Ventoux: Sacrifice and Suffering on the Giant of Provence

A fascinating and evocative history of the legendary Mont Ventoux—the most daunting and extreme mountainous portion of the Tour de France cycling race.

Mont Ventoux, the "Giant of Provence," is a legendary and extreme mountain climb. The formidable ascent of Ventoux’s south side encapsulates both the unforgiving brutality and epic beauty of this intense sport, but also brings to the forefront cycling’s ongoing battle with scandal. Revealing the little-known history of racing on Ventoux, author Jeremy Whittle interviews such memorable cyclists as Chris Froome, Eddy Merckx, Greg LeMond, Lance Armstrong, Bernard Hinault, Dave Brailsford, Tyler Hamilton, and many others, exploring both the fear and respect of those who dare to conquer cycling's most notorious ascent.

The author, who spends some of his year living in the shadow of the Giant, also details the cycling paradise that Ventoux’s foothills have now become, bringing the reader close to the essence of what cycling is all about.