Provence

Mont Ventoux

[ OVERVIEW ]

At the centre of every ride in Provence stands the Giant: Mont Ventoux, the bald mountain, the most mythical single climb in cycling. Around it spreads the France of lavender fields, hilltop villages, Roman ruins and rosé at lunch. This journey balances one epic summit with days of rolling beauty through the Luberon — a week that feeds the legs and the soul in equal measure.

Experience Details

Next Dates

TBC

Trip Duration

7 days, 6 nights

Pricing

From €4,800

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Lavender fields with purple flowers, a dirt path, green trees, mountains in the background, and a blue sky with clouds.

[ Experience Details ]

Ride Features

The Giant of Provence by any or all of its three faces — the classic from Bédoin, the forgotten side from Malaucène, the lavender approach from Sault — with the Cinglés challenge (all three in a day) waiting for the ambitious, and a pause at the Tom Simpson memorial near the summit, as every rider should. Beyond Ventoux: the balcony road through the Gorges de la Nesque, the jagged Dentelles de Montmirail, and vineyard lanes through Gigondas and Vacqueyras that barely see traffic.

Food & Drink

Morning markets in Carpentras — truffles in season — olive oil tasted at the mill, Châteauneuf-du-Pape and the underrated crus of the southern Rhône poured in the villages that grow them, and long lunches under plane trees where nobody checks a watch. Rosé at the pool is not optional.

Sightseeing & Culture

Vaison-la-Romaine’s remarkably complete Roman town, the Palais des Papes in Avignon, the ochre cliffs of Roussillon, Gordes stacked on its hillside, and — in late June and July — the Sault plateau turning purple with lavender just as you crest it on the bike.

Where you’ll stay

A 4 country hotel among the vines — stone walls, pool, terrace, and the long Provençal golden hour that no other region in France quite matches. The south understands unhurried luxury; the hotels we use are chosen for exactly that.