La Vallée du Lot à vélo, stage 3: Decazeville → La Canourgue
On stage 3 (Decazeville → La Canourgue, 129 km) the best month is September: 76% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C, and riding Decazeville → La Canourgue meant an average tailwind of 2.3 km/h (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 | 13% | 30% | 107 | 6 °C | 0% | 84% | 9.2 † |
| February | 31% | 26% | 80 | 8 °C | 0% | 65% | 10.4 † |
| March | 47% | 32% | 102 | 11 °C | 0% | 42% | 11.8 |
| April | 62% | 33% | 92 | 15 °C | 0% | 15% | 13.4 |
| May | 64% | 36% | 106 | 18 °C | 0% | 3% | 14.8 |
| June | 67% | 29% | 88 | 22 °C | 5% | 0% | 15.5 |
| July | 68% | 20% | 67 | 25 °C | 13% | 0% | 15.2 |
| August | 69% | 18% | 69 | 25 °C | 14% | 0% | 14.0 |
| September | 76% | 23% | 78 | 21 °C | 1% | 1% | 12.4 |
| October | 74% | 22% | 94 | 16 °C | 0% | 7% | 10.9 † |
| November | 41% | 30% | 112 | 10 °C | 0% | 45% | 9.5 † |
| December | 21% | 28% | 110 | 7 °C | 0% | 74% | 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 Decazeville → La Canourgue, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Decazeville → La Canourgue | Headwind > 15 km/h, La Canourgue → Decazeville | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +2.1 | 5% | 10% | Decazeville → La Canourgue |
| February | +2.2 | 7% | 11% | Decazeville → La Canourgue |
| March | +2.0 | 9% | 13% | either |
| April | +1.0 | 9% | 7% | either |
| May | +3.0 | 5% | 10% | Decazeville → La Canourgue |
| June | +3.2 | 3% | 5% | Decazeville → La Canourgue |
| July | +5.2 | 1% | 8% | Decazeville → La Canourgue |
| August | +4.6 | 1% | 6% | Decazeville → La Canourgue |
| September | +2.3 | 4% | 6% | Decazeville → La Canourgue |
| October | −0.6 | 10% | 4% | either |
| November | +0.6 | 8% | 8% | either |
| December | +1.0 | 5% | 10% | either |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 290–315 | NE | +2.0 |
| 315–340 | E | +2.0 |
| 340–366 | SE | +2.4 |
| 366–391 | SE | +2.6 |
| 391–416 | E | +2.7 |
| 416–419 | E | +2.6 |
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.