Mont Ventoux is a mountain in the Provence region of southern France. It is the largest mountain in the region and has been nicknamed the “Giant of Provence”, or “The Bald Mountain”.
As the name might suggest (venteux means windy in French), it can get windy at the summit, especially with the Mistral wind speeds as high as 320 km/h (200 mph) have been recorded.
The road over the mountain is often closed due to high winds. Especially the “col de tempêtes” (“storm pass”) just before the summit is known for its strong winds.
It has gained notoriety as one of the most gruelling climbs faced by riders in the Tour de France.
Tommy Simpson was a British rider, born 30th November 1937 in County Durham. He began racing bicycles in his teens. In 1959, he move to France, hoping to enter enough amateur races so that he might be noticed by a professional team.
By 1967, he had made a name for himself and was at peak form. He had won the World Championship in San Sebastian, Spain in 1965, and his reputation was such that he was a serious contender for The tour de France.
Before Stage 13, which was to start in Marseille and finish in Carpentras, on 13th July 1967, Tommy Simpson was suffering from a stomach bug.
At the approach to Mont Ventoux, some riders formed a breakaway group, but Simpson was dropped. It was searingly hot – over 40 degrees centigrade, and as the sun beat down on him, Tommy Simpson faltered.
Falling back from the group, within only a few kilometres from the summit, he weaved across the road, unable to accept he would lose time to rivals. He would not be beaten. Within a mile of the summit, he fell from his bike, wracked with heat exhaustion, barely able to communicate.
With the help of his team mechanic, he tried to remount his bike, but could not move the pedals. His last words to his mechanic were “Go on! Go on”
When he fell again, his hands were locked to the handlebars. The mechanic shouted for the other mechanic to pry them loose and the pair laid Simpson beside the road.
A motorcycle policeman summoned the tour doctor, who took over team officials’ first attempts at saving Simpson, including mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. The doctor massaged Simpson’s heart and gave him oxygen.
He was flown by helicopter to hospital at Avignon, but died at 5:40pm.
It later transpired that amphetamines had been found in the pocket of Simpson’s jersey, and alcohol in his blood stream. The drugs had not killed him, but they had blocked out the pain as he rode – the pain that was trying to tell him to stop.
The verdict of death was a heart attack.
A very sad end of an English gentleman, who had won the hearts of all the other racers with his elegant manners and who had given his life to the sport he loved.
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