Ventoux

‘?The Ventoux is a God of Evil, to which sacrifices must be made. It never forgives weakness and extracts an unfair tribute of suffering.’ Roland Barthes Lance Armstrong’s sacrifice to Mont Ventoux in the 2000 Tour de France was to gift victory to his fierce rival Marco Pantani in the greatest contest the mountain and the sport had ever seen. Marco Pantani’s sacrifice was his own life just five years later. Both were plagued by allegations of doping throughout their careers – now one is revered, and the other disgraced. The mystical Mont Ventoux, having claimed the mental and physical health of many professionals before them, was their legendary battlefield.