La Belle Via (Doussard – La Buissière): which way and when to ride
The best month for La Belle Via (Doussard – La Buissière) is September: 70% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In September the wind barely favours either direction — on average 0.3 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 | 4% | 30% | 144 | 3 °C | 0% | 95% | 9.1 † |
| February | 16% | 27% | 103 | 5 °C | 0% | 84% | 10.3 † |
| March | 36% | 33% | 134 | 9 °C | 0% | 58% | 11.8 |
| April | 50% | 39% | 114 | 13 °C | 0% | 27% | 13.5 |
| May | 48% | 51% | 185 | 16 °C | 0% | 10% | 14.9 |
| June | 52% | 46% | 141 | 21 °C | 2% | 1% | 15.7 |
| July | 61% | 36% | 134 | 23 °C | 3% | 0% | 15.4 |
| August | 66% | 31% | 119 | 22 °C | 3% | 0% | 14.1 |
| September | 70% | 30% | 110 | 18 °C | 0% | 4% | 12.5 |
| October | 68% | 24% | 106 | 14 °C | 0% | 15% | 10.8 † |
| November | 29% | 32% | 140 | 8 °C | 0% | 66% | 9.4 † |
| December | 4% | 33% | 170 | 4 °C | 0% | 95% | 8.7 † |
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 Doussard → La Buissière, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Doussard → La Buissière | Headwind > 15 km/h, La Buissière → Doussard | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0.0 | 0% | 0% | either |
| February | +0.1 | 0% | 0% | either |
| March | +0.2 | 0% | 0% | either |
| April | +0.4 | 0% | 0% | either |
| May | +0.3 | 0% | 0% | either |
| June | +0.3 | 0% | 0% | either |
| July | +0.2 | 0% | 0% | either |
| August | +0.2 | 0% | 0% | either |
| September | +0.3 | 0% | 0% | either |
| October | +0.1 | 0% | 0% | either |
| November | 0.0 | 0% | 0% | either |
| December | −0.1 | 0% | 0% | either |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 0–19 | NW | −2.4 |
| 19–45 | SE | +2.1 |
| 45–70 | SE | +2.8 |
| 70–95 | SW | −0.2 |
| 95–120 | SW | −1.5 |
| 120–124 | W | −1.3 |
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.