OK, we just booked a trip to Provence with Trek Travel at the end of June.
We've been wanting to ride in France for a long time. While DH goes to Paris 1-2X a year, I have never been there. We had a good deal of difficulty finding a trip that was matched to our riding abilities and places we were interested in seeing. Most of the trips were too easy or too hard. Trek has changed their trip ratings and they have 2 levels of trips now (luxury and slightly less luxury) since we did trips with them in 2004 and 2005. The Provence trip is rated for recreational and active cyclists and this trip also includes an "avid" option each day. So, we can do longer mileage and climbing if we want, and we will, on some of the days, and we won't feel badly about doing it slower than everyone else. We chose the "less than luxury" version, which means it will be very much like the trips we did to Portugal and Spain. Boutique hotels/3-4 stars. Dinners are not included every night, which means less time that you have to spend with the group, which is good if the azzhole factor is high.
We'll be staying in Paris for 2.5 days at the end of the trip, for a little recuperation.
Mt. Ventoux is an option on Day 2, but DH decided he is not going to do it. I've done a 10 mile climb, but it had less elevation. Ventoux is 13 miles, with an average grade of 7%. Since I spent the whole 10 mile climb in Spain saying I was going to puke and pulling a calf muscle, which has never really recovered fully, I made a good decision. That 13 mile descent scares the crap out of me.