Mont Ventoux wind and the mistral: when is it too windy to ride?
See how often Mont Ventoux is too windy to ride, by month and by hour, and which ascent to pick when the mistral blows.
The short answer
The Vaucluse department advises against climbing Mont Ventoux in wind above 80 km/h (50 mph). Mont Ventoux wind is calmest from June to September: over ten years, the grid cell over the summit had gusts of 70 km/h (43 mph) or more on 4–6% of days in those months, against 17% in March. Mornings are calmest.
Key takeaways
- The Vaucluse department advises against the climb in thunderstorms or wind above 80 km/h (50 mph).
- June to September had the fewest gusty days at the summit; March had the most.
- In summer, wind near the summit nearly doubled between 08:00 and 17:00, so start early.
- About three in four of the summit's gustiest days came with a northerly, mistral-sector wind.
- Our data smooths the mountain; the real summit is windier, so check the forecast on the day.
Definitions
- Mistral
- A dry, often violent wind that blows from the north down France's Rhône valley into Provence, according to Météo-France.
- Gust day
- A day whose strongest hourly gust, at any hour, reached the stated speed.
- ERA5 reanalysis
- A record of past weather that blends observations from around the world with a weather model to fill in every hour and place.
Why is Mont Ventoux so windy?
Mont Ventoux wind comes from height and the mistral. The summit stands at 1,910 m (6,266 ft), alone above the plains of Provence, France, and the Vaucluse department treats it as a high-mountain site. It's one of the places in our guide to prevailing winds on the world's great cycling routes, tested against ten years of hourly data.
The mistral is the region's north wind. According to Météo-France, it blows down the Rhône valley at an average of 50 km/h (31 mph), gusting 80 to 100 km/h (50 to 62 mph) or more. It's often strongest in winter and spring, can last over a week, and clears the clouds.
| Mont Ventoux at a glance | |
|---|---|
| Summit | 1,910 m (6,266 ft), Vaucluse, France |
| Ascents | Bédoin (south), Malaucène (north), Sault (east) |
| Summit road | Closed every year from mid-November until spring |
| Official advice | Don't climb in thunderstorms or wind above 80 km/h (50 mph) |
How often is the summit too windy to ride?
On a handful of summer days, but often in spring. We counted days when the ERA5 grid cell over the summit had gusts of 70 km/h (43 mph) or more, and of 90 km/h (56 mph), beyond the department's 80 km/h (50 mph) line.
That cell averaged 31.4 days a year with gusts of 70 km/h (43 mph) and 4.5 at 90 km/h (56 mph). About three in four of those gusty days came with daytime wind from the mistral's side of the compass. June to September had just 5.5 such days between them.
A warning: ERA5 sees the mountain as part of a cell about 25 km (16 miles) across, so it can't show the bare summit. Its average daytime wind was even lower than the Rhône valley's. Treat our figures as how often, not how hard.
The pros meet the limit too. In 2016 the Tour de France moved stage 12's finish down to Chalet Reynard because winds topped 100 km/h (62 mph) at the summit, CyclingStage reported. See how windy is too windy to cycle for limits on any ride.
Want this for your own route? Windline shows the wind for every stretch, timed to your pace. Free. Make a free ride page →
Which months have the least wind on Mont Ventoux?
June to September. They had the fewest gusty days over the summit and the fewest mistral days in the Rhône valley below.
| Month | Summit-area cell: days with gusts of 70 km/h (43 mph) or more | Summit-area cell: days with gusts of 90 km/h (56 mph) or more | Orange, Rhône valley: mistral days |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 4.8 | 0.9 | 1.7 |
| April | 3.5 | 0.5 | 2.0 |
| May | 2.4 | 0.6 | 2.5 |
| June | 1.2 | 0.1 | 0.9 |
| July | 1.5 | 0.0 | 1.3 |
| August | 1.1 | 0.1 | 1.2 |
| September | 1.7 | 0.0 | 1.1 |
| October | 3.4 | 0.5 | 1.4 |
A mistral day here averaged at least 30 km/h (19 mph) between 08:00 and 17:00, from west-north-west round to north-north-east. Météo-France says the mistral peaks between Orange, Avignon, Istres and Arles; Orange's cell had 18.3 mistral days a year, against 11.3 at Montélimar further north. March was the gustiest month at the summit, at 17% of days.
