La Voie Bleue, stage 3: Épinal → Port-sur-Saône
On stage 3 (Épinal → Port-sur-Saône, 106 km) the best month is September: 77% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C; the wind barely favours either direction (0.9 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% | 29% | 104 | 5 °C | 0% | 87% | 8.8 † |
| February | 21% | 28% | 80 | 7 °C | 0% | 72% | 10.2 † |
| March | 48% | 29% | 84 | 11 °C | 0% | 39% | 11.8 |
| April | 66% | 28% | 70 | 16 °C | 0% | 14% | 13.6 |
| May | 67% | 32% | 97 | 19 °C | 1% | 2% | 15.1 |
| June | 64% | 28% | 89 | 24 °C | 9% | 0% | 16.0 |
| July | 58% | 27% | 73 | 26 °C | 18% | 0% | 15.7 |
| August | 62% | 23% | 84 | 25 °C | 15% | 0% | 14.3 |
| September | 77% | 21% | 77 | 21 °C | 2% | 0% | 12.5 |
| October | 70% | 24% | 90 | 16 °C | 0% | 9% | 10.7 † |
| November | 31% | 30% | 100 | 9 °C | 0% | 55% | 9.2 † |
| December | 9% | 33% | 117 | 6 °C | 0% | 84% | 8.4 † |
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 Épinal → Port-sur-Saône, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Épinal → Port-sur-Saône | Headwind > 15 km/h, Port-sur-Saône → Épinal | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −4.4 | 18% | 3% | Port-sur-Saône → Épinal |
| February | −3.6 | 16% | 5% | Port-sur-Saône → Épinal |
| March | −1.7 | 14% | 6% | either |
| April | +0.3 | 8% | 6% | either |
| May | −0.2 | 8% | 7% | either |
| June | 0.0 | 5% | 4% | either |
| July | −1.2 | 6% | 2% | either |
| August | −1.7 | 6% | 1% | either |
| September | −0.9 | 7% | 4% | either |
| October | −3.1 | 11% | 3% | Port-sur-Saône → Épinal |
| November | −4.6 | 16% | 2% | Port-sur-Saône → Épinal |
| December | −5.5 | 18% | 2% | Port-sur-Saône → Épinal |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 239–264 | SW | −1.3 |
| 264–289 | SW | −1.4 |
| 289–314 | SW | −1.1 |
| 314–340 | SE | +0.2 |
| 340–345 | S | −0.6 |
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.