OC Sport, the owner and organiser of the successful Haute Route cyclosportive series, is expanding its offering for amateur cyclists with the launch of a brand new Haute Route concept – a series of three-day racing events beginning with the Haute Route Ventoux in 2017.

Inspired by the success of the main Haute Route Series – the Haute Route Pyrenees, Alps, Dolomites and Rockies – this new event offers amateur cyclists the chance to enjoy all the key attributes of those events but over a shorter time and based from one location.

The Haute Route Ventoux will offer cyclists the chance to “ride-like-a-pro” on fully timed and ranked stages with mechanical support on the road and professional level support in the official Race Villages thanks, in part, to partners Mavic and Tag Heuer.  

The inaugural Haute Route Ventoux will be staged from 6-8 October 2017. Celebrating perhaps cycling’s most iconic mountain rising above the Rhône valley in Provence, the Haute Route Ventoux will include a total distance of 270km of cycling and over 7,500 metres of climbing over three stages in what is sure to test even the best amateur riders to the limits. 

“The Haute Route Ventoux will be built from the same DNA as the full seven-day Haute Route events which are widely regarded as the pinnacle of amateur cycling in Europe,” commented Event Director Benjamin Chandelier. “The key difference is that the Haute Route Ventoux will be based in one place for three days, hugely simplifying rider logistics, meaning riders can stay in one hotel, will no longer have to pack their bags before each stage and will be able to bring family and friends along as well.” 

The full course details will be announced following a test event to be held in the next few months. However the Haute Route Ventoux will end with an Individual Time Trial finishing at the summit of Mt Ventoux at 1,912 metres above sea level.