Loire à Vélo, stage 1: Cuffy → Gien
On stage 1 (Cuffy → Gien, 106 km) the best month is September: 76% 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 | 15% | 25% | 73 | 7 °C | 0% | 75% | 8.9 † |
| February | 29% | 27% | 59 | 9 °C | 0% | 59% | 10.2 † |
| March | 53% | 29% | 72 | 12 °C | 0% | 28% | 11.8 |
| April | 71% | 25% | 59 | 16 °C | 0% | 7% | 13.6 |
| May | 69% | 30% | 82 | 19 °C | 0% | 1% | 15.1 |
| June | 69% | 22% | 66 | 24 °C | 10% | 0% | 15.9 |
| July | 65% | 19% | 55 | 26 °C | 18% | 0% | 15.6 |
| August | 66% | 17% | 55 | 25 °C | 18% | 0% | 14.2 |
| September | 76% | 19% | 62 | 22 °C | 5% | 0% | 12.5 |
| October | 73% | 24% | 81 | 17 °C | 0% | 4% | 10.8 † |
| November | 43% | 27% | 73 | 11 °C | 0% | 39% | 9.2 † |
| December | 18% | 27% | 85 | 8 °C | 0% | 67% | 8.5 † |
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 Cuffy → Gien, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Cuffy → Gien | Headwind > 15 km/h, Gien → Cuffy | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +1.1 | 4% | 6% | either |
| February | +0.7 | 5% | 6% | either |
| March | −0.8 | 6% | 5% | either |
| April | −1.4 | 5% | 4% | either |
| May | −2.4 | 6% | 2% | Gien → Cuffy |
| June | −2.2 | 3% | 1% | Gien → Cuffy |
| July | −2.2 | 2% | 1% | Gien → Cuffy |
| August | −1.7 | 2% | 1% | either |
| September | −0.9 | 3% | 2% | either |
| October | +1.9 | 2% | 6% | either |
| November | +2.4 | 3% | 7% | Cuffy → Gien |
| December | +2.2 | 4% | 7% | Cuffy → Gien |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 0–25 | N | −0.8 |
| 25–51 | NW | −1.0 |
| 51–76 | N | −0.2 |
| 76–101 | NW | −1.3 |
| 101–106 | NW | −1.4 |
Other stages
- Cuffy → Gien 106 km
- Gien → Blois 134 km
- Blois → Saumur 149 km
- Saumur → Saint-Brevin-les-Pins 200 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.