The Ventoux is probably one of the most mythical bike climbs around. Logical, because the climb is tall, steep and full of history. If the climb is not heavy enough on it's own, then there still is the wind, who can be strong and unpredictable. And if it does not blow, the cold or the sizzling heat will cause difficult conditions. In short, this 'bald mountain' rarely gets a gift. The climb of the Ventoux is a challenge for many men and women to ever be done. Therefore, you never drive alone on the mountain's steep slopes. Everybody is a hero here.

The Ventoux honors its name, the word vent means wind in French, and wind there is. The locals have even a name for the strong winds in the Provence region, it is called the "Mistral" here. The mountain is closed regularly because it blows too fast. Wind speeds up to 300 kilometers per hour have been measured. If that wind was the only thing that made the climb tough, then it would not be that hard. But the Mont Ventoux is also terribly steep and that for it's total length of about 12,5 miles (20 kilometers), maybe not continuous but more than enough to make it hard for every cyclist. And just when you think the hardest part is behind you, that wind will catch up again!

Mont Ventoux towering over the Provence

Lead singer Thom Yorke wrote this song while he was a student and recorded it acoustic. A few years later he let Colin Greenwood (Radiohead's bass player) listen to it, who joined him and helped put the band together while they still were in college. And so Radiohead was born.

The song itself is about about being in love with someone, but not feeling good enough. Yorke describes it as: "There's the beautiful people and then there's the rest of us.". The song was released in 1992, but flopped. It was re-released just one year later after Radiohead grew a fan base and became a big hit.

Best live performance
Some nice haircuts back in the 90's

4 Non Blondes could have been famous earlier, but Mother Nature decided otherwise. A few hours before their first rehearsal was planned on the 17th of october in 1989, an earthquake hit their hometown of San Fransisco. Nonetheless they kept practicing and with success: a few years later they became America's best unsigned band. They eventually signed a contract with Intersope, and with their first album in 1992 they had immediate succes with a number 1 hit: What's up.

Best live performance
This show from Chicago’s Vic Theater instantly brings us back to the 90's with torn jeans and flannel.

In 1990, James Hetfield was on the phone talking with his girlfriend. Holding the phone with one hand, he plucked the four open strings of a standard E-minor chord with the other, which created the first two bars of the song. The intro lyrics "so close, no matter how far", were also dedicated to his girlfriend, indicating the bond they shared even when he was on tour. Since Hetfield composed the song all by himself, it is one of the few Metallica songs in which he plays the guitar solo, and not Kirk Hammett, who didn't even learn how to play the song until they were well into the tour for the album "Metallica" where the track was listed.