`They`re all scared. Everybody`s afraid.` - Eddy Merckx `Nothing compares to the Ventoux.` - Lance Armstrong The French call Ventoux `the killer mountain` and in 1967 it claimed its most famous victim, as former world champion Tom Simpson died near the summit during that year`s Tour de France. The terrible ascent of Ventoux`s south side encapsulates both the brutality and beauty of this cruel sport, but also highlights cycling`s ongoing battle to distance itself from its demons. Yet it was the legendary and extreme climb of Mont Ventoux that first inspired award-winning author Jeremy Whittle`s love of cycling, so much so that he bought a house in its shadows. Ventoux is his memoir to the Giant of Provence in which he reveals the little-known history of the Ventoux, and tells the story of a monstrous climb that has driven riders to near-hysteria and also to wild extremes of doping. It has provided the spectacular backdrop to some of cycling`s most titanic contests, exposing the true character of those who take on the challenge.Through a series of revealing conversations with Lance Armstrong, Dave Brailsford, Alastair Campbell, Nicole Cooke, Tyler Hamilton, Eddy Merckx, Simpson`s daughter, Joanne, and many others, Whittle details the poignancy of bitter memories, flawed obsessions and ruthless ambition that have made the Ventoux so feared and so infamous.