Mont Ventoux, “the Giant of Provence,” is an isolated mountain that has featured in the Tour de France 19 times since 1951. Noted for its relentless slopes and often harsh weather, it attracts some 100,000 cyclists each year willing to test themselves on its iconic roads. A new YouTube short documentary, “Six Ways Home,” tells the story of an epic day out on the mountain and the powerful emotions experienced by the father and son team featured.
The video opens with Phil Kelly’s explanation of what cycling means to him: “People think cycling is just a hobby. But for those of us that live it, it’s part of who you are. It taught me discipline before I understood its value. And it taught me resilience before life asked me to be resilient.”
He raced as a teenager in Europe and, at 16, he came to Mont Ventoux for the first time. At that time he rode it with his coach and his father. He found that the mountain “just captures you.” Twenty-four years later Phil Kelly returned and completed the Club des Cinglés challenge of doing three ascents of the mountain in a single day. His father came then too to provide support.
The Club des Cinglés du Mont-Ventoux was begun in 1988 as a way to validate and celebrate cyclists willing to accept the challenges on offer. “Cinglés” is French slang for “Crazies,” or “Lunatics,” and having ridden up Mont Ventoux myself once one can understand the appropriateness of this label for the club. The club’s website offers this sunny bit of optimism: “In 1988, the idea of climbing the Mont-Ventoux by all 3 main roads in one day came to Christian Pic. Having tested this wonderful adventure himself, he was convinced that every reasonable trained cyclist would be able to perform the challenge without too much strain.”
The challenges offered today are the “Cinglés,” requiring three ascents of the mountain using the three paved roads leading to the summit (4,400 m vertical gain over 137 km); in 1998 the Galley Slaves route (the three climbs plus a fourth requiring a mountain bike section through a forest, covering 6,020 m upwards over 183 km) was added and lastly, in 2007, came the “Bicinglés,” getting to the top six times, so doubling the “Cinglés” to 8,800 m and 274 km of riding.
Phil Kelly’s father passed away last year and Phil returned to the mountain, now with his son Jay as support, to attempt the Bicinglés ride. Weather conditions were terrible and he had to give up after getting to the top three times. Considering the winds were hitting 80 mph (128 km/h) this accomplishment was already pretty remarkable but Phil was shattered by the perceived failure and the disappointment after all the training and effort. Moved by what he saw, his son said that they would do it again and he would ride with him.
That ride may be the subject of this film but it is really about the bonding between a parent and child. Jay raced in Europe too until, aged 17, he suffered a serious crash and lost his love for riding. The Ventoux challenge not only brought him back to cycling but let him also see what it meant to his father and their relationship. One also has to be impressed by the willingness of family and friends to show up for support. The logistics of this kind of thing are another challenge–food, drink, clothing, mechanical stuff.
Departing at 3:34 am on June 9, 2026, from the town of Bédoin, the intrepid duo head out into the darkness and what is considered by most as the hardest side of the climb. They enjoy the sunrise and a pretty fast trip up to the famous telecommunications tower at the summit. So the day progresses with a whole lot of descending and a whole lot of climbing, with the final descent back to the start at Bédoin, ending the ride around 9:05 in the evening.
Phil Kelly sees it as a chapter closed, completing the unfinished business from his unsuccessful attempt, while Jay Kelly, intensely proud of his father, declares “It was just the best day out on a bike, ever.” That is easy to believe. The video ends with the men getting their registration cards stamped in accordance with the regulations of the Club des Cinglés du Mont-Ventoux before mailing them off to the Club. No GPS evidence used here but something delightfully retro and worthy of this iconic climb.
“Six Ways Home,” a film by We Move Collective
Directed by Jay Kelly
37 minutes, released on YouTube on August 27, 2026
YouTube link here
For more information about the challenge rides up Mont Ventoux, check out the Club des Cinglés du Mont-Ventoux’s website here. While not everyone may share the view that the challenges can be done by an average cyclist “without too much strain,” people seem to love doing this. We note that a German woman, Barbara Rhoen, has done the Bicinglés route 24 times (and the Cinglés one on 26 occasions). Respect.
The post PEZ at the Movies: Six Ways Home appeared first on PezCycling News.
