La Vallée du Lot à vélo: which way and when to ride
The best month for La Vallée du Lot à vélo is October: 77% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In October the wind barely favours either direction — on average 0.1 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 | 25% | 27% | 88 | 8 °C | 0% | 66% | 9.2 † |
| February | 45% | 24% | 65 | 10 °C | 0% | 45% | 10.4 † |
| March | 58% | 29% | 82 | 13 °C | 0% | 23% | 11.8 |
| April | 69% | 29% | 81 | 17 °C | 0% | 6% | 13.4 |
| May | 68% | 31% | 93 | 20 °C | 1% | 1% | 14.8 |
| June | 62% | 25% | 83 | 24 °C | 13% | 0% | 15.5 |
| July | 60% | 16% | 56 | 27 °C | 26% | 0% | 15.2 |
| August | 60% | 15% | 60 | 27 °C | 27% | 0% | 14.0 |
| September | 71% | 20% | 67 | 23 °C | 9% | 0% | 12.4 |
| October | 77% | 21% | 79 | 19 °C | 1% | 3% | 10.9 † |
| November | 53% | 28% | 94 | 13 °C | 0% | 28% | 9.5 † |
| December | 34% | 25% | 85 | 9 °C | 0% | 55% | 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 Damazan → La Canourgue, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Damazan → La Canourgue | Headwind > 15 km/h, La Canourgue → Damazan | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +2.4 | 3% | 9% | Damazan → La Canourgue |
| February | +2.3 | 4% | 10% | Damazan → La Canourgue |
| March | +2.1 | 6% | 11% | Damazan → La Canourgue |
| April | +1.1 | 5% | 6% | either |
| May | +2.7 | 3% | 8% | Damazan → La Canourgue |
| June | +2.6 | 1% | 4% | Damazan → La Canourgue |
| July | +3.8 | 1% | 5% | Damazan → La Canourgue |
| August | +3.4 | 1% | 4% | Damazan → La Canourgue |
| September | +1.7 | 2% | 4% | either |
| October | −0.1 | 5% | 4% | either |
| November | +1.3 | 4% | 7% | either |
| December | +1.5 | 3% | 9% | either |
Stages
The route is split into 3 stages of about 100–150 km between towns; each stage has its own page.
| Stage | km | Best month | Tailwind Damazan → La Canourgue in October, km/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Damazan → Prayssac | 132 | October | +0.5 |
| 2. Prayssac → Decazeville | 150 | October | 0.0 |
| 3. Decazeville → La Canourgue | 129 | September | −0.6 |
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.