La Vélosud, stage 5: Espéraza → Le Barcarès
On stage 5 (Espéraza → Le Barcarès, 106 km) the best month is October: 86% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C; the wind barely favours either direction (1.5 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 | 52% | 15% | 57 | 10 °C | 0% | 43% | 9.3 † |
| February | 63% | 16% | 41 | 12 °C | 0% | 28% | 10.5 † |
| March | 71% | 21% | 68 | 14 °C | 0% | 14% | 11.8 |
| April | 76% | 23% | 75 | 17 °C | 0% | 3% | 13.3 |
| May | 75% | 24% | 73 | 20 °C | 1% | 0% | 14.6 |
| June | 67% | 20% | 53 | 25 °C | 14% | 0% | 15.3 |
| July | 56% | 15% | 46 | 28 °C | 32% | 0% | 15.0 |
| August | 56% | 15% | 52 | 28 °C | 31% | 0% | 13.9 |
| September | 79% | 16% | 58 | 24 °C | 5% | 0% | 12.4 |
| October | 86% | 13% | 70 | 20 °C | 0% | 1% | 10.9 † |
| November | 71% | 20% | 72 | 14 °C | 0% | 14% | 9.7 † |
| December | 63% | 13% | 48 | 11 °C | 0% | 32% | 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 Espéraza → Le Barcarès, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Espéraza → Le Barcarès | Headwind > 15 km/h, Le Barcarès → Espéraza | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +6.9 | 1% | 25% | Espéraza → Le Barcarès |
| February | +6.1 | 3% | 28% | Espéraza → Le Barcarès |
| March | +4.8 | 7% | 28% | Espéraza → Le Barcarès |
| April | +2.7 | 9% | 22% | Espéraza → Le Barcarès |
| May | +4.5 | 6% | 27% | Espéraza → Le Barcarès |
| June | +3.0 | 5% | 18% | Espéraza → Le Barcarès |
| July | +4.6 | 3% | 20% | Espéraza → Le Barcarès |
| August | +4.0 | 2% | 18% | Espéraza → Le Barcarès |
| September | +3.0 | 4% | 18% | Espéraza → Le Barcarès |
| October | +1.5 | 5% | 15% | either |
| November | +4.7 | 3% | 23% | Espéraza → Le Barcarès |
| December | +5.2 | 1% | 21% | Espéraza → Le Barcarès |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in October, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 515–540 | SE | +1.8 |
| 540–565 | SE | +1.8 |
| 565–590 | E | +1.3 |
| 590–616 | E | +1.5 |
| 616–621 | NE | +0.1 |
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.