Mittelland-Route (Aachen – Zittau): which way and when to ride
The best month for Mittelland-Route (Aachen – Zittau) is September: 77% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In September, riding Aachen → Zittau meant an average tailwind of 3.1 km/h (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 | 4% | 28% | 74 | 3 °C | 0% | 94% | 8.4 † |
| February | 10% | 25% | 56 | 5 °C | 0% | 87% | 9.9 † |
| March | 33% | 27% | 58 | 9 °C | 0% | 61% | 11.7 |
| April | 61% | 24% | 49 | 14 °C | 0% | 27% | 13.8 |
| May | 68% | 29% | 75 | 17 °C | 0% | 5% | 15.5 |
| June | 69% | 28% | 75 | 21 °C | 3% | 0% | 16.5 |
| July | 64% | 29% | 83 | 23 °C | 9% | 0% | 16.1 |
| August | 66% | 28% | 86 | 23 °C | 7% | 0% | 14.5 |
| September | 77% | 22% | 65 | 19 °C | 1% | 1% | 12.5 |
| October | 62% | 24% | 65 | 13 °C | 0% | 21% | 10.6 † |
| November | 23% | 24% | 61 | 8 °C | 0% | 71% | 8.8 † |
| December | 5% | 28% | 73 | 4 °C | 0% | 91% | 8.0 † |
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 Aachen → Zittau, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Aachen → Zittau | Headwind > 15 km/h, Zittau → Aachen | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +5.6 | 2% | 21% | Aachen → Zittau |
| February | +4.1 | 3% | 17% | Aachen → Zittau |
| March | +3.4 | 5% | 16% | Aachen → Zittau |
| April | +1.8 | 4% | 11% | either |
| May | +2.1 | 4% | 11% | Aachen → Zittau |
| June | +3.5 | 1% | 10% | Aachen → Zittau |
| July | +5.5 | 0% | 14% | Aachen → Zittau |
| August | +4.5 | 0% | 10% | Aachen → Zittau |
| September | +3.1 | 2% | 10% | Aachen → Zittau |
| October | +3.6 | 2% | 13% | Aachen → Zittau |
| November | +4.2 | 1% | 14% | Aachen → Zittau |
| December | +5.4 | 2% | 18% | Aachen → Zittau |
Stages
The route is split into 9 stages of about 100–150 km between towns; each stage has its own page.
| Stage | km | Best month | Tailwind Aachen → Zittau in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Aachen → Bonn | 137 | September | +2.9 |
| 2. Bonn → Siegen | 131 | September | +3.0 |
| 3. Siegen → Stadtallendorf | 110 | September | +2.9 |
| 4. Stadtallendorf → Heringen | 116 | September | +3.1 |
| 5. Heringen → Erfurt | 118 | September | +3.5 |
| 6. Erfurt → Gera | 115 | September | +3.4 |
| 7. Gera → Freiberg | 124 | September | +3.6 |
| 8. Freiberg → Neustadt in Sachsen | 115 | September | +3.1 |
| 9. Neustadt in Sachsen → Zittau | 72 | September | +2.2 |
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.