La Vallée du Lot à vélo, stage 1: Damazan → Prayssac
On stage 1 (Damazan → Prayssac, 132 km) the best month is October: 78% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C; the wind barely favours either direction (0.5 km/h on average; ERA5 2006–2025, 9:00–18:00).
← La Vallée du Lot à vélo (Whole route)
Weather by month
| Month | Good days | Rain days ≥ 1 mm | Rain, mm | Avg high | Days ≥ 30 °C | Days < 10 °C | Daylight, h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35% | 24% | 75 | 9 °C | 0% | 51% | 9.2 † |
| February | 55% | 22% | 55 | 12 °C | 0% | 29% | 10.4 † |
| March | 67% | 26% | 66 | 15 °C | 0% | 11% | 11.8 |
| April | 72% | 27% | 71 | 18 °C | 0% | 1% | 13.4 |
| May | 70% | 27% | 80 | 21 °C | 3% | 0% | 14.8 |
| June | 60% | 23% | 75 | 26 °C | 18% | 0% | 15.5 |
| July | 55% | 12% | 43 | 28 °C | 36% | 0% | 15.2 |
| August | 55% | 11% | 47 | 28 °C | 36% | 0% | 14.0 |
| September | 66% | 18% | 56 | 25 °C | 17% | 0% | 12.4 |
| October | 78% | 20% | 65 | 20 °C | 2% | 1% | 10.9 † |
| November | 62% | 26% | 79 | 14 °C | 0% | 15% | 9.5 † |
| December | 44% | 22% | 68 | 11 °C | 0% | 41% | 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 → Prayssac, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Damazan → Prayssac | Headwind > 15 km/h, Prayssac → Damazan | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +2.3 | 2% | 9% | Damazan → Prayssac |
| February | +2.1 | 3% | 10% | Damazan → Prayssac |
| March | +1.9 | 4% | 12% | either |
| April | +1.0 | 3% | 7% | either |
| May | +1.9 | 2% | 7% | either |
| June | +1.7 | 1% | 4% | either |
| July | +2.1 | 1% | 4% | Damazan → Prayssac |
| August | +1.9 | 1% | 3% | either |
| September | +1.0 | 1% | 5% | either |
| October | +0.5 | 2% | 5% | either |
| November | +1.7 | 3% | 8% | either |
| December | +1.8 | 2% | 9% | either |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in October, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 0–14 | W | −0.7 |
| 14–39 | NE | +0.9 |
| 39–64 | E | +0.8 |
| 64–89 | E | +0.4 |
| 89–114 | NE | +0.9 |
| 114–132 | E | −0.1 |
Other stages
- Damazan → Prayssac 132 km
- Prayssac → Decazeville 150 km
- Decazeville → La Canourgue 129 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.