LF Maasroute: which way and when to ride
The best month for LF Maasroute is September: 77% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In September the wind barely favours either direction — on average 0.3 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 | 7% | 27% | 70 | 6 °C | 0% | 85% | 8.3 † |
| February | 18% | 26% | 60 | 7 °C | 0% | 74% | 9.9 † |
| March | 43% | 25% | 57 | 10 °C | 0% | 48% | 11.7 |
| April | 69% | 20% | 42 | 15 °C | 0% | 16% | 13.8 |
| May | 72% | 27% | 66 | 18 °C | 0% | 2% | 15.6 |
| June | 74% | 24% | 67 | 21 °C | 3% | 0% | 16.6 |
| July | 64% | 30% | 81 | 23 °C | 7% | 0% | 16.2 |
| August | 66% | 29% | 78 | 22 °C | 6% | 0% | 14.6 |
| September | 77% | 22% | 59 | 20 °C | 1% | 0% | 12.6 |
| October | 71% | 24% | 75 | 15 °C | 0% | 7% | 10.5 † |
| November | 36% | 28% | 67 | 10 °C | 0% | 49% | 8.8 † |
| December | 14% | 25% | 72 | 7 °C | 0% | 76% | 7.8 † |
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 Maastricht → Rotterdam, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Maastricht → Rotterdam | Headwind > 15 km/h, Rotterdam → Maastricht | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +0.3 | 13% | 13% | either |
| February | +0.6 | 13% | 14% | either |
| March | −0.4 | 12% | 11% | either |
| April | −0.8 | 10% | 8% | either |
| May | −1.3 | 11% | 8% | either |
| June | −1.8 | 9% | 6% | either |
| July | −1.9 | 11% | 7% | either |
| August | −1.1 | 10% | 7% | either |
| September | −0.3 | 9% | 8% | either |
| October | +1.0 | 9% | 11% | either |
| November | +1.4 | 8% | 12% | either |
| December | +1.0 | 11% | 14% | either |
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 Maastricht → Rotterdam in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Maastricht → Venlo | 116 | September | +3.8 |
| 2. Venlo → Lith | 127 | September | −1.0 |
| 3. Lith → Dordrecht | 108 | September | −3.5 |
| 4. Dordrecht → Rotterdam | 121 | June | −0.5 |
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.