Even he no longer believed in it. Usually so quick to ignite for French runners, Mont Ventoux was very calm, Tuesday July 22, in the hours preceding the passage of the 16th stage of the Tour de France. Calm before the storm, of course. And we are not talking about wind here, because the storm was not going to come from the sky, but of bitumen, with a blue, white and red jersey to suddenly wake up the thousands of fans who were storming to the giant of Provence. Like any storm, she had a name: Valentin Paret-Peintre.
It took the first French stage victory of this 112nd Tour de France to ignite Mont Chauve. Under a blazing sun, softened by the breezes, the public was especially waiting for Tadej Pogacar. “It is he who will pass here first, even if we would like it to be Primoz Roglic. Pogacar is a big champion, but Roglic we may love him even more”thus assured Roman, from express Slovenia for this stage: “We installed our tent on Saturday in the Ventoux, since we made the three climbs. But today we did it on foot, it's simpler for the cooler.”
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In the slopes of the Provence giant, the Slovenian flags and inscriptions to the glory of Tadej Pogacar were almost as numerous as the jerseys of Olympique de Marseille. “The Ventoux is the South! We're going to put a southern atmosphere!”thus promised Fabrice, knit of OM on his back. With his friends, the Phocaean had chosen to settle in the middle of a painted turn in the colors of Denmark. “Which football club do you support?”he launched, in a wobbly Englishman, to a Danish. “Olympique du Marseille”replied the latter, in an equally wobbly French. “Ok, you can stay!”.
The high verb of the Provençaux made the public wait, and whistle the ears of the police. “Oh chief, put them a plum there, they roll too fast!”thus alpacagated another. But the gendarmes were more concerned with the crowds in the turns following the Reynard chalet, mid-Ascension. Where the trees are gradually fading to make way for the lunar landscapes that have legend the Ventoux, the Rodar Cycling community had given an appointment to “Try to put the atmosphere in the stage at the south of France.”
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Obviously, they succeeded: MarseillaiseGloria Gaynor as well as half of Joe Dassin's repertoire in support. Even if it means panicking the gendarmes by triggering a huge Pity In the middle of the Lacets of Ventoux. “We have people from Canada, Spain, Italy, China … We try to have a nice party, without embarrassing the race of course. We do this in good intelligence, we encourage all the runners. With a few beers and some ricard despite everything”summed up Rodolphe, from Rodar Cycling, at the origin of the rally.
As often in the Ventoux, it was at the Reynard chalet that the party concentrated. For four days, the two car parks made available for campers had refueled. The ascent was therefore prohibited by car. In other words: hundreds of people have been passing the peloton for several days. Which gave them time to think, obviously, since we have attended inflatable dinosaurs races, while apprentice hairdressers offered a free mule cut, while roaring a chainsaw (without the blade, of course). Among others.
To find the sound of cicadas, you had to gain height. Being closed to traffic for several days, the summit of Ventoux is worth. Consequence: the more we approach the legendary antenna, the closer the silhouettes of the public approach that of cyclists. “We stalled four days of vacation to live this stage by bike, and take advantage of the south. We took the storm when we arrived, so we waited this morning to get on a bike”thus testify Ronan and Marie, from Strasbourg for the occasion.
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“This is the third time that I rode the Ventoux. I made a first ascent last night. I slept at the top in my hammock but it was a little cool with the windsays Bastien, 21, who came from Aix-en-Provence. So I went back down to put the musette and the hammock in the car. And I went back this morning, but there were thousands of people, it was crazy. Oddly, there are fewer people at the top “. Traveler on a bicycle part of Switzerland, Laura had chosen a very specific place to live the stage of the day: the stele in homage to Tom Simpson, British runner who died in the slopes of Ventoux during the Tour de France 1967.
“It's like a model for me, compared to his love, to his extreme passion for cycling. It is very moving to be here today, for the passage of the Tour”, recognized the young Swiss. A little higher, 500 meters from the summit, Nans and his friends had “Let your legs choose the location”, After climbing on foot, they who preferred to come to the Ventoux rather than seeing the tour pass, the same day, in their city of Uzès.
In the shade of the barriers, some opt for a deserved nap, after effort. Others were entertained by seeing the unexpected costumes of the day: special mention to Mario, Luigi, and their pear jersey friend. After the passage of the caravan, while certain debate on doping in the peloton, others were looking for information on the race. “It seems that Alaphilippe is first”was enthusiastic more than one. But it was ultimately another Frenchman who made the crowd of the Ventoux roar, in the person of Valentin Paret-Peintre.
After depositing Ben Healy on the final line, the first tricolor to raise his arms on the Tour de France 2025 could savor: “A victory on the Tour is extraordinary but at Mount Ventoux, it is still something different … I really had trouble in the last 100 meters to double it. I said to myself: 'No you can't let go, it's incredible, you have to do it'”. And Valentin Paret-Peintre did it, making the party a little more beautiful.
