La Ferme des Bélugues

La Ferme des Bélugues - more than a guest house and more than just hosts.

If I’m being honest I’m probably the only guest they have who doesn’t love Mont Ventoux, it’s probably not even in my top ten climbs however Karen and Spencer have made their home a very special place for me and for that I’ll be eternally grateful.

Scroll back to 2018/19 to when I first started talking about my mental health issues and my first crisis. I decided a good way to out myself was to go public, for someone who’s so introverted exposing myself in this way meant I had to talk and couldn’t hide form people who cared. I also decided to raise money for Movember with a ride across Europe, 2800 km and 55,000 meters of climbing taking in the Pyrenees, French, Swiss , Italian Alps and the Dolomites.

Spencer reached out saying he had a place near Mont Ventoux and we could stay en route, after a bruising few days in the Pyrenees and some questionable accommodation I jumped at the chance for decent food, shower and bedding. We rode Ventoux and as cycling tends to do we talked about our experiences and why Spencer felt the need to help. It was a super nice gesture and a bond was created.

A few more years passed and yet again Spencer and Karen came to my aid. May 2022 and my second crisis, I was alone, completely isolated and figuring out how to recover and if I ever will. For a couple of weeks I was in and out of care, sectioned and forced to leave my flat unable to live alone. I didn’t even really feel safe on my bike, worried about what I might be capable of.

An offer of an escape came through, a chance to get away from the noise and try and be myself, or at least figure out who that was. I spoke to the Dr’s and carers and we decided it was OK for me to go, a change would probably do me good. So I packed my bike and headed over.

I remember thinking I had to end ASCND, I wrote THIS at Gatwick Airport, trying to hide as the tears streamed down my face. Spencer and Karen gave me the chance to shut down, enjoy riding my bike and make sense of what was going on. it was another act of kindness and I can only ever associate my trips there with both the thought of their generosity but also the fact that I use it to escape.

My third visit though was very different, the reasons for escaping were purely the fact that both Oriana and I needed a break together after a hectic few months. A few days by the pool and evenings dining in wonderful Provençal restaurants and drinking fabulous local wines. There was no baggage or noise this time, you could and some might call it a holiday.

I will only ever associate La Ferme des Bélugues with kindness and a place of peace, a true retreat. Yes the house and rooms are beautifully appointed, the gardens and pool well kept and serene. the bike store room and workshop better equipped than a number of bike shops I’ve worked in, stocked with nutrition and also hundreds of Kilometres of incredible riding, including that Mont Ventoux everyone else loves so much but for me it’s different.

The two and a bit years that have passed since my last crisis and I’ve changed and lot. Progress, hope and a recognition that I dint’t get here on my own.

Thanks to Karen and Spencer for their hospitality and kindness. Tom for heading over and saying hi and to the person who’s helped the most over the last couple of years, Oriana x.