ViaRhôna, stage 3: Montalieu → Vienne
On stage 3 (Montalieu → Vienne, 122 km) the best month is October: 77% 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 | 18% | 25% | 85 | 7 °C | 0% | 76% | 9.1 † |
| February | 37% | 22% | 65 | 9 °C | 0% | 54% | 10.3 † |
| March | 60% | 24% | 77 | 13 °C | 0% | 25% | 11.8 |
| April | 74% | 24% | 73 | 17 °C | 0% | 5% | 13.5 |
| May | 66% | 32% | 105 | 20 °C | 2% | 1% | 14.9 |
| June | 59% | 26% | 84 | 25 °C | 17% | 0% | 15.7 |
| July | 50% | 21% | 75 | 28 °C | 33% | 0% | 15.4 |
| August | 53% | 19% | 73 | 27 °C | 31% | 0% | 14.1 |
| September | 75% | 19% | 85 | 23 °C | 6% | 0% | 12.5 |
| October | 77% | 20% | 93 | 18 °C | 0% | 4% | 10.8 † |
| November | 45% | 27% | 107 | 11 °C | 0% | 38% | 9.4 † |
| December | 19% | 28% | 101 | 8 °C | 0% | 70% | 8.7 † |
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 Montalieu → Vienne, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Montalieu → Vienne | Headwind > 15 km/h, Vienne → Montalieu | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −0.3 | 4% | 3% | either |
| February | −0.6 | 5% | 5% | either |
| March | −0.9 | 5% | 5% | either |
| April | −0.9 | 5% | 5% | either |
| May | −0.7 | 4% | 6% | either |
| June | −0.6 | 3% | 5% | either |
| July | −0.3 | 2% | 4% | either |
| August | −0.4 | 3% | 3% | either |
| September | −0.2 | 3% | 4% | either |
| October | −0.9 | 6% | 3% | either |
| November | −0.6 | 5% | 3% | either |
| December | −0.6 | 4% | 2% | either |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in October, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 238–264 | W | −1.2 |
| 264–289 | W | −1.1 |
| 289–314 | W | −0.3 |
| 314–340 | S | −1.0 |
| 340–360 | S | −0.7 |
Other stages
- Saint-Gingolph → Valleiry 106 km
- Valleiry → Montalieu 132 km
- Montalieu → Vienne 122 km
- Vienne → Le Pouzin 128 km
- Le Pouzin → Avignon 123 km
- Avignon → Sète 154 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.