Brigadières on expedition - Ventoux
From June 17 to 19, 2022
In June 2022, 7 highly motivated brigadières for this new edition of brigadières en Expé met at the foot of the Giant of Provence!
In 2021, it was a self-guided trip departing from Annecy, for a cycling experiencepacking. In 2022, Off to Mont Ventoux! We're staying in the same place for three days to explore the surrounding area and, of course... The Giants of Provence.
7 brigadières with different profiles and training but who are brought together with the sole aim of having a great time together as girls, pushing themselves and finishing the announced courses.
Friday the 17th
Some are working, others are already on vacation, somewhere other than Annecy. The plan for everyone to meet up is A puzzle, but we finally manage it. Most of the group leaves in the morning to arrive around noon in Sault. We're ready to ride. The heat is intense, 42°C. A short warm-up ride is planned for the end of the afternoon before tackling the main event tomorrow. The Col de l'Homme Mort via Ferrassières awaits us. Ironic, considering we're an all-female group. An average gradient of 4.38%, just enough to get us warmed up for the weekend. Mont Ventoux is the challenge of tomorrow.
The rest of the girls trickle in this late afternoon. They're given jerseys to belong to the same group, to establish a sense of belonging. This season's colors are burgundy, and the girls love them!
Saturday 18
After a wild night with a neighborhood dog that spends its night barking at imaginary passersby… Wake-up call at 6 a.m. for a 7 a.m. departure. We're getting up early to avoid the heat of the day… Will this be a good strategy? In any case, we'll be overwhelmed by this summer heat. We set off towards Bédoin via the back roads. And precisely to make sure we stay on these less busy roads, we find ourselves right from the start on a steep climb in Monieux with a 19% gradient. A brutal warm-up!
But beyond the narrow roads, little balconies unfold, revealing the summit of Mont Ventoux in the distance. The route is fantastic! It really builds excitement and motivation to climb the Giant of Provence.
We arrive in Bédoin, the stop is brief, just enough time to take a photo in front of the famous 0 km marker before tackling the climb to Ventoux.
Heading towards Malaucène, we also stopped for a few minutes to refill our water bottles. Yes, after only 46 km we're already completely dry in this heat. Even at 8 am it's scorching!
And so, we set off on a 21km climb at an average gradient of 7.24% in 39°C heat. Kilometer 10 is a particularly steep 10% section, which doesn't help. The breaks in the shade are much appreciated but not enough to regain our energy. Luckily, Eric, a motorcyclist accompanying his friend who was cycling up, was there to help us. He saw us struggling at kilometers 12 and 14, and finally at kilometer 15, he provided us with water and dried fruit. Thank you!
Just 4km to the summit, with an average gradient of 10%, that's using up all the energy we have left.But we did it!! We're here, Summit of Mont-Ventoux :D So of course, there are the tourist photos and the cliché of the cyclist in front of the sign, in front of the meteorological observatory tower, of the view… At the same time, we went up there for that, to have the memory of this unique experience and for it to remain etched in our minds.
What a group! As some said:
“How can you make me believe you're on vacation when you're only here for the weekend?!”
Sweat, laughter, tears, confidences, songs, ice cream, fries, mosquitoes, steep climbs, and breathtaking scenery! We were cooked! 🥵 But we had a lot of fun!”
We had our lunch break at the summit, at the Vendran restaurant, which saved some of us from feeling peckish. We had to head back afterwards.
We set off again for a "descent" via Sault to return to our accommodation. "Descent" in quotes because it's actually quite flat, so it's a descent where you're constantly pushing hard to navigate all the hairpin bends. The climb via Sault is indeed the easiest, averaging 4.48%.
Arriving in Sault, head towards André Boyer, Master Nougatier and his amazing ice creams! Any means are good to cool down.
End of ride with 95 km 2229 d+.
Well-deserved rest, relaxing evening, laughter and BBQ, we are lucky to have cooks on the team.
Sunday 19
Already the last day in Provence. We get up early again to enjoy the cool morning air.
Great route that takes us to the entrance of the Nesque Gorge. This time, no steep climbs and quiet country roads with no cars.
We begin our descent into the Gorges; every turn is incredible, we can see Mont Ventoux in the distance. After yesterday's day with all that elevation gain, doing the 13km Gorges... Going downhill was a real pleasure!
Behind them are small roads surrounded by lavender fields, always with Mont Ventoux in sight.
Some are feeling the effects of the previous day, so the group splits up. The initial 85 km loop Three of the girls tackled the 1,426m+ route, while the others completed a 69km loop with 1,000m of elevation gain. When they met up again, everyone was delighted with the scenery and the kilometers covered.
The idea for this last day is to get back to the accommodation early enough to pack our bags and make the 4.5-hour drive. We'll still take the time to enjoy lunch on the terrace, though.
This edition of the Brigadières en Expédition was once again a fantastic experience: pushing our limits, encouragement, kindness, and laughter. It's through shared challenges and camaraderie that we grow closer. The three days flew by far too quickly. We're already looking forward to going back next year: let the expeditions continue!
