Loire à Vélo, stage 2: Gien → Blois
On stage 2 (Gien → Blois, 134 km) the best month is September: 79% 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 | 17% | 23% | 62 | 7 °C | 0% | 72% | 8.8 † |
| February | 34% | 22% | 51 | 9 °C | 0% | 54% | 10.2 † |
| March | 56% | 26% | 60 | 13 °C | 0% | 26% | 11.8 |
| April | 75% | 23% | 49 | 17 °C | 0% | 4% | 13.6 |
| May | 71% | 28% | 74 | 20 °C | 1% | 1% | 15.1 |
| June | 69% | 21% | 59 | 24 °C | 11% | 0% | 16.0 |
| July | 65% | 18% | 49 | 26 °C | 19% | 0% | 15.6 |
| August | 67% | 16% | 46 | 26 °C | 18% | 0% | 14.3 |
| September | 79% | 15% | 50 | 22 °C | 6% | 0% | 12.5 |
| October | 75% | 24% | 74 | 17 °C | 0% | 2% | 10.7 † |
| November | 49% | 25% | 64 | 11 °C | 0% | 33% | 9.2 † |
| December | 23% | 24% | 70 | 8 °C | 0% | 64% | 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 Gien → Blois, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Gien → Blois | Headwind > 15 km/h, Blois → Gien | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −3.8 | 16% | 3% | Blois → Gien |
| February | −3.1 | 16% | 5% | Blois → Gien |
| March | −2.2 | 15% | 6% | Blois → Gien |
| April | −0.3 | 8% | 7% | either |
| May | −2.0 | 11% | 5% | Blois → Gien |
| June | −2.0 | 9% | 4% | either |
| July | −4.4 | 13% | 2% | Blois → Gien |
| August | −4.1 | 11% | 2% | Blois → Gien |
| September | −1.5 | 9% | 4% | either |
| October | −1.4 | 10% | 4% | either |
| November | −3.2 | 14% | 3% | Blois → Gien |
| December | −4.0 | 17% | 3% | Blois → Gien |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 106–131 | NW | −1.6 |
| 131–156 | NW | −1.6 |
| 156–181 | W | −1.7 |
| 181–207 | SW | −1.4 |
| 207–232 | SW | −1.2 |
| 232–240 | SW | −1.1 |
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.