La Voie Bleue, stage 2: Metz → Épinal
On stage 2 (Metz → Épinal, 139 km) the best month is September: 78% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C; the wind barely favours either direction (0.1 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 | 7% | 25% | 81 | 5 °C | 0% | 87% | 8.7 † |
| February | 20% | 26% | 64 | 7 °C | 0% | 75% | 10.1 † |
| March | 44% | 28% | 68 | 11 °C | 0% | 43% | 11.7 |
| April | 64% | 28% | 59 | 15 °C | 0% | 16% | 13.6 |
| May | 69% | 30% | 81 | 19 °C | 1% | 2% | 15.2 |
| June | 67% | 26% | 76 | 23 °C | 7% | 0% | 16.1 |
| July | 62% | 24% | 67 | 25 °C | 15% | 0% | 15.8 |
| August | 65% | 23% | 74 | 24 °C | 12% | 0% | 14.3 |
| September | 78% | 20% | 69 | 20 °C | 2% | 0% | 12.5 |
| October | 71% | 21% | 74 | 15 °C | 0% | 10% | 10.7 † |
| November | 30% | 27% | 80 | 9 °C | 0% | 58% | 9.1 † |
| December | 10% | 29% | 88 | 6 °C | 0% | 83% | 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 Metz → Épinal, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Metz → Épinal | Headwind > 15 km/h, Épinal → Metz | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −3.5 | 13% | 2% | Épinal → Metz |
| February | −3.1 | 12% | 3% | Épinal → Metz |
| March | −0.7 | 8% | 3% | either |
| April | +1.0 | 5% | 3% | either |
| May | +1.2 | 3% | 3% | either |
| June | +1.5 | 2% | 3% | either |
| July | +1.0 | 2% | 2% | either |
| August | +0.1 | 3% | 1% | either |
| September | −0.1 | 4% | 2% | either |
| October | −3.1 | 10% | 1% | Épinal → Metz |
| November | −4.3 | 13% | 2% | Épinal → Metz |
| December | −4.9 | 15% | 2% | Épinal → Metz |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 101–126 | S | −1.4 |
| 126–151 | S | +0.5 |
| 151–177 | S | +0.1 |
| 177–203 | S | +0.1 |
| 203–228 | SE | +0.2 |
| 228–239 | S | 0.0 |
Other stages
- Hagondange → Metz 90 km
- Metz → Épinal 139 km
- Épinal → Port-sur-Saône 106 km
- Port-sur-Saône → Auxonne 119 km
- Auxonne → Chalon-sur-Saône 99 km
- Chalon-sur-Saône → Lyon 148 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.