La Vélidéale, stage 1: Royère-de-Vassivière → Aixe-sur-Vienne
On stage 1 (Royère-de-Vassivière → Aixe-sur-Vienne, 100 km) the best month is September: 72% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C; the wind barely favours either direction (1.7 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 | 12% | 30% | 105 | 7 °C | 0% | 80% | 9.0 † |
| February | 30% | 31% | 83 | 9 °C | 0% | 61% | 10.3 † |
| March | 48% | 34% | 100 | 12 °C | 0% | 36% | 11.8 |
| April | 62% | 33% | 91 | 15 °C | 0% | 12% | 13.5 |
| May | 62% | 37% | 106 | 18 °C | 0% | 2% | 14.9 |
| June | 63% | 31% | 98 | 22 °C | 6% | 0% | 15.7 |
| July | 66% | 23% | 60 | 25 °C | 13% | 0% | 15.4 |
| August | 66% | 19% | 66 | 24 °C | 15% | 0% | 14.1 |
| September | 72% | 24% | 78 | 21 °C | 4% | 1% | 12.5 |
| October | 68% | 28% | 104 | 17 °C | 0% | 6% | 10.8 † |
| November | 39% | 34% | 109 | 11 °C | 0% | 42% | 9.4 † |
| December | 19% | 30% | 108 | 8 °C | 0% | 69% | 8.7 † |
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 Royère-de-Vassivière → Aixe-sur-Vienne, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Royère-de-Vassivière → Aixe-sur-Vienne | Headwind > 15 km/h, Aixe-sur-Vienne → Royère-de-Vassivière | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −1.6 | 7% | 2% | either |
| February | −2.0 | 9% | 2% | either |
| March | −2.1 | 11% | 2% | Aixe-sur-Vienne → Royère-de-Vassivière |
| April | −1.0 | 5% | 3% | either |
| May | −2.6 | 7% | 2% | Aixe-sur-Vienne → Royère-de-Vassivière |
| June | −2.5 | 4% | 1% | Aixe-sur-Vienne → Royère-de-Vassivière |
| July | −4.1 | 5% | 0% | Aixe-sur-Vienne → Royère-de-Vassivière |
| August | −4.0 | 4% | 0% | Aixe-sur-Vienne → Royère-de-Vassivière |
| September | −1.7 | 4% | 2% | either |
| October | −0.5 | 4% | 1% | either |
| November | −1.6 | 6% | 2% | either |
| December | −1.5 | 8% | 2% | either |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 0–25 | W | −1.9 |
| 25–50 | W | −1.5 |
| 50–76 | W | −1.7 |
| 76–100 | W | −1.4 |
Other stages
- Royère-de-Vassivière → Aixe-sur-Vienne 100 km
- Aixe-sur-Vienne → Ruffec 136 km
- Ruffec → Niort 114 km
- Niort → Nueil-les-Aubiers 104 km
- Nueil-les-Aubiers → Nantes 132 km
- Nantes → Saint-Nazaire 88 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.