Located in the Vaucluse department of Provence, Mont Ventoux stands at 1,909 metres and is renowned both for its natural prominence and for its role in the Tour de France. The summit, seen here with its unmistakable red-and-white weather station, is characterised by a bare, chalky limestone cap that gives it its famously desolate appearance. The road leading up the mountain has become a celebrated cycling route, feared and respected for its steep gradient and exposed terrain.