Strade Bianche: clockwise or anticlockwise, and when to ride
The best month for Strade Bianche is October: 80% of days were dry in riding hours with highs of 10–30 °C. In October the wind barely favours either way round — under 2 km/h on average (ERA5 2006–2025, daytime 9:00–18:00).
This route is a loop: the two directions are clockwise and anticlockwise.
Weather by month
| Month | Good days | Rain days ≥ 1 mm | Rain, mm | Avg high | Days ≥ 30 °C | Days < 10 °C | Daylight, h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37% | 20% | 60 | 9 °C | 0% | 55% | 9.3 † |
| February | 54% | 24% | 75 | 11 °C | 0% | 31% | 10.4 † |
| March | 67% | 26% | 75 | 14 °C | 0% | 12% | 11.8 |
| April | 73% | 26% | 65 | 18 °C | 0% | 1% | 13.3 |
| May | 69% | 30% | 77 | 22 °C | 1% | 0% | 14.7 |
| June | 56% | 21% | 46 | 27 °C | 23% | 0% | 15.4 |
| July | 34% | 11% | 31 | 30 °C | 58% | 0% | 15.1 |
| August | 34% | 17% | 40 | 30 °C | 54% | 0% | 13.9 |
| September | 69% | 23% | 85 | 25 °C | 8% | 0% | 12.4 |
| October | 80% | 19% | 89 | 20 °C | 0% | 0% | 10.9 † |
| November | 68% | 24% | 106 | 14 °C | 0% | 10% | 9.6 † |
| December | 45% | 21% | 76 | 10 °C | 0% | 42% | 9.0 † |
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, clockwise, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, clockwise | Headwind > 15 km/h, anticlockwise | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −0.1 | 3% | 2% | either |
| February | 0.0 | 4% | 3% | either |
| March | +0.1 | 5% | 4% | either |
| April | +0.1 | 3% | 2% | either |
| May | +0.1 | 2% | 2% | either |
| June | +0.2 | 1% | 1% | either |
| July | +0.2 | 2% | 1% | either |
| August | +0.2 | 1% | 1% | either |
| September | +0.1 | 2% | 2% | either |
| October | +0.1 | 3% | 2% | either |
| November | 0.0 | 2% | 2% | either |
| December | −0.2 | 2% | 2% | either |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in October, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 0–25 | E | −1.8 |
| 25–51 | S | +0.4 |
| 51–76 | S | −0.7 |
| 76–101 | NW | +1.9 |
| 101–126 | NW | +1.2 |
| 126–136 | NE | −1.4 |
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.