What time of day is calmest?
Early morning. In summer, wind in the summit-area cell nearly doubled between 08:00 and 17:00, and stayed up into the evening.
| Local time, June to August | Summit-area cell, km/h (mph) | Bédoin cell, km/h (mph) |
|---|---|---|
| 08:00 | 7.2 (4.5) | 7.7 (4.8) |
| 12:00 | 9.5 (5.9) | 10.2 (6.3) |
| 16:00 | 13.3 (8.3) | 14.6 (9.1) |
| 18:00 | 13.3 (8.3) | 14.9 (9.3) |
The Vaucluse department suggests setting off early or after 16:00 in summer, to avoid the heat. Only the early start also dodges the wind.
Which way up should you ride when it's windy?
On a mistral day, the south side, and perhaps not to the top. All three roads finish on the same open summit.
| Ascent | Distance, km (miles) | Climbing, m (ft) | Average gradient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bédoin (south) | 21.8 (13.5) | 1,598 (5,243) | 7.5%, sections of 15% |
| Malaucène (north) | 21 (13.0) | 1,575 (5,167) | 7.5%, sections of 15% |
| Sault (east) | 25.6 (15.9) | 1,210 (3,970) | 5%, sections of 10% |
Figures from the Vaucluse department's safety leaflet (May 2023).
- Bédoin and Sault meet at Chalet Reynard. A north wind hits the north face first, so these roads should be sheltered for much of the climb. Our cell south of the mountain had 18.3 days a year with gusts of 70 km/h (43 mph), against 31.4 over the summit.
- Malaucène climbs the north face into a mistral, past the Col des Tempêtes, the pass of storms. Expect a headwind's full cost.
- Chalet Reynard is the sensible turnaround when the top is too windy, as the Tour found in 2016.
How should you plan a Ventoux ride around the wind?
Use the data to pick a month, then let the forecast pick the day.
- Aim for June to September, with a spare day in case the mistral blows.
- Check the gusts, not just the average, at the hour you'll reach the top: reading a weather forecast for a bike ride explains how.
- Start by 08:00 to beat the afternoon wind and the heat.
- Turn round at Chalet Reynard if strong gusts are forecast up top. Official warnings always come first.
Planning more of Europe? See Mallorca's cycling weather and the best cycling routes in Europe.
Frequently asked questions
When is the road to the top of Mont Ventoux closed?
Every year from mid-November until spring. The Vaucluse department closes the road to the summit for safety, because of the extreme weather at what it treats as a high-mountain site. It reopens once crews have cleared snow, drifts piled up by the wind and fallen rocks; in 2024 the north side reopened on 17 May. Check the department's announcements before an April or May trip.
How cold is it at the top of Mont Ventoux?
Colder than you'd expect after a hot climb. The Vaucluse department's safety leaflet gives an average difference of 13°C (23°F) between the bottom and the summit, and tells riders to pack a warm layer. Add the wind and your own speed on the descent, and a mild day can feel wintry at the top. Our [wind chill guide](/blog/wind-chill-cycling/) has the numbers.
Does the mistral blow in summer?
Yes, but less often. In the ERA5 cell at Orange, in the Rhône valley, mistral days averaged 0.9 to 1.3 a month from June to September, against 2.0 to 2.5 in January, February, April and May. Météo-France notes that the mistral can blow on hot summer days, and that its dry gusts help forest fires spread.
Is it true the summit gets gusts over 90 km/h on most days?
Some websites quote figures like that without a source, and our data doesn't support "most days". The ERA5 cell over the summit had gusts of 90 km/h (56 mph) or more on 4.5 days a year. That cell averages the mountain with the land around it, so the bare summit sees more, but strong gusts there are the exception, not the rule.
Where does this Mont Ventoux wind data come from?
