Mont Ventoux, the Giant of Provence, is a legendary and extreme mountain climb. The terrible ascent of Ventoux's south side - famed for the death of Tom Simpson in the 1967 Tour - encapsulates both the gladiatorial brutality and epic beauty of this cruel sport, but also highlights cycling's ongoing battle to exorcise its demons. Revealing the little-known history of racing on Ventoux in races other than the Tour, Whittle tells the story of a special and extreme climb that has driven riders to near-hysteria and also to wild excesses of doping. In interviews with Eddy Merckx, Greg LeMond, Lance Armstrong, Bernard Hinault, Dave Brailsford, Tyler Hamilton and many others, he explores the elemental fear of the Giant of Provence