Riding Mont Ventoux on Zwift: What to expect from Zwift's biggest climb yet!

Zwift have added the famous moon-like climb from the Tour de France and Dave put himself through climbing the "Beast of Provence" to tell you how faithful it is to the real thing.
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[@Kameleonline]

oh dear - 150mins - which is (yes) 2hrs 30mins. In my defence, i only popped out (on Zwift) for a pint of milk, thinking I'd cruise round France for 30mins, but then i saw Le Ventoux and i got summit fever. Totally unprepared, no food, ran out of water - BUT - i'll feel good next time when i go faster (fingers crossed).

[@roadcc]

Well this has without doubt been our favourite comment of the week 👏👏

[@benanderson9551]

Races up this the first time and expected to do it in about an hour (rookie error). After that I just hung in there. It was so tough the first time that it took me a couple of months to build up the courage to do it again but did it and learned from my mistakes. Tough but if you have a couple of hours and fancy a challenge then the buzz from doing it is great

[@jemsmay2167]

Rode the Zwift version yesterday, the real thing 2 years ago. Thought the zwift version was more difficult to be honest, maybe because it’s more boring. Real thing was more uncomfortable (damn flies in the forest, no shade on upper part, wind...). I passed the time giving the new features names (sir Wattsalots castle, the tunnel of pain, the river of misery...). All in all a fine effort by zwift, less so by me...

[@FluidCycling]

Did the climb on Saturday with a KICKR Bike configured as 50/34, 11 spd, 11-32T (and Zwift difficulty set at 100%). Completed the "Ven-Top" route in 86 min 44 sec (with a time of 81 min 49 sec for the "Mont Ventoux KOM"). For some reason I really like these long hard climbs on Zwift. Hope there are more in the future.

[@Alniemi]

Long hard climbs are best, and I always love descent after a few min at the top, that is the reward!!

[@discodave6153]

Good video, like the presenting style 👌🏻

[@tonystroudlewis6333]

1:16:06 on the Tron bike, done it 11 time so far 😳 (63 YO, 3.8w/kg average)

[@1980dowen]

cool story bro

[@davidrowe8747]

Thanks for this very helpful description. I plan to take this on next time France is an option. I'll report back! Although it is a long slog, from your sped-up screen shots, it looks like the slope is fairly constant - which in my mind is a plus. As I have my trainer set at 100% difficulty, I find it more of a chore when gradient is constantly changing, because of the frequent clunky gear changes.

[@Alniemi]

Clunking gears is my favorite part XD, it’s why I upgraded to a direct drive trainer

[@dtrjones]

I think on climbs it's the same difficulty even with 50% which I have set on my Wattbike. It just depends on how quickly you want to go up the mountain. As a relative beginner (I've been cycling for just a year), I appreciate the smaller gears! 😀

[@blufish11]

OK- good video. I just had to search this because I just did the climb on Zwift at 2 hrs and 44 seconds. was on a group ride for an hr and decided to keep going to the top- that's a tough one!

[@hombrealagua]

I did it in 1:51:00, first time virtual or real, looking forward to do it real someday.

[@KhunAdam]

Took me 2hrs 38 mins in a very low gear. I was intending to stop at Chalet Rénard, but got summit fever after that. I saved my knees though. Problem was I had over 35 short Wi-Fi dropouts which killed a lot of momentum on the steeper gradients and did nothing for the morale!

[@KevinSimpson_MTB]

Do you have to reach a certain level in zwift to unlock this climb like you do with Alpe du Zwift?

[@adrianparchman8014]

No but you can only do it at certain times. Look in the events for stage 3. I did it today. It’s brutal.

[@lasmart02699]

I did it in Thursday

[@marnixvanderkolk]

Lol, i keep doing the Alp till i get them wheels then i'll give this one a go. Done the real thing about 7 times. No not in one day :P My best irl was 1 hour 38. And after the second time you do see lots of recognisable points of reference along the road during the long forrest section. For me personally it's all about getting to chalet Reinard that's hard. As soon as i get there i know i'll make it even tough it's still a pretty long way. I can't wait to compare the zwift version as soon as i get those lightweights (all probably give up on them after a few more goes 🤪)

[@paulrattew]

I did it on Sunday as part of the 3rd stage of the Zwift TdF etape. 70 minutes 28 seconds for the climb. That was averaging 315 watts / about 4w/kg. Went into that with a lot of fatigue in my legs but I’m not sure that made all that much of a difference to my time - I think I might be able to do 4.2w/kg average if I’m more fresh, but I reckon that’s my current limit. I think Zwift have done a decent job replicating the climb. I’m very happy they can’t replicate the wind!

