Véloroute du Bourbonnais: which way and when to ride
The best month for Véloroute du Bourbonnais is October: 76% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In October the wind barely favours either direction — on average 1.3 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 | 20% | 23% | 65 | 7 °C | 0% | 72% | 9.0 † |
| February | 35% | 24% | 51 | 9 °C | 0% | 55% | 10.2 † |
| March | 56% | 27% | 69 | 13 °C | 0% | 26% | 11.8 |
| April | 71% | 26% | 61 | 17 °C | 0% | 7% | 13.5 |
| May | 68% | 31% | 86 | 20 °C | 1% | 1% | 15.0 |
| June | 61% | 27% | 76 | 24 °C | 14% | 0% | 15.8 |
| July | 60% | 20% | 59 | 27 °C | 23% | 0% | 15.5 |
| August | 61% | 18% | 62 | 26 °C | 24% | 0% | 14.2 |
| September | 74% | 20% | 65 | 22 °C | 7% | 0% | 12.5 |
| October | 76% | 21% | 74 | 18 °C | 0% | 4% | 10.8 † |
| November | 44% | 28% | 73 | 12 °C | 0% | 37% | 9.3 † |
| December | 23% | 26% | 74 | 8 °C | 0% | 64% | 8.6 † |
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 Montluçon → Diou, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Montluçon → Diou | Headwind > 15 km/h, Diou → Montluçon | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +3.9 | 1% | 14% | Montluçon → Diou |
| February | +3.3 | 2% | 14% | Montluçon → Diou |
| March | +2.5 | 2% | 13% | Montluçon → Diou |
| April | +0.5 | 2% | 6% | either |
| May | +1.8 | 2% | 8% | either |
| June | +1.8 | 1% | 6% | either |
| July | +3.3 | 0% | 7% | Montluçon → Diou |
| August | +3.2 | 0% | 6% | Montluçon → Diou |
| September | +1.4 | 1% | 7% | either |
| October | +1.3 | 1% | 7% | either |
| November | +3.2 | 1% | 11% | Montluçon → Diou |
| December | +4.0 | 0% | 14% | Montluçon → Diou |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in October, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 0–25 | NE | +2.4 |
| 25–50 | E | +1.6 |
| 50–75 | E | +1.5 |
| 75–101 | E | +1.1 |
| 101–126 | E | 0.0 |
| 126–137 | NE | +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.