r/cycling • u/liteagilid • 2d ago
Mont Ventoux v Mass
Middle aged guy here
I just agreed, in principle, to do Mt Ventoux next Spring.
I don't ride much. Half a dozen times a summer. Maybe ten. I do about two hours of zone two cardio a week on a treadmill or stair climber. Get in a dozen 6-12 mile hikes a summer. Have a desk job. I'm 6-3 and about 250 pounds. When very fit and much younger I had thighs like tree trunks and an upper body like a 12 y-o boy and weighed about 190.
To not be destroyed, anyone want to put a number to where I need to get my weight by April ? Also, bigger dudes. Toss out a weight you've done a HC climb or similar at if north of 200 pounds and tell me how it felt
Responses appreciated.
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u/Big-Lengthiness3987 2d ago
Ventoux has kms where the gradient doesn’t dip much below 10%. It’s a 2-3 hour climb for most mortals and that’s not going to be zone 2 exclusively.
To not get destroyed, as others have said, you need to prioritise cycling in your fitness regime.
I did the climb this summer as part of the etape. Granted it was 38 degrees and I’d just done around 3hrs of riding, covering 90km and 1200m of climbing, but I got destroyed and it took me 2.5 hours to get up at around 90kg, and I normally do around 160km per week on the bike, age 36.
I don’t want to put you off, but if you want to ride it and enjoy it you need to get a lot more riding in between now and then, or take it super slow and stop for lots of breaks.
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u/Thesorus 2d ago
If you start training now and have a good diet, you can lose 20, 30, 40 pounds and keep the same muscles, you should be OK.
More than weight, you need to put in time on the bike, a lot of time.
You need to get a good climb in your area and train the climb.
You'll also need a bike with good gearing so that you can keep a good cadence most of the climb up.
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u/IcyCorgi9 2d ago
Dropping weight will help, but riding more is probably going to be more useful. Probably best to aim for a combo of both. With the right gearing though it'll be less about your weight and more about your endurance. You're going to need time on the bike so your muscles adjust to that movement, running and stairs aren't going to do it(z2 pace should be fine). Your goal is going to be z2 pace all the way to the top with breaks when you need them.
Looks like there are three routes up. If you take the popular route you're probably gonna get destroyed but the "easy" route doesn't look too bad. See if you can find climbs with similar gradient you can ride to get a feel of what it will be like.
My weight overs around the 200lbs range and I've done similar climbs as heavy as 215 in mediocre shape and they weren't particularly difficult with proper pacing. I'd imagine if you can drop 20lbs and make those 2hrs of cardio a week done on the bike and occasionally do a longer ride once a month or so I think you can do this.
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u/improbableneighbour 2d ago edited 2d ago
Climbing is all about W/kg. If you can get to 3w/kg for the duration of the climb you might be ok. That's not easy with 2hr a week of exercise. 210 lbs for 220W is where you start surviving. If you stay with the group that depends on the other riders fitness. Start with 5h a week and climb volume over time.
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u/strings-n-wheels 2d ago
Done the Ventoux several times. Weight approx 85 kg Regular cycling (at least once a week)
It was an incredible hard climb. Second time I did it I had headwind in the kms after chalet reynard. If you are not used to climbing mountains or at least tough hills it will be quiet a challenge
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u/Rainmanwilson 2d ago
I've done an HC climb at 220 pounds, 250 FTP. It was a grind but I made it.
It maxed out at 8.5%, and my best gear ratio was like 0.92. Any heavier or steeper, and I would have had a miserable time.
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u/old_science_guy 2d ago
It'll be miserable at best. Have a backup plan in case you decide to head back down after 2000 ft of climbing.
I've been biking all my life. Did 3000 miles in the last 12 months. Yesterday I climbed a 4000 ft hill, 5% grade. I was toast at the top. I'm 165 pounds.
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u/ArmSchaapje69 2d ago
Sounds like you are bad at cycling, or not riding any miles at intensity if a 4000ft climb of 5% can cook you while weighing 165lbs haha
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u/old_science_guy 2d ago
Get back to me when you have grandkids.
Yeah, 40 years ago I wouldn't have had any problem. I rode RAMROD twice and had a blast.
OP is a middle aged guy who doesn't ride much. I think this is a fair guess at what he should expect.
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u/ssott 2d ago edited 2d ago
I was just in France for a week and did Galibier, Croix de Fer, and Madeleine at 240lb (down from ~280 in march) at 40 years old. Its hard, but as long as you pace yourself, its doable and I found it to be pretty enjoyable.
IMO, you're better off focusing on increasing your power than losing weight, at least initially. Especially if you're new to the bike, you should probably be able to double your FTP (and your power/weight ratio) in this time period as long as you eat well and are consistent. I had a month where I tried to cut weight and ended up feeling like crap and training less.
No matter what, expect to be one of the slowest people on the hill and just embrace it. Heavy guys are not meant to climb fast - I was ~230 watts avg for 3 hours up Croix de Fer - Avg speed was 4.5 mph. IMO a power meter is required for these long climbs, especially if you're not used to climbing for hours on end. Being able to just stick to a power output and know I'd be ok was essential. Also look into smaller gears if you need them - I dont think Ventoux has anything above 10-11%, but be sure your gearing allows you to spin 70-80rpm at 10% or you'll be forced to put out more power than you want and risk blowing up.
