Véloroute du Nord: which way and when to ride
The best month for Véloroute du Nord is September: 80% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In September the wind barely favours either direction — on average 1.2 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 | 13% | 24% | 64 | 7 °C | 0% | 78% | 8.6 † |
| February | 25% | 24% | 54 | 8 °C | 0% | 65% | 10.0 † |
| March | 51% | 25% | 57 | 11 °C | 0% | 37% | 11.7 |
| April | 70% | 23% | 45 | 15 °C | 0% | 11% | 13.7 |
| May | 72% | 28% | 66 | 18 °C | 0% | 1% | 15.3 |
| June | 73% | 23% | 61 | 22 °C | 3% | 0% | 16.3 |
| July | 73% | 20% | 55 | 24 °C | 7% | 0% | 15.9 |
| August | 71% | 23% | 62 | 23 °C | 7% | 0% | 14.4 |
| September | 80% | 19% | 47 | 20 °C | 2% | 0% | 12.5 |
| October | 75% | 22% | 70 | 16 °C | 0% | 4% | 10.6 † |
| November | 44% | 24% | 64 | 11 °C | 0% | 40% | 9.0 † |
| December | 19% | 24% | 72 | 8 °C | 0% | 70% | 8.1 † |
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 Halluin → Paris, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Halluin → Paris | Headwind > 15 km/h, Paris → Halluin | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −4.0 | 20% | 6% | Paris → Halluin |
| February | −3.0 | 19% | 9% | Paris → Halluin |
| March | −0.9 | 15% | 11% | either |
| April | +0.7 | 10% | 11% | either |
| May | +0.7 | 10% | 10% | either |
| June | +0.2 | 9% | 8% | either |
| July | −1.3 | 11% | 6% | either |
| August | −1.8 | 10% | 5% | either |
| September | −1.2 | 11% | 6% | either |
| October | −3.4 | 16% | 5% | Paris → Halluin |
| November | −4.5 | 21% | 5% | Paris → Halluin |
| December | −4.9 | 22% | 5% | Paris → Halluin |
Stages
The route is split into 4 stages of about 100–150 km between towns; each stage has its own page.
| Stage | km | Best month | Tailwind Halluin → Paris in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Halluin → Dainville | 80 | September | −3.1 |
| 2. Dainville → Beauvais | 120 | September | −2.2 |
| 3. Beauvais → Cergy-Pontoise | 124 | September | −0.2 |
| 4. Cergy-Pontoise → Paris | 70 | September | +1.1 |
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.