Oranjefietsroute: which way and when to ride
The best month for Oranjefietsroute is September: 76% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In September, riding Apeldoorn → Bad Bentheim meant an average tailwind of 3.9 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 | 6% | 28% | 73 | 5 °C | 0% | 87% | 8.2 † |
| February | 14% | 26% | 62 | 7 °C | 0% | 78% | 9.8 † |
| March | 40% | 26% | 56 | 10 °C | 0% | 51% | 11.7 |
| April | 64% | 25% | 47 | 15 °C | 0% | 17% | 13.8 |
| May | 69% | 29% | 68 | 18 °C | 1% | 2% | 15.7 |
| June | 70% | 26% | 67 | 22 °C | 4% | 0% | 16.7 |
| July | 59% | 34% | 87 | 23 °C | 9% | 0% | 16.3 |
| August | 64% | 30% | 82 | 23 °C | 6% | 0% | 14.7 |
| September | 76% | 23% | 59 | 19 °C | 1% | 0% | 12.6 |
| October | 69% | 26% | 72 | 15 °C | 0% | 7% | 10.5 † |
| November | 32% | 26% | 63 | 9 °C | 0% | 55% | 8.7 † |
| December | 11% | 25% | 71 | 7 °C | 0% | 81% | 7.7 † |
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 Bad Bentheim → Apeldoorn, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Bad Bentheim → Apeldoorn | Headwind > 15 km/h, Apeldoorn → Bad Bentheim | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −6.2 | 25% | 4% | Apeldoorn → Bad Bentheim |
| February | −4.1 | 21% | 7% | Apeldoorn → Bad Bentheim |
| March | −3.0 | 17% | 8% | Apeldoorn → Bad Bentheim |
| April | −1.6 | 14% | 8% | either |
| May | −2.2 | 15% | 6% | Apeldoorn → Bad Bentheim |
| June | −3.9 | 15% | 2% | Apeldoorn → Bad Bentheim |
| July | −6.2 | 18% | 1% | Apeldoorn → Bad Bentheim |
| August | −5.6 | 17% | 1% | Apeldoorn → Bad Bentheim |
| September | −3.9 | 15% | 4% | Apeldoorn → Bad Bentheim |
| October | −4.2 | 17% | 4% | Apeldoorn → Bad Bentheim |
| November | −4.5 | 18% | 3% | Apeldoorn → Bad Bentheim |
| December | −6.2 | 23% | 4% | Apeldoorn → Bad Bentheim |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 0–25 | W | −3.6 |
| 25–51 | W | −4.6 |
| 51–76 | SW | −4.5 |
| 76–101 | W | −4.0 |
| 101–126 | W | −4.0 |
| 126–151 | SW | −4.8 |
| 151–176 | W | −4.7 |
| 176–199 | NW | −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.