4: Valga - Tallinn cycle route: which way and when to ride
The best month for 4: Valga - Tallinn cycle route is September: 70% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In September the wind barely favours either direction — on average 0.2 km/h along the route (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 | 0% | 21% | 48 | -2 °C | 0% | 100% | 7.0 † |
| February | 0% | 18% | 36 | -2 °C | 0% | 100% | 9.2 † |
| March | 6% | 17% | 36 | 3 °C | 0% | 94% | 11.6 |
| April | 35% | 22% | 41 | 9 °C | 0% | 61% | 14.3 |
| May | 67% | 24% | 53 | 15 °C | 0% | 14% | 16.8 |
| June | 70% | 30% | 75 | 20 °C | 1% | 1% | 18.4 |
| July | 65% | 33% | 78 | 22 °C | 2% | 0% | 17.7 |
| August | 66% | 33% | 89 | 21 °C | 1% | 0% | 15.4 |
| September | 70% | 25% | 56 | 16 °C | 0% | 6% | 12.7 |
| October | 33% | 26% | 65 | 9 °C | 0% | 55% | 10.1 † |
| November | 3% | 21% | 54 | 4 °C | 0% | 96% | 7.6 † |
| December | 0% | 20% | 49 | 0 °C | 0% | 100% | 6.3 † |
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 Valga → Tallinn, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Valga → Tallinn | Headwind > 15 km/h, Tallinn → Valga | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +1.1 | 10% | 13% | either |
| February | +0.9 | 9% | 11% | either |
| March | −0.3 | 13% | 10% | either |
| April | −1.1 | 12% | 9% | either |
| May | −0.9 | 10% | 8% | either |
| June | −1.0 | 11% | 8% | either |
| July | −0.6 | 9% | 7% | either |
| August | +0.4 | 8% | 8% | either |
| September | +0.2 | 11% | 10% | either |
| October | +0.7 | 11% | 12% | either |
| November | +1.5 | 9% | 13% | either |
| December | +1.4 | 11% | 14% | either |
Stages
The route is split into 5 stages of about 100–150 km between towns; each stage has its own page.
| Stage | km | Best month | Tailwind Valga → Tallinn in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Valga → near Pechory | 118 | September | +3.3 |
| 2. near Pechory → Tartu | 119 | September | +0.1 |
| 3. Tartu → Väike-Maarja | 124 | September | +1.6 |
| 4. Väike-Maarja → Loksa | 119 | June | 0.0 |
| 5. Loksa → Tallinn | 109 | June | −4.5 |
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.