Archived Gearing Notes for Mont Ventoux

This is an archived editorial. It summarizes information that formerly appeared on bike-lessaisies.com. It is presented as historical material only and does not describe current conditions, availability, ownership, prices, schedules, or contacts.

Context of the archived article

The former page addressed a practical question for road cyclists: which gearing to use when climbing Mont Ventoux. The archived text mixed route descriptions, training remarks, and general drivetrain advice. It should be read as a snapshot of past editorial content, not as current guidance.

Route figures as stated at the time

The archived article described the Bédoin approach as the most feared and most frequented, citing roughly 21 to 22 km with about 1,600 m of vertical gain and average gradients near 7.5 percent. It also mentioned the Sault route as the least difficult but longest, with at least 1,100 m of climbing, and referenced a walking estimate of about 23 km and seven hours with roughly 1,500 m of positive gain. These figures are reproduced here only as historical claims from the source.

Drivetrain advice in the archived text

The page discussed several setups:

• A triple chainset in the 52/40/30 range paired with a 12-25 cassette.
• A compact 50/34, with a warning against using the same cassette as on flat outings.
• Cassettes in the 11/32 and 11/34 range described as better suited to mountainous routes.

It also listed rider-level pairings such as 39×23, 39×27, 34×28, 36×25, 32×26, and 26×32, presented informally rather than as recommendations.

Gearing theory mentioned

The archived article explained gearing as the ratio between chainring teeth and sprocket teeth, and gave examples of distance per pedal revolution, including 2.42 m for a 34/30 combination and 9.70 m for a 50/11. It also referred to a cadence range of roughly 60 to 90 revolutions per minute and to an estimated two hours for a strong rider to reach the summit.

Closure note

The source mentioned that access to the summit was closed to motor traffic until spring 2021 during rehabilitation work. This is recorded here as an archived historical detail and should not be taken as a statement about present access.

Status of this page

This editorial is a restrained summary of an old article. It makes no claim about current products, routes, access rules, or services, and it does not imply any continuing relationship with the original site.