La Vagabonde: which way and when to ride
The best month for La Vagabonde is October: 73% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In October, riding Montech → Montluçon meant an average tailwind of 2.1 km/h (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 | 20% | 27% | 90 | 7 °C | 0% | 73% | 9.1 † |
| February | 38% | 27% | 71 | 9 °C | 0% | 52% | 10.3 † |
| March | 54% | 31% | 89 | 13 °C | 0% | 30% | 11.8 |
| April | 66% | 31% | 85 | 16 °C | 0% | 9% | 13.4 |
| May | 65% | 34% | 102 | 19 °C | 1% | 2% | 14.8 |
| June | 60% | 30% | 93 | 23 °C | 11% | 0% | 15.6 |
| July | 61% | 21% | 62 | 26 °C | 20% | 0% | 15.3 |
| August | 61% | 18% | 66 | 26 °C | 22% | 0% | 14.1 |
| September | 70% | 23% | 74 | 22 °C | 7% | 1% | 12.5 |
| October | 73% | 23% | 88 | 18 °C | 0% | 5% | 10.8 † |
| November | 47% | 30% | 98 | 12 °C | 0% | 36% | 9.4 † |
| December | 28% | 27% | 92 | 9 °C | 0% | 62% | 8.8 † |
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 Montluçon → Montech, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Montluçon → Montech | Headwind > 15 km/h, Montech → Montluçon | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −2.0 | 10% | 3% | Montech → Montluçon |
| February | −1.9 | 10% | 4% | either |
| March | −1.4 | 10% | 5% | either |
| April | −0.2 | 6% | 5% | either |
| May | +0.1 | 4% | 5% | either |
| June | +0.1 | 3% | 3% | either |
| July | +0.1 | 3% | 1% | either |
| August | −0.2 | 3% | 1% | either |
| September | −0.4 | 4% | 2% | either |
| October | −2.1 | 9% | 2% | Montech → Montluçon |
| November | −2.8 | 10% | 3% | Montech → Montluçon |
| December | −2.8 | 10% | 2% | Montech → Montluçon |
Stages
The route is split into 4 stages of about 100–150 km between towns; each stage has its own page.
| Stage | km | Best month | Tailwind Montluçon → Montech in October, km/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Montluçon → Felletin | 110 | September | −3.1 |
| 2. Felletin → Saint-Hippolyte | 128 | September | −2.7 |
| 3. Saint-Hippolyte → Rocamadour | 128 | October | −1.8 |
| 4. Rocamadour → Montech | 145 | October | −1.1 |
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.