EuroVelo 6 - Atlantic-Black Sea - part France: which way and when to ride
The best month for EuroVelo 6 - Atlantic-Black Sea - part France is September: 77% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In September the wind barely favours either direction — on average 1.2 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 | 17% | 25% | 77 | 7 °C | 0% | 73% | 8.9 † |
| February | 33% | 24% | 62 | 9 °C | 0% | 56% | 10.2 † |
| March | 55% | 27% | 70 | 12 °C | 0% | 27% | 11.8 |
| April | 72% | 25% | 61 | 16 °C | 0% | 7% | 13.6 |
| May | 69% | 30% | 84 | 20 °C | 1% | 1% | 15.1 |
| June | 66% | 24% | 71 | 24 °C | 10% | 0% | 15.9 |
| July | 63% | 20% | 58 | 26 °C | 19% | 0% | 15.6 |
| August | 64% | 18% | 60 | 25 °C | 19% | 0% | 14.2 |
| September | 77% | 19% | 63 | 22 °C | 5% | 0% | 12.5 |
| October | 75% | 22% | 82 | 17 °C | 0% | 4% | 10.8 † |
| November | 46% | 26% | 81 | 11 °C | 0% | 37% | 9.2 † |
| December | 21% | 27% | 87 | 8 °C | 0% | 66% | 8.5 † |
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 Saint-Brevin-les-Pins → Basel, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Saint-Brevin-les-Pins → Basel | Headwind > 15 km/h, Basel → Saint-Brevin-les-Pins | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +2.8 | 4% | 14% | Saint-Brevin-les-Pins → Basel |
| February | +2.4 | 5% | 14% | Saint-Brevin-les-Pins → Basel |
| March | +1.8 | 6% | 14% | either |
| April | +0.4 | 6% | 8% | either |
| May | +1.9 | 5% | 10% | either |
| June | +1.8 | 4% | 8% | either |
| July | +3.6 | 2% | 10% | Saint-Brevin-les-Pins → Basel |
| August | +3.4 | 1% | 9% | Saint-Brevin-les-Pins → Basel |
| September | +1.2 | 4% | 8% | either |
| October | +0.9 | 4% | 8% | either |
| November | +2.2 | 3% | 12% | Saint-Brevin-les-Pins → Basel |
| December | +2.9 | 4% | 14% | Saint-Brevin-les-Pins → Basel |
Stages
The route is split into 10 stages of about 100–150 km between towns; each stage has its own page.
| Stage | km | Best month | Tailwind Saint-Brevin-les-Pins → Basel in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Saint-Brevin-les-Pins → Saint-Florent-le-Vieil | 118 | September | +2.5 |
| 2. Saint-Florent-le-Vieil → Saumur | 109 | September | +1.9 |
| 3. Saumur → Amboise | 112 | September | +1.6 |
| 4. Amboise → Orléans | 104 | September | +1.3 |
| 5. Orléans → Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire | 122 | September | +1.4 |
| 6. Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire → Decize | 114 | September | +1.1 |
| 7. Decize → Montceau-les-Mines | 130 | October | +1.4 |
| 8. Montceau-les-Mines → Seurre | 112 | October | +0.2 |
| 9. Seurre → Besançon | 102 | October | +0.7 |
| 10. Besançon → Basel | 185 | September | +0.4 |
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.