The Making of Cycling Climb of Mont Ventoux by Standert

MONT VENTOUX: THE MAKING OF

 

We have so many photos to share with you from our trip to shoot the new Triebwerk CR that we decided to share it with you here.

In early July, a handful of the Standert Family piled into two vehicles and drove from Berlin, Germany to Caromb, France for cycling Mont Ventoux. Fifteen hours drive through the night, we approach Caromb on a Monday morning, the infamous Mont Ventoux a welcome beacon in the distance.

We cheers one quick celebratory beer, roll into our accom, then get to work right away with our riders (turned models) filming on the rooftop in the afternoon sun: "I've never been to Mont Ventoux..." (You can see the product of this shoot here).

Tom Burton - Mont Ventoux
Anja - Caromb France
Benedict Herzberg and Tom Burton

Our first meal altogether is spaghetti and caprese salad made by Maxe on the terrace. The next morning is an early one. Three of us in the Standert bus, three of us by bike, we set out at sunrise for what will be a day of shooting on Mont Ventoux.

The Queen Stage Scripts

We pass vineyards on the way to the base of Mont Ventoux. And so begins the climb...

Mont Ventoux Cycling
Kadir Celik - Mont Ventoux
Shootings at Mont Ventoux
Caromb France Airbnb Dinner
French Rose Wine - Airbnb Caromb France

Our first meal altogether is spaghetti and caprese salad made by Maxe on the terrace. The next morning is an early one. Three of us in the Standert bus, three of us by bike, we set out at sunrise for what will be a day of shooting on Mont Ventoux.

Mont Ventoux - Anja
Cycling Mont Ventoux
Climbing Cycling Mont Ventoux

We pass vineyards on the way to the base of Mont Ventoux. And so begins the climb...

The Photos of Climbing Mont Ventoux
Photos from Cycling Mont Ventoux
Benedict at Mont Ventoux Climb
Mont Ventoux Climb with Steel Road Bikes
Cochon du Mont Ventoux
Cycling Mont Ventoux with Steel Road Bikes
Kadir Celik Shooting Mont Ventoux Climb
Bene gets creative with iPhone content / We stop so our riders can refuel
Video Shooting of Cycling Mont Ventoux
The Wind at Mont Ventoux Climb
Climbing Mont Ventoux with Steel Road Bikes
Tom Burton at Mont Ventoux Shooting
Respect for Places - Tour de France

The wind blows mist across the roads, and the higher altitudes get colder by the metre. We're all cold and exhilarated. A crew of motorbikes speed up and back down the mountain as we climb.

Mont Ventoux Climbing Photos
Mont Ventoux Cycling Photos
Triebwerk CR - Mont Ventoux Climb
Lucky Cat - Mont Ventoux
Anja at Mont Ventoux Climb
Anja and Tom do this stretch a few times so we can get the best shots we can. Here's Anja headed downhill for another take.
Mont Ventoux Climbing in Summer
Cycling Mont Ventoux in Summer
Cycling Mont Ventoux in Summer - Tom Burton
Climbing Mont Ventoux in Summer
Sommet du Ventoux
1910m Sign - Mont Ventoux
Sommet du Ventoux - 1910m Sign
Mont Ventoux Peak Weather
Souvenirs du Mont Ventoux
The top of Mont Ventoux
Swapping the jersey’s for sweaters at the peak to battle the cold.
Tom Burton - Standert Journal
Climbing to Mont Ventoux
Mont Ventoux Peak Cycling
Climbing Mont Ventoux - Video Shooting
Winds at Mont Ventoux
Sommet du Mont Ventoux
The Peak of Mont Ventoux
When the bike moves in the wind like a flag you know there's some high speed winds.
Beaumont du Ventoux
Mont Ventoux Climb Camping
Triebwerk CR Shootings at Mont Ventoux
Photos from Mont Ventoux Climb
Le Chalet Liotard
Mont Ventoux Climb
We descend the other side of the mountain. Get a flat tire because what's a solid ride without a flat tire. A dog the size of a small bear befriends us and rests in the shade of the bus. We take a break to enjoy the scenery, recover in the warmth, and watch the campers setup for the Tour de France to follow the following day.
Fjord Coffee - Mont Ventoux
Tom - Mont Ventoux
Tour de France - Mont Ventoux Climb
Standert at Mont Ventoux Climb
Anja at Mont Ventoux Climb
Hiking Mont Ventoux

For race day, we decide to hike. We climb Ventoux on foot this time: weaving through the pines and rocks to a switchback a little down the mountain from Le Chalet Reynard, where we waited eagerly for the competitors to ride by. Helicopters overhead, a drunken Lance Armstrong fan waving a flag in front of us, and plenty of fans as eager as we were.

Standert at Tour de France - Mont Ventoux
Standert at Tour de France
Mont Ventoux - Maxe and Benedict
Tour de France - Mont Ventoux
Mont Ventoux - Maxe and Kadir
Mont Ventoux

We hand out cans of coke to the riders. Get a wave from Lukas Pöstelberger and a smile from others. We wander up the mountain slowly as the riders go by, and arrive at the Chalet to see the bulk of the riders speed past, past the same mountain Tom and Anja climbed the day before.

As for the descent from the mountain, we'd rather not talk about it. Let's just say a pin was dropped in the wrong place and we got our cross-country hiking boots on. We're looking at you, Kadir.

Even with the cross-country hiking, this trip was truly memorable. The tour, tomatoes that actually taste like tomatoes, late night pizza when nothing was open after our shoot days, and sunset on one of the most famous and beautiful mountains in France. I guess now we've been to Mont Ventoux!

Footnotes

All photos by Savannah van der Niet

Share this story

More stories