La Vélosud, stage 1: Bayonne → Pau

On stage 1 (Bayonne → Pau, 134 km) the best month is October: 75% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C; the wind barely favours either direction (2.0 km/h on average; ERA5 2006–2025, 9:00–18:00).

ERA5 2006–2025 · OpenStreetMap · Methodology and sources

← La Vélosud (Whole route)

134 kmLength

OctoberBest months

eitherBetter direction in the best month

2.0 km/hAverage tailwind in the best month

75%Dry days with 10–30 °C

July · 66%Best summer month

Start: Bayonne · Finish: Pau · Route geometry: OpenStreetMap / Waymarked Trails

Weather by month

Good days

Month	Good days	Rain days ≥ 1 mm	Rain, mm	Avg high	Days ≥ 30 °C	Days < 10 °C	Daylight, h
January	41%	32%	122	11 °C	0%	40%	9.3 †
February	56%	29%	95	13 °C	0%	24%	10.4 †
March	63%	32%	110	15 °C	0%	10%	11.8
April	66%	34%	99	18 °C	0%	2%	13.4
May	65%	33%	104	21 °C	2%	0%	14.7
June	63%	27%	97	24 °C	10%	0%	15.4
July	66%	17%	59	26 °C	17%	0%	15.1
August	63%	17%	61	27 °C	21%	0%	13.9
September	68%	22%	75	24 °C	11%	0%	12.4
October	75%	24%	92	21 °C	1%	0%	10.9 †
November	58%	36%	143	15 °C	0%	12%	9.6 †
December	51%	29%	114	12 °C	0%	28%	9.0 †

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

Wind Bayonne → Pau, km/h

Month	Wind Bayonne → Pau, km/h	Headwind > 15 km/h, Bayonne → Pau	Headwind > 15 km/h, Pau → Bayonne	Better way
January	+3.2	0%	8%	Bayonne → Pau
February	+3.5	0%	9%	Bayonne → Pau
March	+4.3	0%	11%	Bayonne → Pau
April	+3.5	0%	7%	Bayonne → Pau
May	+4.5	0%	9%	Bayonne → Pau
June	+3.7	0%	6%	Bayonne → Pau
July	+4.0	0%	5%	Bayonne → Pau
August	+3.7	0%	5%	Bayonne → Pau
September	+3.1	0%	4%	Bayonne → Pau
October	+2.0	0%	4%	either
November	+3.0	0%	8%	Bayonne → Pau
December	+2.4	0%	8%	Bayonne → Pau

Along the route (sections of about 25 km)

km	Heading	Tailwind in October, km/h
0–25	E	+2.7
25–50	SE	+2.0
50–76	E	+2.4
76–101	SE	+1.7
101–126	SE	+1.4
126–134	SE	+1.3

Other stages

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.