It’s glorious sunshine outside, with temperatures above 20°C. It’s a beautiful evening for a ride, but I booked the tickets to this a month ago, I’d better go and sit in a dark theatre. Ventoux by 2 Magpies Theatre, a play about stage 12 of the Tour de France in the year 2000. Where Marco Pantani comes back to cycling to challenge Armstrong after Armstrong’s first Tour de France win, a win that many thought was a fluke; a fluke because there were no previous grand tour winners to compete against. Continue reading
Mont Ventoux
Book review – Ventoux by Bert Wagendorp
A work of fiction about cycling? With plenty of real cycling tales being told is there room for cycling fiction? With fictional novels being very subjective I’ll try my best to give an idea of the story’s appeal without spoiling the plot – if it appeals, read it. Personally; I wasn’t sure at first, but I have read it and I have to say, for me it was a bit of a page turner. I was engrossed. If I was to sum up what it’s about I’d say friendship and growing up, but it’s also contains sex, drugs, poetry and cycling. Intrigued? I thought you might be. Continue reading
Mont Ventoux – The Mythical Mountain
The American accent cuts through the conversations on Bedoin’s main street, it’s early evening and the restaurant’s outside seating is full of diners in full conversation. “Have you rode up the mountain yet?” I overhear, “We rode up this afternoon” the American voice proclaims. They are a retired couple from America, in their late 60s, touring Europe and they had Mont Ventoux on their to do list. The giant of Provence seems to captivate the attention of so many as a cycling mountain, not just cyclists either, but anybody young and old who wants to challenge themselves. The array of people who attempt this mountain, on all manner of bicycles from basic mountain bikes to serious road bikes, is really something to behold. Continue reading