Eurovelo 11 - East Europe Route - part Finland: which way and when to ride
The best month for Eurovelo 11 - East Europe Route - part Finland is August: 68% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In August the wind barely favours either direction — on average 2.0 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% | 18% | 39 | -6 °C | 0% | 100% | 5.1 † |
| February | 0% | 16% | 32 | -6 °C | 0% | 100% | 8.3 † |
| March | 1% | 14% | 32 | -1 °C | 0% | 99% | 11.5 |
| April | 13% | 17% | 37 | 5 °C | 0% | 86% | 15.0 |
| May | 51% | 22% | 50 | 12 °C | 0% | 38% | 18.5 |
| June | 66% | 29% | 72 | 17 °C | 0% | 7% | 21.5 |
| July | 67% | 31% | 85 | 20 °C | 1% | 1% | 20.1 |
| August | 68% | 30% | 81 | 18 °C | 0% | 3% | 16.5 |
| September | 55% | 25% | 66 | 13 °C | 0% | 26% | 12.9 |
| October | 10% | 22% | 61 | 5 °C | 0% | 87% | 9.5 † |
| November | 1% | 20% | 50 | 0 °C | 0% | 99% | 6.1 † |
| December | 0% | 21% | 50 | -3 °C | 0% | 100% | 3.9 † |
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 Kárášjohka → Helsinki, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, near Kárášjohka → Helsinki | Headwind > 15 km/h, Helsinki → near Kárášjohka | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −2.4 | 10% | 3% | Helsinki → near Kárášjohka |
| February | −2.8 | 9% | 3% | Helsinki → near Kárášjohka |
| March | −1.4 | 8% | 5% | either |
| April | −0.2 | 6% | 6% | either |
| May | −0.6 | 6% | 5% | either |
| June | −0.1 | 5% | 6% | either |
| July | −0.6 | 4% | 4% | either |
| August | −2.0 | 7% | 3% | either |
| September | −2.2 | 9% | 5% | Helsinki → near Kárášjohka |
| October | −2.1 | 10% | 4% | Helsinki → near Kárášjohka |
| November | −2.8 | 10% | 3% | Helsinki → near Kárášjohka |
| December | −3.1 | 11% | 3% | Helsinki → near Kárášjohka |
Stages
The route is split into 12 stages of about 100–150 km between towns; each stage has its own page.
| Stage | km | Best month | Tailwind near Kárášjohka → Helsinki in August, km/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. near Kárášjohka → Ivalo | 134 | July | −0.6 |
| 2. Ivalo → near Sodankylä | 123 | July | −2.1 |
| 3. near Sodankylä → near Rovaniemi | 123 | July | −2.5 |
| 4. near Rovaniemi → Tervola | 125 | July | −2.3 |
| 5. Tervola → Ii | 135 | June | −2.3 |
| 6. Ii → Vaala | 131 | June | −1.3 |
| 7. Vaala → Kajaani | 97 | August | −0.8 |
| 8. Kajaani → Lapinlahti | 114 | August | −2.6 |
| 9. Lapinlahti → Suonenjoki | 151 | August | −1.9 |
| 10. Suonenjoki → near Jyväskylä | 122 | June | −1.6 |
| 11. near Jyväskylä → Sysmä | 149 | June | −2.5 |
| 12. Sysmä → Helsinki | 182 | June | −2.8 |
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.