Véloroute de la Marne à la Saône: which way and when to ride
The best month for Véloroute de la Marne à la Saône is September: 76% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In September the wind barely favours either direction — on average 0.1 km/h along the route (ERA5 2006–2025, daytime 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 | 8% | 28% | 90 | 5 °C | 0% | 85% | 8.8 † |
| February | 22% | 27% | 71 | 7 °C | 0% | 70% | 10.2 † |
| March | 49% | 28% | 76 | 11 °C | 0% | 37% | 11.8 |
| April | 66% | 27% | 66 | 16 °C | 0% | 13% | 13.6 |
| May | 67% | 32% | 90 | 19 °C | 1% | 1% | 15.1 |
| June | 65% | 27% | 80 | 23 °C | 8% | 0% | 16.0 |
| July | 62% | 23% | 67 | 25 °C | 17% | 0% | 15.7 |
| August | 64% | 22% | 76 | 25 °C | 16% | 0% | 14.3 |
| September | 76% | 22% | 73 | 21 °C | 3% | 0% | 12.5 |
| October | 72% | 22% | 85 | 16 °C | 0% | 7% | 10.7 † |
| November | 33% | 28% | 90 | 10 °C | 0% | 52% | 9.2 † |
| December | 11% | 31% | 101 | 6 °C | 0% | 80% | 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 Vitry-le-François → Dijon, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Vitry-le-François → Dijon | Headwind > 15 km/h, Dijon → Vitry-le-François | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −2.2 | 10% | 3% | Dijon → Vitry-le-François |
| February | −1.9 | 10% | 4% | either |
| March | −0.5 | 8% | 5% | either |
| April | +0.8 | 5% | 4% | either |
| May | +1.3 | 3% | 5% | either |
| June | +1.6 | 2% | 3% | either |
| July | +1.4 | 2% | 2% | either |
| August | +0.8 | 2% | 2% | either |
| September | +0.1 | 4% | 2% | either |
| October | −2.4 | 9% | 2% | Dijon → Vitry-le-François |
| November | −3.2 | 10% | 3% | Dijon → Vitry-le-François |
| December | −3.3 | 11% | 2% | Dijon → Vitry-le-François |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 0–30 | SE | +1.3 |
| 30–55 | SE | +0.9 |
| 55–81 | S | −0.7 |
| 81–106 | S | −0.4 |
| 106–131 | SE | +0.6 |
| 131–157 | S | +0.3 |
| 157–182 | S | +0.1 |
| 182–209 | S | +0.1 |
| 209–234 | S | +0.1 |
| 234–259 | W | −0.5 |
| 259–280 | W | −0.6 |
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.