MWV ........ Challenge 2009

Hello everybody,

On the 27 June we start talking about the next years challenge. We are Santiago Casado, Chris Schuts, Celio van Gerwen an Jan Theelen. On this evening we want to set a date and place where we should go to next year. As it looks now the event will grow, we had already several messages from other people who want to join in the next years event, even from the United States we had some requests.

We will keep you all informed about the progress and hope to see you all back next year in the MWV .......... Challenge 2009!

So keep training, we will have a lot of challenges and fun next year!

Best regards from the Hotel

Hello Members of the MWV Mont Ventoux Challenge 2008, I've got an E-mail from the Hotel in Sault and they wanted to thank everybody for the nice team that we where. They also enjoyed our visit there and wood be glad to see us coming back. They also attached us a picture of the Hotel owners and employees.

For all the people who read this blog and think I want also go to the Mont Ventoux I can say from this side, If you go to this Hotel you will have a nice stay for a reasonable price.

Hôtel Le Signoret
Avenue de la Résistance
84390 SAULT
Tél /Fax: 04.90.64.11.44
E-mail : Hotelsignoret84@aol.com

Cinglé (Crazy / Stupid guy)

What to add to the stories from my fellow cyclist, runners, supporters and walkers. Started couple months ago with the first thought about the Cinglé, 3 climbs to the Mont Ventoux. In my challenge 3 others joint for this crazy ride to the this top. Spinning, training and biking almost every other day since Eastern. May 4th the first tour in the south or Netherlands, 140 km cycling hill up and down again in parts of Belgium – Netherlands and Germany. Learned also Patrick used this one as training for the Cinglé. Finished this tour and was almost confident to beat the stupid “Kale Berg”.
Patrick, Chris, Peter and me myself and I started Saturday morning 8:00 AM out of small village Sault and we finished at 19:00 PM ( 11 hours later) the last climb out of Malaucene. Weather conditions below 21 °C with almost no wind, finishing on top foggy, raining, hurricane and 4 °C you need to be a little bit sick. I have died multiple times during the last climb but I DID IT!!, Yes, tripled the Mont Ventoux. To me the Cinglé is the single (single do it alone) not being crazy just need a shrink . I’m happy to complete this mission and would also thank my wife & kids, everyone who helped, organized, supported and lifted us up hill.
Even Tommy helped and pushed to complete my Mission.

See you next year for the MWV Challenge ………… Twan Beurskens

A smasher Challenge!

Some days passed since I climbed the Mont Ventoux and the experienced are hardly to be described.Special thanks to Jan Theelen for the brilliant organization of the Event as well as to Daniel Westphal (MWV Hemer) for the fact that I was allowed to participate to these Challenge as Non-MWV Member at all. In a new edition in the next year I would gladly participate again.Best regards,Heiner Korschewsk

Some nice pictures from our German members

The three musketeers going uphill!
In front off the famous Lavender fields
Yes, this is where they did it for! Congratulations Thomas, Heiner and Marcus.

Mont Ventoux experience.

I arrived at Sault at Saturday afternoon, partly because of the terrible weather conditions during my trip. At arrival, most of the members where already busy with their challenge, and based on the stories afterwards about the weather conditions, I understood it was a REAL challenge….
A number of German contesters, who finished the climb earlier, asked me if I was really trying to run the mountain, and I noticed they thought one had to be nuts to try a thing like that….( every one who wants to climb the Mont Ventoux has to be bit crazy..)
After a nice diner, where I met lots of people I only knew by name, I went to bed early.
After al the stories about the weather conditions on the top, I wanted to be as fit as possible.
In the morning, the weather conditions seamed ok, 17º and a mild wind. Jan told me that the temperature at the top was approx. 10º lower as on the “ground” level.
I started running at 09.45 in Bedoin, and the first 4km where quite warm to run (I love cold weather and rain during running).
But at the first sharp curve left, I entered the woods, and noticed that the way up became steeper, and the challenge just started…
At the first service point, Chris, Peter and Twan provided me with water and sports drinks.
The whole race they took real good care of me and without this support and help it would have been impossible for me to finish… So thanks again, sportsmen..
Due to the steepness in the woods, I could not keep up the running pace. I decided to change to an old Indian way to cross a desert, the wolf run: 1’ running, 1’ walking.
I kept on running like that until the curve at the hotel at 15km; at this point it was a bit less steeper. The rain that started at aprox. 6km increased (lucky me…) and I felt the temperature dropping.
I entered the clouds, and the visibility dropped with every km. I kept on running and noticed the Ton Simpson memorial, and realized that the finish was nearing…
The last 600 meters where one of the toughest I ever did, very hard cold wind, heavy rain almost no visibility (I never saw the tower…) and a last very steep finish, but I was determined to finish running.
Luckily, the supporting team was waiting for me on the top, because at that point I wasn’t far away from under cooling….
I have noticed this day in my logbook with capital letters, not only for the personal challenge, but also due to the experience to share such a challenge with a group of equal minded colleagues. When one says a sport unites, I can conform that….
I hope this challenge will become a yearly tradition, and at the last diner, when we received our certificates from Jan, I found out I wasn’t the only one who hoped that.
Thanks Jan, for the organisation of this great event, and everyone else for the support and the good company, and I hope to meet you all again next year…
Julien Rayée