[@laurentmertensdewilmars3809]

You are a hero, sir

[@jamescarroll2029]

I just vEverested on Ven-Top - a total of 17 hours, 27 minutes and 57 seconds. Avg 143 watts across the day. I would love to try it IRL (one ascent only, please).

[@grayl2]

1:36.09 back in the summer on zwift, 1:47.24 in April in RGT up the other side. Never been near it in real life.

[@WowRixter]

Good analysis. I've ridden both (virtual and actual) and the representation is pretty good. I wish they had a bit more of the forest in the first half. I have no recollection of my time in actual reality, we climbed it twice from two locations that hot day in August

[@markbentley4343]

My thoughts exactly about the forest. It's pretty atmospheric in real life as you catch a glimpse of the top and the vineyards. Great

[@rmazocar]

92 mins @ 3.2 w/kg avg using a P5 TT bike with 808s, exactly the wrong Zwift bike for going uphill.

[@sevenrats]

It's absolutely grueling. Not in difficulty but the length of it. Right about where you would have finished the Alpe, you have another 4 miles and almost 2000 feet to go. I am an average rider. On my way up I noticed that there ARE NOT a lot of average riders going up that road. I'm a solid Cat C rider in Zwift races. I've done the Alp du Zwift in 1:26. It took me 2:38. I wasn't going hard because I didn't know what to expect and didn't want to die part way up. I still almost gave up before 2 hours. But I have an issue with not finishing. Next time I'll hit it harder.

[@KhunAdam]

Hey sevenrats I had the same mental challenge yesterday. All the doubts and negative thoughts about blowing up, hurting the knees, cramping before the finish. At least there's no wind and you can control your temperature indoors. You have to have strong motivation to suffer that long. My connection kept dropping out too which made me so annoyed I resolved not to let that stop me!

[@sevenrats]

@Free T Around 2 w/kg.

[@robertlacasse]

real life from Bedouin: 1h35 min in 2019.

[@jasoncaine5888]

Did it last night 1:28:55 very happy with the time

[@TheoreticallyNo]

SST workout is a good hack to get the pacing right.

[@Amber7b]

77 and change. While I climb the Alpe almost daily as my standard workout, this one is just a little too spicy to serve the same purpose. Nice addition, though; I approve.

[@dtrjones]

"77 and change. " - what does that mean? Did you give up after 77 minutes?

[@Amber7b]

@@dtrjones I meant "77 minutes and an unspecified number seconds". :) Heh... managed to get the time down to 67'55"since. Lockdowns and smart trainers go well together. ;)

[@dtrjones]

@@Amber7b Ah that's really impressive! Not tried yet, I definitely need to put more practice in if I'm to finish under 120 minutes! Only had my Wattbike Atom for a few weeks so all of this is an education and I've never owned a real bike.

[@6ft8incyclist]

Devastating!!!! I was 2.1 KM from the top Huge thunderstorm's made my internet drop a couple times when I was able to log back on ZWIFT.. I was asked to resume my ride I was over joyed thinking I was going to be placed 2.1 KM from the top. NOOOOO I was placed at the base of the climb.. I have not been back since...But it is on my list to be completed some day.

[@pammasters7011]

Same exact thing happened to me. Huge relief followed by HUGE frustration. crushing Zwift, fix that so we can resume where we left off!

[@oliverperris6432]

Did this today for the first time in 2hrs 1 min (I’m a middle grade C cat rider). Top tip - don’t mentally compare it to the Alpe as when you hit 3000 feet and you have another 2000 to go, you’ll feel awful!

[@samubell1]

Speaking of real road feel, do you adjust the Zwift 'difficulty' setting to obtain a more realistic climbing feel? or have you messed around with that at all?

[@dtrjones]

Doesn't a more realistic climbing feel just mean some are suited to lower gearing? Either way you still have to put in the same watts.

[@KhunAdam]

I used to set my Wahoo trainer to 100% difficulty but had trouble when the gradient went over 9 %. Lowering the difficulty means you can have a lower gear (but you go slower of course.) It makes no difference to trainer feel. It's more like the feel of riding the lower gears on a mountain bike instead of a road bike.

[@Jac833]

What’s the best way to remove a stripped allen head, will I need to by the extraction kit

[@robertwillemsen368]

Weld a nut on top of the allen head

[@Jac833]

@@robertwillemsen368 I don’t have access to be able to weld, with figure something out over the winter (probably try cutting a strip into the nut and then using a flathead screwdriver or extraction kit)

[@scottvessey915]

Done it once in Zwift, glad I did but won’t be doing it again

[@KhunAdam]

Done it once on Zwift and a few years back on Kinomap. Kinomap is obviously more realistic in terms of the video, but Zwift is just more interesting to look at.

[@robertwillemsen368]

2:11 in real life. super nice climb

[@robertwillemsen368]

2.08 on zwift!

