Kevin's story: Cinglés du Mont Ventoux

BaseCamp athlete Kevin Davey shared his experience at the Cinglés du Mont Ventoux bike ride in France.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Three Ways Up Mont Ventoux: Joining the Club des Cinglés

After finishing the Traka 360 in May, Greg and I started talking about what might come next. We settled on something completely different: joining the Club des Cinglés du Ventoux by climbing Mont Ventoux from all three sides in a single day.

The Traka had tested my ability to ride long over gravel. Ventoux would test something different—whether I could keep showing up for climb after climb, hour after hour, on one of cycling’s most iconic mountains.

On paper, it seemed like a sensible progression. In reality, life had other ideas.

I had about six weeks between events, but instead of following the training plan we'd mapped out, work became all-consuming. I relocated to London, which meant learning new roads, new routes, and trying to fit training around an unfamiliar routine. More importantly, my father-in-law passed away during that period, and understandably my focus shifted away from cycling.

By the time I arrived in Provence, I knew I wasn't as well prepared as I'd hoped. Fitness fades quickly, confidence even more so, and I wasn't entirely sure how my body would respond to another big endurance challenge.

The challenge is to climb Mont Ventoux from all three sides in a single day. That's 145 km (90 miles), over 4,300 m (14,000 ft) of climbing, and about 12 ½ hours in the saddle.

To avoid the 37°C (98°F) Provençal heat, I rolled out just after midnight. The first climb was in complete darkness, the second with the sunrise, and the third from Sault after two chocolate croissants, a couple of coffees, and some encouragement from a lovely bikepacking couple who assured me I definitely had one more climb left in me.

Along the way I emptied every carb packet I'd packed, refilled my hydration pack at village fountains, was reminded why Ventoux has the reputation it does, and gained an even greater appreciation for just how extraordinary the Tour de France riders are.

The best days on a bike are never about the numbers. They're about the challenge, the places you discover, the views, the experience, and the people you meet along the way.

Looking back, what struck me most wasn’t that I'd climbed Ventoux three times. It was how much the months of training before The Traka—and the foundation Greg had helped me build—were still there, even after six difficult weeks where life understandably took priority over cycling. It was a reminder that good coaching isn't just about preparing you for the perfect training block; it's about building resilience that you can draw on when things don't go according to plan.

I'm incredibly grateful to Greg Waggoner and everyone at BaseCamp Endurance Coaching. This ride wasn't really about climbing Ventoux three times. It was about becoming the kind of rider who could.

I have no idea what the next challenge will be, but I'm looking forward to finding it.