La Vagabonde, stage 1: Montluçon → Felletin
On stage 1 (Montluçon → Felletin, 110 km) the best month is September: 73% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C; the wind barely favours either direction (0.9 km/h on average; ERA5 2006–2025, 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 | 16% | 26% | 67 | 6 °C | 0% | 78% | 9.0 † |
| February | 32% | 24% | 53 | 8 °C | 0% | 61% | 10.3 † |
| March | 49% | 30% | 72 | 12 °C | 0% | 37% | 11.8 |
| April | 64% | 30% | 68 | 15 °C | 0% | 12% | 13.5 |
| May | 65% | 34% | 90 | 18 °C | 0% | 2% | 14.9 |
| June | 63% | 30% | 81 | 23 °C | 8% | 0% | 15.8 |
| July | 65% | 22% | 58 | 25 °C | 15% | 0% | 15.4 |
| August | 65% | 19% | 57 | 25 °C | 18% | 0% | 14.1 |
| September | 73% | 22% | 65 | 21 °C | 5% | 1% | 12.5 |
| October | 72% | 23% | 72 | 17 °C | 0% | 8% | 10.8 † |
| November | 42% | 29% | 75 | 11 °C | 0% | 43% | 9.4 † |
| December | 22% | 28% | 73 | 8 °C | 0% | 68% | 8.6 † |
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 → Felletin, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Montluçon → Felletin | Headwind > 15 km/h, Felletin → Montluçon | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −4.4 | 21% | 3% | Felletin → Montluçon |
| February | −3.6 | 19% | 4% | Felletin → Montluçon |
| March | −2.2 | 16% | 5% | Felletin → Montluçon |
| April | +0.3 | 9% | 5% | either |
| May | −0.3 | 8% | 6% | either |
| June | −0.3 | 6% | 3% | either |
| July | −1.4 | 6% | 1% | either |
| August | −1.8 | 6% | 1% | either |
| September | −0.9 | 8% | 3% | either |
| October | −3.1 | 14% | 2% | Felletin → Montluçon |
| November | −5.1 | 19% | 2% | Felletin → Montluçon |
| December | −5.7 | 21% | 2% | Felletin → Montluçon |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 0–25 | S | +0.5 |
| 25–50 | W | −2.0 |
| 50–75 | SW | −1.3 |
| 75–102 | SW | −1.3 |
| 102–110 | S | +0.3 |
Other stages
- Montluçon → Felletin 110 km
- Felletin → Saint-Hippolyte 128 km
- Saint-Hippolyte → Rocamadour 128 km
- Rocamadour → Montech 145 km
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.