Drau cycle path: which way and when to ride
The best month for Drau cycle path is September: 67% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In September the wind barely favours either direction — on average 0.7 km/h along the route (ERA5 2006–2025, daytime 9:00–18:00).
Also passes through Slovenia, Croatia
Weather by month
| Month | Good days | Rain days ≥ 1 mm | Rain, mm | Avg high | Days ≥ 30 °C | Days < 10 °C | Daylight, h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5% | 15% | 58 | 2 °C | 0% | 94% | 8.9 † |
| February | 15% | 19% | 66 | 4 °C | 0% | 84% | 10.2 † |
| March | 35% | 22% | 75 | 9 °C | 0% | 61% | 11.8 |
| April | 54% | 30% | 80 | 14 °C | 0% | 29% | 13.5 |
| May | 51% | 46% | 137 | 17 °C | 0% | 10% | 15.0 |
| June | 50% | 44% | 125 | 22 °C | 6% | 1% | 15.8 |
| July | 48% | 43% | 129 | 24 °C | 11% | 0% | 15.5 |
| August | 53% | 38% | 134 | 23 °C | 10% | 0% | 14.2 |
| September | 67% | 30% | 127 | 19 °C | 1% | 4% | 12.5 |
| October | 65% | 20% | 95 | 14 °C | 0% | 22% | 10.8 † |
| November | 24% | 22% | 97 | 7 °C | 0% | 72% | 9.3 † |
| December | 4% | 16% | 69 | 3 °C | 0% | 95% | 8.6 † |
Best months are all months within 3 percentage points of the best one. † less than 11 hours of daylight — long stages get tight.
Wind by month
| Month | Wind Toblach → Legrad, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Toblach → Legrad | Headwind > 15 km/h, Legrad → Toblach | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +1.2 | 0% | 0% | either |
| February | +0.5 | 0% | 0% | either |
| March | +0.1 | 0% | 1% | either |
| April | 0.0 | 0% | 1% | either |
| May | −0.3 | 0% | 0% | either |
| June | −0.5 | 0% | 0% | either |
| July | −0.5 | 0% | 0% | either |
| August | −1.1 | 0% | 0% | either |
| September | −0.7 | 0% | 0% | either |
| October | +0.2 | 0% | 0% | either |
| November | +0.6 | 0% | 0% | either |
| December | +1.3 | 0% | 0% | either |
Stages
The route is split into 4 stages of about 100–150 km between towns; each stage has its own page.
| Stage | km | Best month | Tailwind Toblach → Legrad in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Toblach → Spittal an der Drau | 124 | September | −0.4 |
| 2. Spittal an der Drau → Völkermarkt | 124 | September | −1.0 |
| 3. Völkermarkt → Maribor | 116 | October | −0.7 |
| 4. Maribor → Legrad | 137 | October | −0.8 |
How to read the numbers
Wind is the 10 m wind of a 25-km grid cell, daytime hours 9:00–18:00 local solar time; at saddle height in a sheltered valley it is weaker, on a coast or ridge stronger. A positive value is a tailwind. ERA5 slightly over-counts days with ≥ 1 mm of rain (by about 5–7 percentage points) and underestimates daily highs by 1–2 °C. Good day = less than 1 mm of rain between 9:00 and 18:00 (riding hours, local solar time) and a high between 10 and 30 °C; rain at night or in the evening does not spoil it.