The Cinglé du Mont Ventoux
Three climbs. One mountain. One unforgettable day.
The Cinglé du Mont Ventoux Challenge
The Cinglé du Mont Ventoux is one of cycling’s most iconic challenges. To earn membership of the prestigious Club des Cinglés du Mont Ventoux, you’ll need to climb the Giant of Provence from all three classic routes — Bédoin, Malaucène and Sault — in a single day. You can find more information on the mountain and its three routes in our Cycling Mont Ventoux guide.
We take care of your official Cinglé registration as part of the package, so everything is organised before you arrive. If you’d like to learn more about the challenge and the Club, you can visit the official Club des Cinglés du Mont Ventoux website.
A few weeks later, you’ll receive your official certificate and become a recognised member of one of cycling’s most exclusive clubs, having completed one of the sport’s ultimate bucket-list achievements.
Highlights
✓ Become an Official Cinglé – Join the legendary Club des Cinglés du Mont Ventoux.
✓ Ride All Three Ascents – Climb Mont Ventoux via Bédoin, Malaucène and Sault in a single day.
✓ Expert Advice Throughout – Ride with the experienced Vélo Ventoux team every step of the way.
✓ Marseille Airport Transfers Included – Stress-free travel from arrival to departure.
✓ Fully Supported option – Support vehicle with nutrition, drinks, mechanical assistance and encouragement throughout the day.
Choose Your Cinglé Challenge
Whether you want to tackle the Cinglé completely independently or have the Vélo Ventoux support van with you throughout the day, choose the level of support that suits you.
| Self-Supported | Start & Finish Support | Fully Supported | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4-night price | £690 pp | £795 pp | £1,095 pp |
| 4 nights accommodation | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Airport/station transfers | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cinglé registration & card | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cinglé strategy & local advice | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Transfer to the start | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Collection after your Cinglé | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Full-day support vehicle | — | — | ✓ |
| 10+ opportunities to resupply | — | — | ✓ |
| Food, drink, clothing & personal supplies from support vehicle | — | — | ✓ |
| Minimum group size | — | — | 4 riders |
Self-Supported Cinglé — £690 pp
For experienced riders who are happy to take on the Cinglé independently. Stay with us for four nights on our normal Fixed Base package and we’ll arrange your Cinglé registration and help you prepare with our local knowledge, route advice and tips from supporting previous Cinglé attempts.
On challenge day, you’re completely self-supported, carrying or buying everything you need along the way.
Start & Finish Support — £795 pp
A little extra help without full vehicle support. We’ll arrange your Cinglé registration, help you plan your attempt and drop you at the start early in the morning, ready to begin your first ascent.
Once you’ve completed all three climbs, give us a call and we’ll collect you and your bike, so you don’t have to worry about riding back to the accommodation after a very long day on Ventoux.
There is no support vehicle during the challenge, so you’ll need to be self-sufficient while riding.
Fully Supported Cinglé — £1,095 pp
Our complete Cinglé experience for riders who want to concentrate on the challenge while we take care of the support.
We’ll get you to the start and our Vélo Ventoux support vehicle will be out on the mountain throughout your attempt, giving you 10+ opportunities during the day to refill bottles, collect food, change clothing and access your own personal supplies.
We’ll use our experience of supporting Cinglé riders to help you plan your day and keep you supplied throughout all three ascents, before getting you and your bike safely home when you’ve finished.
Minimum 4 riders for the Fully Supported Cinglé.
When to Ride the Cinglé
Our Cinglé Challenge packages are available by arrangement from mid-May through June, and from the last week of August through September.
These periods generally offer the best conditions for taking on all three ascents of Mont Ventoux in a single day.
We don’t recommend attempting the Cinglé during July, when the summer heat and increased traffic can make an already demanding challenge considerably tougher.
Choose your preferred dates and get in touch — we’ll help you plan the best day for your Cinglé attempt during your stay.
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival and Shakedown Ride
On arrival at Marseille Provence Airport, we’ll meet you and transfer you to VeloVentoux in Puyméras (approximately 1 hour 30 minutes). We operate both a morning and an afternoon airport transfer to suit most flight arrivals.