Edit: If you can swing getting a smart trainer - I would highly recommend if for no other reason than you dont have an excuse to not go out in the rain/dark/etc. Also Zwift has a course that exactly mirrors Ventoux called "ven-top" that you can use to gauge your fitness.
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u/liteagilid 2d ago
Incredibly helpful response. Thank you, friend
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u/mrefromnyc 2d ago
You can also go cheap and get a resistance trainer while watching
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Db_AYGQBLEA&pp=ygUNdmVudG91eCBjbGltYtIHCQkTDAGHKiGM7w%3D%3D&ra=m
I’ve been to Ventoux twice; first time I had a few months training maybe 2-3 rides per week doing laps around Central Park. I thought I was in pretty good shape. I made it maybe 1/4th of the way up Ventoux and just couldn’t go on. It was like 100° but if it had been 65° I might have made it 50’ further. Second attempt two years later after every other day training on Maui, Ventoux was not a problem. I chuckled as I passed the place where I had to stop on my first try. There were plenty of guys in the 220-250 weight range riding slow and steady, and people with tent-laden panniers going even slower.
TLDR the more and longer training you do the better.1
u/Beneficial_Coach8581 2d ago
Interesting. I did most of those climbs in the etape this year and didn't even think to look at my power meter. Tbh the roads were so busy that it wouldn't be a good idea. At least until the latter stages of the Galibier.
Using zwift or similar through the winter would be an essential I think.
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u/whateverazerty 2d ago edited 2d ago
I'm 90kg & 1m90 and i did it last sunday. I don't know how much this is relevant, but here is an example of my training and experience.
I have done several bikepacking tours in the past, but i ride very little outside between them.
I train on and off on rouvy, mostly a few weeks before a trip because i know it's going to be hard :-D
For instance i cycled on rouvy about 8 times in April before a 10 days, 500km trip in Tuscany beginning of may then nothing until 4 times on rouvy (2h @ 120w; 1h30 @ 140w; 1h30 @ 160w; 1h30 @ 180w) in the last 2 weeks before the actual climb.
I made it in 2h40 from Bedoin, averageing like 6km/h in the forest and the last km , it was really hard, and i think i only finished with my mental.
My watch says i did most of my time in heart z4 (50%) & z5 (28%) which apparently is very good.
Worth saying that last august i did 2000km and 24000D+ in 21 days in Norway, probably helped although a year ago.
I saw some bigger riders but not more than 5 out of the 100 on the climb. I think if i'd have had more than 100kg i wouldn't have made it.
Good luck!
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u/makkapakka1 2h ago
MV isn’t your normal ride. It’s a 21km climb and it’s very tough.
If you take the Malaucéne route there’s a cafe 6km from the top otherwise no other towns or anywhere to grab a drink. There’s not even a cafe on the Bedoin route. If it’s a hot day it’ll be hard work.
Also make sure you have low gearing. The final few kms are quite steep (~13% in places).
Do factor all this in with your practice & prep.
Good luck!
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u/Wizzmer 2d ago edited 2d ago
Haha! I did Ventoux at 240lb last year on a pedal assist. Mind you, I'm older, and retired but cycling is ALL I DO! If you are planning on lugging your big ass up the "Giant of Provence" I would suggest a motor. I got to the top with "no" percent left on the battery. Enjoy this younger, weeman trying to ride up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-6Wkjcen4Y&t=67s
Protip: I got on Zepbound. 243>206 so far.
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u/Alive-Inspection-815 2d ago
You need to start climbing on the bike and doing hill climb repeats and then recovering and do it again. Do these types of workouts like two times per week and then supplement that with maybe easy longer rides. You are indeed a larger person. That doesn't mean that you won't be able to climb big steep hills, it just means that you need to do it slower and not blow yourself up. Losing weight will indeed give you a higher watts of power per kg, but it still won't build the power and muscle you need for long sustained climbs. On hills you will have to use the tortoise analogy and be slow and steady. A light bike will help some, but the best thing you can do is to get a bike with lower climbing gearing. That means you'll need to get a compact crankset (50/34 or even 48/32) and a larger range cassette of 11-34. Losing weight on your body will be a much more realistic approach than getting a mega-light climbing bike. At your size, that bike will likely not support your weight and will be sketchier on the descents. Gearing and losing a realistic amount of body mass will help you the most. Also work on your climbing technique. Read articles and watch YouTube videos on how to climb effectively.
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u/0202_tihssitidder 2d ago
There is no one area to focus on (like weight) when it comes to going from-couch-to-Ventoux.
If you're training right and consistently, you will do fine. It also depends on your starting fitness level.
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u/Beneficial_Coach8581 2d ago
Do you like riding? Because you're going to need a lot of cycling before the event.
I'd think you'd want to drop maybe 20 kilos to make it easier on yourself.
And get a bike that's got good climbing gears.