From ERA5, the reanalysis ECMWF produces for the Copernicus Climate Change Service. We downloaded hourly wind and gusts for 2015 to 2024 from the Copernicus Climate Data Store for four 0.25° grid cells: over the summit area, south of the mountain near Bédoin, and in the Rhône valley at Orange and Montélimar. Each is an area average about 25 km (16 miles) across, not a weather station.
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- Météo-France (2026). Le mistral, vent régional
- Département de Vaucluse (2023). Mont Ventoux : réussir son ascension en toute sécurité (safety leaflet)
- Département de Vaucluse (2024). Ce vendredi 17 mai, le sommet accessible des deux côtés
- CyclingStage (2016). Tour de France 2016 stage 12, De Gendt wins at Ventoux
- Copernicus Climate Change Service (ECMWF) (2026). ERA5 hourly time-series data on single levels from 1940 to present
- Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society (2020). The ERA5 global reanalysis (Hersbach et al.)
- ECMWF (2026). ERA5: data documentation (native resolution 31 km)
Windline's data desk downloaded hourly 10 m wind (the u and v components, turned into speed and direction) and 10 m gusts from the Copernicus Climate Data Store, dataset reanalysis-era5-single-levels-timeseries (ERA5 hourly time series on single levels, doi:10.24381/1cf1ad76; ECMWF's ERA5 reanalysis for the Copernicus Climate Change Service), for 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2024 (ten full years). ERA5 is described by Hersbach et al. (2020). This is a site study, not a route: each of four places takes the nearest ERA5 0.25° grid cell. The summit area (44.174° N, 5.279° E) uses the cell at 44.25° N 5.25° E; Bédoin (44.124° N, 5.180° E) the cell at 44.0° N 5.25° E, south of the mountain; Orange the cell at 44.25° N 4.75° E; and Montélimar the cell at 44.5° N 4.75° E, both in the Rhône valley. ECMWF gives the model's native resolution as about 31 km, so each figure is an area average, not a roadside or summit reading; the model smooths the mountain, which is why the summit-area cell's average riding-hours wind (8.6 to 11.7 km/h by month) is lower than the valley cells' (11.2 to 14.6 km/h at Orange), and the real summit is windier than any figure here. Riding hours are the values stamped 08:00 to 17:00 local time inclusive, with French summer time applied. Wind direction shares count where the wind comes from in eight sectors over riding hours; hours under 5 km/h (3 mph) count as calm. Gust days: a day counts when its highest hourly gust, at any hour of the local day, reached 70 or 90 km/h; monthly figures are the average number of such days per calendar month over the ten years, and the share of days is the count over all days in that month; the yearly totals (31.4 and 4.5 days over the summit, 18.3 days of 70 km/h near Bédoin) and the June-to-September total (5.5 days) add the monthly averages. A mistral day is a day whose 08:00 to 17:00 vector-mean wind came from between 290° and 30° (west-north-west through north to north-north-east) with a mean speed of at least 30 km/h (19 mph); this proxy is meaningful only in the Rhône valley cells (Orange 18.3 days a year, Montélimar 11.3). A northerly gust day (results.json's "strong mistral day") is a day from the same sector whose highest gust reached 70 km/h: 24.2 a year over the summit, which is 77% of 31.4. The hour table is the average wind speed in each local clock hour over June to August of all ten years (08:00 7.2 km/h and 17:00 13.4 km/h in the summit-area cell). Ascent distances, climbing and gradients, the 80 km/h advice, the 13°C average temperature difference and the traffic share are from the Vaucluse department's leaflet (May 2023); the mistral's description is Météo-France's. Every other figure is in results.json (sites.ventoux) in the study's data folder. Conversions: 1 km/h = 0.621 mph, 1 km = 0.621 miles, 1 m = 3.28 ft; a temperature difference of 1°C is 1.8°F. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information (ERA5, 2015–2024); neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use of this information.
About the author
Wes Thomson, Founder, Windline. Wes Thomson builds Windline, live wind and weather forecasts timed to when riders reach each stretch of road. He built it for his own 2,093 km tour from Pont Drift to Cape Town, and writes these guides with the same focus: what the wind will do to your ride, and how to plan around it.