La Vélidéale, stage 5: Nueil-les-Aubiers → Nantes
On stage 5 (Nueil-les-Aubiers → Nantes, 132 km) the best month is September: 78% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C, and riding Nantes → Nueil-les-Aubiers meant an average tailwind of 2.2 km/h (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% | 23% | 74 | 8 °C | 0% | 60% | 8.9 † |
| February | 41% | 23% | 61 | 10 °C | 0% | 44% | 10.2 † |
| March | 58% | 27% | 65 | 13 °C | 0% | 22% | 11.8 |
| April | 74% | 24% | 56 | 16 °C | 0% | 3% | 13.5 |
| May | 74% | 26% | 67 | 19 °C | 0% | 0% | 15.0 |
| June | 72% | 23% | 58 | 23 °C | 6% | 0% | 15.9 |
| July | 75% | 15% | 40 | 25 °C | 11% | 0% | 15.5 |
| August | 73% | 15% | 41 | 24 °C | 12% | 0% | 14.2 |
| September | 78% | 18% | 49 | 22 °C | 4% | 0% | 12.5 |
| October | 77% | 22% | 77 | 18 °C | 0% | 1% | 10.8 † |
| November | 58% | 26% | 77 | 12 °C | 0% | 20% | 9.3 † |
| December | 32% | 24% | 79 | 9 °C | 0% | 50% | 8.5 † |
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 Nueil-les-Aubiers → Nantes, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Nueil-les-Aubiers → Nantes | Headwind > 15 km/h, Nantes → Nueil-les-Aubiers | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −2.8 | 15% | 5% | Nantes → Nueil-les-Aubiers |
| February | −2.8 | 16% | 6% | Nantes → Nueil-les-Aubiers |
| March | −2.0 | 16% | 7% | Nantes → Nueil-les-Aubiers |
| April | −0.9 | 10% | 7% | either |
| May | −3.0 | 14% | 5% | Nantes → Nueil-les-Aubiers |
| June | −3.1 | 11% | 3% | Nantes → Nueil-les-Aubiers |
| July | −5.7 | 16% | 3% | Nantes → Nueil-les-Aubiers |
| August | −5.2 | 13% | 2% | Nantes → Nueil-les-Aubiers |
| September | −2.2 | 10% | 5% | Nantes → Nueil-les-Aubiers |
| October | −0.7 | 9% | 6% | either |
| November | −2.4 | 13% | 5% | Nantes → Nueil-les-Aubiers |
| December | −2.3 | 15% | 6% | Nantes → Nueil-les-Aubiers |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 454–464 | W | −2.0 |
| 464–489 | W | −1.7 |
| 489–515 | NW | −2.2 |
| 515–540 | W | −2.3 |
| 540–565 | NW | −2.4 |
| 565–586 | NW | −2.6 |
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.