The unknown side of Mont Ventoux

Just to the north of ‘the Giant of Provence’, the rugged and little-known roads of the Drôme offer some unforgettable riding

Drôme scenery.

(Image credit: Wikimedia Commons/Toutaitanous)

Dominating the landscape around it in awe-inspiring fashion, Mont Ventoux has long been an iconic location for cyclists.

Yet, all too many tackle one, two or perhaps even all three of the roads that weave first through forest and then the bleached lunar terrain of its upper slopes to the weather station at its summit and then head home, unaware of other riding delights that lie in the shadow of ‘the bald mountain’.

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Peter Cossins has been writing about professional cycling since 1993, with his reporting appearing in numerous publications and websites including Cycling WeeklyCycle Sport and Procycling - which he edited from 2006 to 2009. Peter is the author of several books on cycling - The Monuments, his history of cycling's five greatest one-day Classic races, was published in 2014, followed in 2015 by Alpe d’Huez, an appraisal of cycling’s greatest climb. Yellow Jersey - his celebration of the iconic Tour de France winner's jersey won the 2020 Telegraph Sports Book Awards Cycling Book of the Year Award.