La Vélo Francette, Itinéraire principal, stage 1: Ouistreham → Domfront
On stage 1 (Ouistreham → Domfront, 122 km) the best month is September: 79% 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).
← La Vélo Francette, Itinéraire principal (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 | 16% | 26% | 70 | 7 °C | 0% | 73% | 8.7 † |
| February | 29% | 25% | 58 | 9 °C | 0% | 60% | 10.1 † |
| March | 49% | 29% | 61 | 11 °C | 0% | 36% | 11.7 |
| April | 70% | 25% | 50 | 15 °C | 0% | 9% | 13.6 |
| May | 70% | 30% | 66 | 17 °C | 0% | 1% | 15.3 |
| June | 71% | 26% | 65 | 21 °C | 3% | 0% | 16.2 |
| July | 72% | 25% | 58 | 23 °C | 5% | 0% | 15.8 |
| August | 74% | 21% | 55 | 22 °C | 4% | 0% | 14.4 |
| September | 79% | 20% | 49 | 20 °C | 1% | 0% | 12.5 |
| October | 73% | 25% | 71 | 16 °C | 0% | 3% | 10.7 † |
| November | 51% | 28% | 75 | 11 °C | 0% | 31% | 9.1 † |
| December | 24% | 26% | 77 | 8 °C | 0% | 62% | 8.3 † |
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 Ouistreham → Domfront, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Ouistreham → Domfront | Headwind > 15 km/h, Domfront → Ouistreham | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −5.1 | 23% | 5% | Domfront → Ouistreham |
| February | −3.8 | 22% | 8% | Domfront → Ouistreham |
| March | −1.4 | 17% | 10% | either |
| April | +0.9 | 10% | 10% | either |
| May | +0.6 | 11% | 9% | either |
| June | +0.4 | 9% | 7% | either |
| July | −1.8 | 12% | 4% | either |
| August | −2.1 | 11% | 4% | Domfront → Ouistreham |
| September | −1.1 | 11% | 6% | either |
| October | −4.3 | 19% | 4% | Domfront → Ouistreham |
| November | −5.1 | 23% | 5% | Domfront → Ouistreham |
| December | −6.3 | 26% | 4% | Domfront → Ouistreham |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 0–25 | SW | −1.4 |
| 25–51 | SW | −1.6 |
| 51–76 | SE | +1.7 |
| 76–102 | SW | −2.7 |
| 102–122 | SW | −1.9 |
Other stages
- Ouistreham → Domfront 122 km
- Domfront → Château-Gontier 112 km
- Château-Gontier → Saumur 122 km
- Saumur → Parthenay 118 km
- Parthenay → La Rochelle 140 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.