LF Waterlinieroute: which way and when to ride
The best month for LF Waterlinieroute is September: 75% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In September, riding Bergen op Zoom → Edam meant an average tailwind of 2.1 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 | 7% | 26% | 69 | 6 °C | 0% | 86% | 8.2 † |
| February | 15% | 26% | 59 | 7 °C | 0% | 78% | 9.8 † |
| March | 40% | 23% | 56 | 10 °C | 0% | 52% | 11.7 |
| April | 65% | 21% | 44 | 14 °C | 0% | 20% | 13.8 |
| May | 72% | 27% | 66 | 17 °C | 0% | 2% | 15.7 |
| June | 75% | 24% | 67 | 20 °C | 2% | 0% | 16.7 |
| July | 64% | 32% | 84 | 22 °C | 5% | 0% | 16.3 |
| August | 66% | 31% | 81 | 22 °C | 4% | 0% | 14.6 |
| September | 75% | 24% | 63 | 19 °C | 1% | 0% | 12.6 |
| October | 70% | 26% | 78 | 15 °C | 0% | 6% | 10.5 † |
| November | 36% | 29% | 69 | 10 °C | 0% | 47% | 8.7 † |
| December | 14% | 25% | 73 | 7 °C | 0% | 77% | 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 Edam → Bergen op Zoom, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Edam → Bergen op Zoom | Headwind > 15 km/h, Bergen op Zoom → Edam | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −4.4 | 24% | 9% | Bergen op Zoom → Edam |
| February | −3.6 | 23% | 11% | Bergen op Zoom → Edam |
| March | −1.3 | 17% | 12% | either |
| April | +0.5 | 12% | 12% | either |
| May | +0.4 | 13% | 12% | either |
| June | −0.2 | 12% | 10% | either |
| July | −1.8 | 14% | 8% | either |
| August | −2.3 | 15% | 8% | Bergen op Zoom → Edam |
| September | −2.1 | 15% | 8% | Bergen op Zoom → Edam |
| October | −3.9 | 21% | 7% | Bergen op Zoom → Edam |
| November | −4.7 | 23% | 7% | Bergen op Zoom → Edam |
| December | −5.3 | 26% | 8% | Bergen op Zoom → Edam |
Stages
The route is split into 3 stages of about 100–150 km between towns; each stage has its own page.
| Stage | km | Best month | Tailwind Edam → Bergen op Zoom in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Edam → Bussum | 140 | June | −0.1 |
| 2. Bussum → Gorinchem | 129 | September | −2.6 |
| 3. Gorinchem → Bergen op Zoom | 135 | September | −3.5 |
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.