If you arrive on the morning transfer, you’ll have time to build your bike and get settled in. We’re always on hand to help if needed and to make sure everything is ready for the days ahead.
Once everyone is ready, we’ll head out on a relaxed 45 km shake-down ride to the beautiful hilltop village of Brantes, with magnificent views of the north face of Mont Ventoux. It’s the perfect opportunity to check your bike, loosen the legs and get familiar with the local roads before the challenge.
In the evening, we’ll head into the village for dinner together and talk through the Cinglé Challenge, answer any last-minute questions and make sure everyone is fully prepared for the big day ahead.
Day 2: Cinglé du Mont Ventoux
Today is the day you’ve been preparing for. You’ll take on the legendary Cinglé du Mont Ventoux challenge, climbing all three sides of the mountain in a single day.
You have two options:
Option 1 – Start from Malaucène
A short 15-minute transfer takes you to Malaucène, where you’ll begin the challenge.
- Distance: 135 km
- Elevation gain: 4,381 m
Option 2 – Start from VeloVentoux
Warm-up ride directly from our accommodation in Puyméras, adding a little extra distance and elevation to the day.
- Distance: 161 km
- Elevation gain: 5,000 m
Day 3: Tour du Ventoux
After yesterday’s challenge, today’s ride is one of our absolute favourites – the VeloVentoux Tour du Ventoux. This spectacular 112 km route with 1,400 m of climbing circles Mont Ventoux in an anti-clockwise direction, showcasing the incredible variety of landscapes that surround the Giant of Provence.
We’ll stop for coffee in the charming village of Villes-sur-Auzon before climbing through the breathtaking Gorges de la Nesque, one of the most scenic roads in France. From there, we’ll continue to Sault for a well-earned lunch before returning via the beautiful Toulourenc Valley, completing a memorable circuit of the mountain.
- Distance: 112 km
- Elevation gain: 1,400 m
Day 4: The 3 Cols Ride
For those joining the 4-day tour, we’ll finish with one of our favourite local routes – the Three Cols Ride. Starting directly from the front door of VeloVentoux, this beautiful loop takes in three classic Provençal climbs, each offering its own character and spectacular scenery.
The route includes:
- Col de Propiac – 6.2 km at an average gradient of 3.4%
- Col d’Ey – 5.3 km at an average gradient of 6%
- Col de la Croix Rouge – 6.5 km at an average gradient of 4.2%
The highlight of the day is undoubtedly the Col d’Ey, where you’ll be rewarded with panoramic views stretching both north towards the Alps and south across Provence.
- Distance: 65 km
- Elevation gain: 1,200 m
It’s the perfect way to round off your VeloVentoux experience, with quiet roads, beautiful scenery and just enough climbing to finish the trip on a high.
Day 5: Departure day
After breakfast, we’ll transfer you back to Marseille Provence Airport for your onward journey. The transfer takes approximately 1 hour 30 minutes, giving you time to reflect on an unforgettable few days of riding in Provence—and, hopefully, your successful completion of the Cinglé du Mont Ventoux.
Whether you’re heading home with tired legs, a new brevet certificate on the way, or memories of an incredible cycling challenge, we hope to welcome you back to VeloVentoux again soon.
The Cinglé Map
Is the Cinglé Challenge for Me?
The Cinglé du Mont Ventoux is one of cycling’s most iconic achievements. Climbing Mont Ventoux three times in a single day is a demanding challenge, but with good preparation, sensible pacing and the full support of the VeloVentoux team, it’s an achievable goal for many keen cyclists.
You don’t need to be an elite rider, but you should be comfortable spending a long day in the saddle and capable of riding in mountainous terrain. We’ll help you with pacing, nutrition and strategy throughout the day, giving you the best possible chance of earning your Club des Cinglés certificate.
This challenge is ideal if you:
✓ Have always dreamed of becoming a Cinglé du Mont Ventoux.
✓ Regularly ride 100–150 km and enjoy climbing.
✓ Want the reassurance of expert local support throughout the day.
✓ Prefer to focus on the ride while we take care of the logistics.
✓ Enjoy taking on memorable cycling challenges in spectacular surroundings.