[@Chris-dw3xl]

I’ve only done it twice my quickest been 78 mins but I think I prefer it over alpe de Zwift those hairpins seem to do my head 1 hairpin 2 hairpin and so on but on ven top I just count down the height in metres it seems to pass bit more quickly

[@ronald1363]

If imwant to do it with a tacx boost with resistance must I put it 3 or 4

[@roadcc]

zwift recommends level 2 with the tacx boost but reviewers including DCR have found that level 3 is more accurate for power readings

[@Jeff-bd4gg]

This is a great video for falling asleep to

[@roadcc]

Hope you got that shut eye 😁

[@davidrowe8747]

Have done it three times, and will do fourth on Thursday with a group (The Ascenders). It's a pretty boring ascent, but worth doing just to tick it off. Alpe de Zwift is much more interesting.

[@roadcc]

Dave's still only done it once, the complete slacker

[@Rotoped64]

1:43 two days before...

[@markc3832]

1:37:32 warmed up on alpe du zwift first.

[@PJC_001]

1hr 53min. Wasn't killing myself to get a good time though. It's a brute of a climb though with lots over 9%.

[@veloriderkm]

You climb before segment starts so don’t overdo it until you see the segment line on Zwift, the middle bit is the steepest but it’s steady all the way and not that hard. Remember that IRL, the summit is cold and oxygen is scarce, relish the virtual comfort.

[@chrisvanbuggenum871]

I didn't know where the start was so i went full gas as soon as it went up, but i ran out of steam before i got to the finish!

[@edgardwill4932]

Import a route from Strava is the most important update that never comes! Anyway to do it? Anyone knows?

[@roadcc]

not on zwift, no. other platforms can do it, including Wahoo RGT and Tacx Training. you'll be waiting a long time for zwift to do it, it's not in their plan at all AFAIK

[@edgardwill4932]

@@roadcc Actually, I have learned that's a way to convert GPX file to ZWO file, and send it as workout file in zwift with all training data needed to repeat the ride. Living and learning. Thanks for you software references. Thx. 👍👍

[@edgardwill4932]

There's other softwares like wahoo, rgt and etc that can import gpx as well...

[@petterelias8476]

Did the segment Mont Ventoux KOM today on 58:17 average 5,05 w/KG. Thanks for the help with tips from this vidioe :)

[@markagee44]

1:31

[@drsus0]

Do you at least get a shot at a special bike or wheels when you finish?! Jeeez, thats a stout one!

[@colinwilliams9290]

1:27:28 first time up it. 59 yrs old

[@sevenrats]

That's really good.

[@leanmeangrillingmachine3456]

1 day 27 hours ? 😀

[@martylarson4692]

@@leanmeangrillingmachine3456 where did you find more hours in a day? are they hiding on the mountain?

[@MikeHunt-ml5wf]

1:22:25

[@roadcc]

tidy.

[@gesp5151]

Much prefer the real video type software which with a smart trainer and turborocks gives a much better experience

[@tjf2447]

1st time for a 62 yr old, 1hr 59 min

[@moellerbaben]

1:56.03 at 97kg

[@markbentley4343]

Zwift have dumbed down the climb, just as they did with the Alpe. I went up yesterday at 226W for a time of 1hr 37. Last October, I went up the real climb from Bedoin, averaged around 260-270W and posted a time of 1hr 40. Go figure...

[@srinivasganesh8227]

Did your actual ride have windy conditions? That could account for the increased level of effort

[@WowRixter]

I wish Zwift would make their long climbs more like actual reality when timing. Both AdZ and Ven Top finish 10 min too quickly

[@DaveAtkinson]

speeds are quicker on Zwift, no doubt about that. it's not restricted to the climbs. i'd like to see them address that too, although i think it's unlikely as you'd have to do stuff like zero all the segments on strava, which zwift isn't control of.

[@markbentley4343]

@@WowRixterTotally agree Ric. i went up the Zift Alpe in 50mins 2 weeks ago at almost exactly the same power as I rode it in real life last summer in 1hr 1min (2 watts difference)

[@markbentley4343]

@@DaveAtkinson Yeah and I swear the roads are even slicker this year

[@c.wenzel528]

1hr 18min - around 3.7 wpk.

[@jonathanwise47]

What to expect....climbing...relentless climbing...1:23...3.5 w/kg...there is about 2 seconds of negative grade...2 seconds

[@evangossell1980]

2 hours

[@chrisvanbuggenum871]

74 mins for me. Killed me.

[@scj350]

That’s a great time! I did it in 75 and left a lung on that mountain.

[@chrisvanbuggenum871]

@@scj350 i know what you mean!!! We pretty much got the same time! Yay us 😀