Heuvelroute: which way and when to ride
The best month for Heuvelroute is September: 77% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In September, riding Poperinge → Hombourg meant an average tailwind of 3.2 km/h (ERA5 2006–2025, daytime 9:00–18:00).
Weather by month
| Month | Good days | Rain days ≥ 1 mm | Rain, mm | Avg high | Days ≥ 30 °C | Days < 10 °C | Daylight, h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9% | 27% | 71 | 6 °C | 0% | 83% | 8.4 † |
| February | 19% | 27% | 60 | 7 °C | 0% | 72% | 9.9 † |
| March | 46% | 25% | 59 | 11 °C | 0% | 44% | 11.7 |
| April | 68% | 23% | 43 | 15 °C | 0% | 16% | 13.8 |
| May | 72% | 27% | 66 | 18 °C | 0% | 2% | 15.5 |
| June | 73% | 25% | 70 | 21 °C | 3% | 0% | 16.5 |
| July | 69% | 26% | 70 | 23 °C | 6% | 0% | 16.1 |
| August | 67% | 27% | 76 | 22 °C | 6% | 0% | 14.5 |
| September | 77% | 21% | 56 | 20 °C | 1% | 0% | 12.5 |
| October | 72% | 23% | 70 | 15 °C | 0% | 7% | 10.6 † |
| November | 38% | 27% | 67 | 10 °C | 0% | 47% | 8.8 † |
| December | 14% | 25% | 75 | 7 °C | 0% | 75% | 8.0 † |
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 Poperinge → Hombourg, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Poperinge → Hombourg | Headwind > 15 km/h, Hombourg → Poperinge | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +5.1 | 3% | 20% | Poperinge → Hombourg |
| February | +3.7 | 6% | 19% | Poperinge → Hombourg |
| March | +2.9 | 7% | 17% | Poperinge → Hombourg |
| April | +1.4 | 6% | 11% | either |
| May | +3.2 | 3% | 14% | Poperinge → Hombourg |
| June | +3.9 | 2% | 12% | Poperinge → Hombourg |
| July | +6.0 | 1% | 17% | Poperinge → Hombourg |
| August | +5.4 | 1% | 14% | Poperinge → Hombourg |
| September | +3.2 | 3% | 12% | Poperinge → Hombourg |
| October | +3.0 | 3% | 14% | Poperinge → Hombourg |
| November | +3.9 | 2% | 15% | Poperinge → Hombourg |
| December | +4.9 | 3% | 18% | Poperinge → Hombourg |
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 Poperinge → Hombourg in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Poperinge → Anzegem | 116 | September | +3.0 |
| 2. Anzegem → Halle | 112 | September | +2.7 |
| 3. Halle → Tienen | 109 | September | +3.5 |
| 4. Tienen → Hombourg | 114 | September | +3.7 |
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.