June 15, 2025

I have been hearing about this People Cycling trip from numerous friends in Morris Area Freewheelers for many years. Everyone has raved about the beautiful hotel, the charming town of Vaison la Romaine, the beautiful bike routes and the amazing opportunity to climb the iconic Mont Ventoux. Because the trip is popular and fills up quickly, I booked it almost a year ago after I got home from Crete. As I described the proposed climb up Ventoux to various non-cycling friends – 15 miles gaining more than 5000ft – they all looked at me dumbfounded and said, “why on earth would you want to do that???” I guess the answer is peer pressure, of the best kind.

Getting ready to go on this trip and training for the challenge was a bit rocky. I got a cold or flu in April that kept me from riding for a week or so and sapped my energy. Many windy, rainy days also got in the way, and just when I was starting to build back some strength and momentum in May, I twisted my knee running in agility class. It didn’t seem like a bad injury, no swelling or discoloration, but I still took more days off and started the rehab exercises right away. Running wasn’t comfortable but thankfully It felt OK to ride. I was certainly not at my strongest as I boarded the plane for Paris, but I figured I would be fine enough. After all, I have enjoyed climbing on all the other bike trips I have done.