Now the dust has settled

Packing up Rose at Nice airport

Well, I'm home now but what a way to finish a great adventure! Ventoux was the last of my climbs. From there I went to Nice for a few days before flying home to New Zealand. It was a great end to a fantastic adventure, but I suppose you want to hear about the numbers…

Did it! Mont Ventoux three times in one day

So wow, what a day! One of the big names for mountains to climb, and I did it three times just because the first time was so great. I did get a puncture though, saw the memorial of someone who died climbing the mountain, and more white rocks that you can shake a stick at.

Mont Ventoux three ways!

The mast atop the Mont Ventoux summit which can be seen for miles around

The infamous Mont Ventoux. A mountain that stands by itself in amongst almost flat land. Three roads up from three different towns, all over 20 kilomtres away from the summit. I cycled all three today.

Most metres climbed by a Kiwi....or at least Strava thinks so

Taken at 2pm, but it felt like dusk

Well the weatherman promised it to be light rain and winds last night. Turns out overnight he changed his mind and this morning it was thunderstorms and gale force winds. Not the best weather for climbing mountains. So I stayed in and looked at my Strava data....

Little bit wet today

Well a little bit cold and a little bit wet today – starting to sound like a cracked record with the cold huh! Still, I saw a lot of lavender fields, a very pretty gorge and bumped into a couple of small cols.

Bit of a let down to end the Alps chapter with Bonette closed

Just a random peak with some clouds playing on it

Well today didn’t go as planned, and I have had to miss out on climbing the Bonette which is a real shame but out of my control. However, I did get to ride a big red bike, see some people playing petanque, and saw more of the country today whilst looking for a place to stay. Not as expected today, but certainly not bad.

Almost didn't get to the top

Tough day in the saddle today for the last of the second climb, but got to the top and had a great day. I saw a desert in the hills, the Combi guys again, and some random looking white water rafting guys looking for a way into a gorge.

Recovery ride

Beautiful lake, but no one on it - maybe because it was Monday?

Well today was about some recovery for the legs but I didn't want to be static. A short ride with not too much in the way of climbing allowed me to finish the detour I started yesterday and prepare for the next few days, which will be tough.

The massive detour!

So point A was were I was last night, point B is where I wanted to go. The red skull and cross bones are where the road is closed. The blue lines ended up being the only options. Choices, choices.

Tough day!

Top of the Col de Sarenne

well, a tough old day in the saddle today. I think I had forgotten what it was like to carry 7kgs of additional weight with me and struggled a lot on the climbs. I also saw a big red bike, did Alpe d'Huez one and a quarter times by mistake and saw a big rock and a house. Still, another day of oer 3,500m of climbing and another couple of HC climbs done (HC stands for hors catagorie, which is designated when a climb is "beyond categorisation, as in it is really hard).