La Vélidéale, stage 3: Ruffec → Niort
On stage 3 (Ruffec → Niort, 114 km) the best month is October: 76% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C; the wind barely favours either direction (0.6 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 | 25% | 26% | 86 | 9 °C | 0% | 58% | 9.0 † |
| February | 44% | 24% | 71 | 10 °C | 0% | 40% | 10.3 † |
| March | 61% | 27% | 76 | 14 °C | 0% | 16% | 11.8 |
| April | 74% | 25% | 65 | 17 °C | 0% | 3% | 13.5 |
| May | 70% | 29% | 79 | 20 °C | 1% | 0% | 14.9 |
| June | 68% | 23% | 72 | 24 °C | 9% | 0% | 15.8 |
| July | 71% | 14% | 40 | 26 °C | 16% | 0% | 15.4 |
| August | 71% | 12% | 41 | 26 °C | 17% | 0% | 14.1 |
| September | 75% | 19% | 54 | 23 °C | 6% | 0% | 12.5 |
| October | 76% | 23% | 86 | 18 °C | 0% | 1% | 10.8 † |
| November | 54% | 29% | 91 | 13 °C | 0% | 21% | 9.4 † |
| December | 33% | 24% | 89 | 10 °C | 0% | 49% | 8.6 † |
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 Ruffec → Niort, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Ruffec → Niort | Headwind > 15 km/h, Niort → Ruffec | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −0.7 | 8% | 4% | either |
| February | −1.1 | 10% | 5% | either |
| March | −1.4 | 11% | 5% | either |
| April | −1.0 | 7% | 4% | either |
| May | −2.7 | 9% | 3% | Niort → Ruffec |
| June | −2.4 | 6% | 2% | Niort → Ruffec |
| July | −4.1 | 8% | 1% | Niort → Ruffec |
| August | −3.6 | 7% | 1% | Niort → Ruffec |
| September | −1.5 | 6% | 2% | either |
| October | +0.6 | 4% | 5% | either |
| November | −0.1 | 7% | 5% | either |
| December | +0.1 | 8% | 5% | either |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in October, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 236–262 | W | −0.2 |
| 262–288 | NW | +1.0 |
| 288–313 | N | +1.6 |
| 313–338 | W | +0.3 |
| 338–350 | NW | +0.7 |
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.