La Vélidéale, stage 2: Aixe-sur-Vienne → Ruffec
On stage 2 (Aixe-sur-Vienne → Ruffec, 136 km) the best month is September: 73% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C; the wind barely favours either direction (1.1 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 | 20% | 28% | 92 | 8 °C | 0% | 66% | 9.0 † |
| February | 39% | 27% | 74 | 10 °C | 0% | 47% | 10.3 † |
| March | 57% | 30% | 84 | 13 °C | 0% | 22% | 11.8 |
| April | 71% | 28% | 76 | 17 °C | 0% | 4% | 13.5 |
| May | 66% | 34% | 91 | 20 °C | 1% | 0% | 14.9 |
| June | 65% | 26% | 82 | 24 °C | 9% | 0% | 15.7 |
| July | 68% | 17% | 48 | 26 °C | 17% | 0% | 15.4 |
| August | 68% | 14% | 50 | 26 °C | 18% | 0% | 14.1 |
| September | 73% | 21% | 63 | 22 °C | 6% | 0% | 12.5 |
| October | 72% | 26% | 94 | 18 °C | 0% | 2% | 10.8 † |
| November | 48% | 31% | 94 | 12 °C | 0% | 27% | 9.4 † |
| December | 28% | 27% | 93 | 9 °C | 0% | 55% | 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 Aixe-sur-Vienne → Ruffec, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Aixe-sur-Vienne → Ruffec | Headwind > 15 km/h, Ruffec → Aixe-sur-Vienne | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −0.9 | 9% | 5% | either |
| February | −1.1 | 10% | 5% | either |
| March | −1.3 | 12% | 5% | either |
| April | −0.7 | 7% | 4% | either |
| May | −2.2 | 9% | 3% | Ruffec → Aixe-sur-Vienne |
| June | −2.1 | 5% | 2% | Ruffec → Aixe-sur-Vienne |
| July | −3.5 | 7% | 1% | Ruffec → Aixe-sur-Vienne |
| August | −3.2 | 6% | 1% | Ruffec → Aixe-sur-Vienne |
| September | −1.1 | 6% | 3% | either |
| October | +0.4 | 5% | 5% | either |
| November | −0.5 | 7% | 5% | either |
| December | −0.4 | 9% | 6% | either |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 100–125 | W | −1.4 |
| 125–150 | W | −1.4 |
| 150–175 | N | −0.5 |
| 175–201 | W | −1.1 |
| 201–226 | W | −1.2 |
| 226–236 | N | −1.2 |
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.