La Véloscénie: which way and when to ride
The best month for La Véloscénie is September: 80% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In September the wind barely favours either direction — on average 1.8 km/h along the route (ERA5 2006–2025, daytime 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 | 14% | 24% | 68 | 7 °C | 0% | 77% | 8.7 † |
| February | 27% | 24% | 56 | 8 °C | 0% | 63% | 10.1 † |
| March | 49% | 27% | 61 | 12 °C | 0% | 36% | 11.7 |
| April | 70% | 25% | 49 | 15 °C | 0% | 8% | 13.6 |
| May | 71% | 29% | 70 | 18 °C | 0% | 1% | 15.2 |
| June | 71% | 25% | 65 | 22 °C | 4% | 0% | 16.1 |
| July | 72% | 20% | 53 | 24 °C | 9% | 0% | 15.7 |
| August | 74% | 19% | 53 | 23 °C | 7% | 0% | 14.3 |
| September | 80% | 18% | 49 | 21 °C | 2% | 0% | 12.5 |
| October | 74% | 24% | 75 | 16 °C | 0% | 3% | 10.7 † |
| November | 47% | 24% | 70 | 11 °C | 0% | 36% | 9.1 † |
| December | 20% | 24% | 75 | 8 °C | 0% | 67% | 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 near Pontorson → Paris, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, near Pontorson → Paris | Headwind > 15 km/h, Paris → near Pontorson | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +3.3 | 6% | 17% | near Pontorson → Paris |
| February | +2.7 | 8% | 17% | near Pontorson → Paris |
| March | +1.6 | 8% | 16% | either |
| April | +0.2 | 8% | 9% | either |
| May | +1.6 | 6% | 12% | either |
| June | +1.7 | 5% | 9% | either |
| July | +3.9 | 4% | 13% | near Pontorson → Paris |
| August | +3.8 | 3% | 12% | near Pontorson → Paris |
| September | +1.8 | 5% | 10% | either |
| October | +1.6 | 6% | 12% | either |
| November | +2.8 | 5% | 15% | near Pontorson → Paris |
| December | +3.4 | 6% | 17% | near Pontorson → Paris |
Stages
The route is split into 5 stages of about 100–150 km between towns; each stage has its own page.
| Stage | km | Best month | Tailwind near Pontorson → Paris in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. near Pontorson → Domfront | 98 | September | +3.0 |
| 2. Domfront → Mortagne-au-Perche | 113 | September | +2.2 |
| 3. Mortagne-au-Perche → Chartres | 114 | September | +2.0 |
| 4. Chartres → Antony | 112 | September | +1.9 |
| 5. Antony → Paris | 72 | September | −1.3 |
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.