This year marks a memorable moment in Tour de France history, returning to Mont Ventoux after a 5-year exclusion from the race. While the 2021 Tour de France has been full of remarkable highlights, this year's double ascent of the iconic Mont Ventoux, again, proved why it is one of the most challenging climbs in cycling.
2021 Mont Ventoux
Whether anticipated or not, Wout van Aert dominated this stage and the subsequent double ascent to earn the victory, attacking the second climb and holding the lead of over a minute for most of the climb and on the descent. While Tadej Pogacar showed some signs of slowing, he managed to keep the yellow jersey and overall lead by a few minutes.
While the 2021 climb and victory by Wout van Aert at Mont Ventoux was a spectacle to watch, it's hard to top the entertaining 2016 performance by Chris Froome (Team Sky), which was anything but lackluster in true Tour de France fashion.
2016 Mont Ventoux
You may very well remember 2016 Froome, Richie Porte, and Bauke Mollema all attacking together until the trio rode into the back of a television motorbike that appeared to stop suddenly in a road overflowing with spectators. All three riders crashed, allowing their rivals to ride past them. Of the three riders, Mollema rose quickly and returned to his bike while Froome desperately needed a new one due to damage from the crash.
In a panic, Froome took off on foot sprinting up the road, sensing the finish line was close. After stopping to call his team car, which was 5 min behind in traffic, he took a spare bike from the Mavic neutral service. Again, this incorrectly sized bike failed him. He eventually located a team bike and quickly raced to the finish line trying to limit his losses. However, he finished close to two minutes back, shaking his head as he crossed the line.
Due to his time loss, Froome initially slipped to sixth in the overall classification, 53 seconds below Adam Yates (Orica-BikeExchange). Eventually, officials revised the results, giving Froome and Porte the same finishing time as Mollema, meaning Froome kept his yellow jersey. Chris Froome's 2016 incident and resilient show of perseverance will continue to go down as one of the most unforgettable moments in recent Tour de France history.
As a result and to applaud this show of sportsmanship, the Thread + Spoke creative team designed and released the “Mont Ventoux Running Club” t-shirt. Since 2016, this popular design has continued to bring cyclists and creatives together. Now, 5 years later, the legend lives on. For your personal Mont Ventoux Running Club shirt, shop today or visit our Tour Collection full of eye-catching Tour de France cycling apparel and designs.
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