Velomarshrut - Podbalkanskiyat pat, stage 1: near Sofia → Karlovo
On stage 1 (near Sofia → Karlovo, 140 km) the best month is October: 76% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C; the wind barely favours either direction (0.3 km/h on average; ERA5 2006–2025, 9:00–18:00).
← Velomarshrut - Podbalkanskiyat pat (Whole route)
Weather by month
| Month | Good days | Rain days ≥ 1 mm | Rain, mm | Avg high | Days ≥ 30 °C | Days < 10 °C | Daylight, h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9% | 19% | 56 | 3 °C | 0% | 90% | 9.4 † |
| February | 25% | 18% | 46 | 6 °C | 0% | 73% | 10.5 † |
| March | 42% | 28% | 72 | 10 °C | 0% | 49% | 11.8 |
| April | 56% | 39% | 85 | 15 °C | 0% | 16% | 13.3 |
| May | 51% | 48% | 115 | 19 °C | 0% | 2% | 14.6 |
| June | 46% | 51% | 119 | 23 °C | 4% | 0% | 15.3 |
| July | 55% | 31% | 81 | 26 °C | 16% | 0% | 15.0 |
| August | 66% | 22% | 57 | 26 °C | 13% | 0% | 13.9 |
| September | 76% | 22% | 57 | 22 °C | 2% | 1% | 12.4 |
| October | 76% | 18% | 65 | 16 °C | 0% | 12% | 11.0 † |
| November | 45% | 15% | 48 | 10 °C | 0% | 50% | 9.7 † |
| December | 10% | 18% | 56 | 5 °C | 0% | 89% | 9.1 † |
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 near Sofia → Karlovo, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, near Sofia → Karlovo | Headwind > 15 km/h, Karlovo → near Sofia | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +1.8 | 0% | 1% | either |
| February | +1.1 | 0% | 1% | either |
| March | +1.6 | 0% | 3% | either |
| April | +1.0 | 0% | 2% | either |
| May | +0.6 | 0% | 1% | either |
| June | +0.6 | 0% | 0% | either |
| July | +0.3 | 0% | 0% | either |
| August | −1.3 | 0% | 0% | either |
| September | −0.2 | 0% | 2% | either |
| October | +0.3 | 0% | 1% | either |
| November | +0.2 | 0% | 1% | either |
| December | +1.4 | 0% | 1% | either |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in October, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 0–25 | E | +0.4 |
| 25–52 | E | +0.4 |
| 52–77 | NE | −0.5 |
| 77–102 | E | +0.4 |
| 102–129 | E | +0.5 |
| 129–140 | SE | +0.6 |
Other stages
- near Sofia → Karlovo 140 km
- Karlovo → Nikolaevo 110 km
- Nikolaevo → Karnobat 111 km
- Karnobat → Burgas 70 km
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.