of fatigue in the legs were the most mentally draining part of the day.  The second time up the steep last 6km from Chalet Reynard were in turn the most physically draining but you just do what you can to keep moving at whatever pace you can and the additional motivation of completing a "challenge" helps at that time.  It's a great feeling to get your photo at the top for the third time and after a few sweaty and chilly minutes you can enjoy the long descent down to enjoy a cold beer/Provence Rose or whatever you fancy at that point! 

Although we did not bother to do it I understand that you can pre-register with the Les Cingles Club and pay Euro20 to get a logbook stamped each time you reach the summit and then you will be added to the database of people to have completed the challenge.  If you prefer, we offer what we think to be a very stylish alternative souvenir, see below:

INVANI Souvenir T-Shirt !  Also available without wording if you prefer      

https://www.invani.cc/products/casual-t-shirt-les-cingles