A week in Provence – 16th to 23rd May 2026
In mid-May Drew and I set off with friends to join a Peak Tours week in Provence. One of the group, Phil, is an ex-Wheeler.
Arriving in Marseille we were taken by taxi to Arles for the start of the week. Here we joined the group that was now 23 strong with 3 guides to look after us, to find that the previous week they had not been allowed to go up Mont Ventoux, due to high winds. Fingers crossed. We cycled for 6 days with Ventoux being the final day. The first day took us 119km, 74 miles to Avignon. As the week progressed the distances dropped while the elevation increased, clearly to prepare us for the final day. Quite a mixed group for the week with some very good cyclists but also those who struggled along. Most days there was a shorter route, less hilly route, for the less inclined (no pun intended)!
The countryside was beautiful, the villages and views amazing. I have plenty of photos to bore you with but the aim was the ascent of Ventoux. To do this, after another hotel stop in Apt we arrived at Sault. We stayed in Hotel de Sault which also had a small museum contains bikes used on early Tour de France races. It makes you realise how lucky we are with modern cycles. The weather was hot but with little wind for our assault on the famous climb. The route from Sault seemed to fall into three sections. The first from the hotel a decent but manageable climb. The second third much flatter allowing an improved speed and recovery before the steeper climb to the summit. The third from Chalet Reynard was much steeper and was above the tree line, like cycling through a moonscape. What a sense of achievement to reach the summit and meet other successful cyclists! Hard work but worth the effort. A visit by all to the Tommy Simpson memorial to pay respects included.
Now the reward. Fantastic views and then a15 mile descent to Bedoin. A great day for all involved. Finally, a note to those of you uncertain if you could complete the ride, one of our group rode an e-bike. She had a knee replacement 7 months before. However, she had a new knee on the other leg previously together with two new hip joints. If she can do it, can you?
