La Vélosud, stage 4: Saint-Girons → Espéraza
On stage 4 (Saint-Girons → Espéraza, 117 km) the best month is October: 80% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C; the wind barely favours either direction (1.0 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 | 30% | 26% | 92 | 8 °C | 0% | 65% | 9.3 † |
| February | 46% | 26% | 74 | 10 °C | 0% | 47% | 10.5 † |
| March | 55% | 34% | 93 | 12 °C | 0% | 29% | 11.8 |
| April | 61% | 36% | 97 | 15 °C | 0% | 10% | 13.3 |
| May | 55% | 45% | 120 | 18 °C | 0% | 3% | 14.6 |
| June | 58% | 39% | 105 | 22 °C | 4% | 0% | 15.3 |
| July | 62% | 30% | 91 | 25 °C | 9% | 0% | 15.1 |
| August | 62% | 27% | 82 | 25 °C | 12% | 0% | 13.9 |
| September | 73% | 26% | 80 | 22 °C | 1% | 0% | 12.4 |
| October | 80% | 18% | 73 | 18 °C | 0% | 3% | 10.9 † |
| November | 55% | 30% | 104 | 12 °C | 0% | 30% | 9.7 † |
| December | 44% | 24% | 81 | 9 °C | 0% | 50% | 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
| Month | Wind Saint-Girons → Espéraza, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Saint-Girons → Espéraza | Headwind > 15 km/h, Espéraza → Saint-Girons | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +4.6 | 1% | 13% | Saint-Girons → Espéraza |
| February | +4.2 | 3% | 16% | Saint-Girons → Espéraza |
| March | +3.5 | 6% | 17% | Saint-Girons → Espéraza |
| April | +2.2 | 6% | 12% | Saint-Girons → Espéraza |
| May | +3.6 | 4% | 14% | Saint-Girons → Espéraza |
| June | +2.6 | 2% | 7% | Saint-Girons → Espéraza |
| July | +3.8 | 1% | 8% | Saint-Girons → Espéraza |
| August | +3.3 | 1% | 7% | Saint-Girons → Espéraza |
| September | +2.5 | 2% | 8% | Saint-Girons → Espéraza |
| October | +1.0 | 3% | 7% | either |
| November | +3.1 | 2% | 11% | Saint-Girons → Espéraza |
| December | +3.1 | 1% | 11% | Saint-Girons → Espéraza |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in October, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 384–409 | E | +0.6 |
| 409–430 | E | +1.2 |
| 430–455 | E | +0.5 |
| 455–481 | SE | +2.0 |
| 481–501 | E | +0.6 |
Other stages
- Bayonne → Pau 134 km
- Pau → Lannemezan 126 km
- Lannemezan → Saint-Girons 125 km
- Saint-Girons → Espéraza 117 km
- Espéraza → Le Barcarès 106 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.