EuroVelo 11 - East Europe Route - part North Macedonia: which way and when to ride
The best month for EuroVelo 11 - East Europe Route - part North Macedonia is October: 85% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In October the wind barely favours either direction — on average 0.6 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 | 20% | 17% | 60 | 6 °C | 0% | 76% | 9.5 † |
| February | 43% | 17% | 48 | 10 °C | 0% | 50% | 10.5 † |
| March | 63% | 22% | 69 | 14 °C | 0% | 24% | 11.8 |
| April | 76% | 21% | 55 | 19 °C | 1% | 4% | 13.3 |
| May | 66% | 26% | 63 | 24 °C | 9% | 0% | 14.5 |
| June | 37% | 26% | 50 | 29 °C | 44% | 0% | 15.2 |
| July | 22% | 12% | 27 | 32 °C | 72% | 0% | 14.9 |
| August | 18% | 13% | 34 | 32 °C | 75% | 0% | 13.8 |
| September | 61% | 15% | 43 | 26 °C | 26% | 0% | 12.4 |
| October | 85% | 14% | 63 | 20 °C | 1% | 3% | 11.0 |
| November | 67% | 17% | 69 | 14 °C | 0% | 20% | 9.8 † |
| December | 24% | 16% | 64 | 8 °C | 0% | 71% | 9.2 † |
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 Skopje → Doïráni, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Skopje → Doïráni | Headwind > 15 km/h, Doïráni → Skopje | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +2.0 | 0% | 4% | Skopje → Doïráni |
| February | +0.9 | 1% | 4% | either |
| March | +1.1 | 2% | 4% | either |
| April | +0.9 | 1% | 4% | either |
| May | +1.3 | 1% | 3% | either |
| June | +2.8 | 0% | 2% | Skopje → Doïráni |
| July | +3.2 | 0% | 2% | Skopje → Doïráni |
| August | +1.5 | 0% | 1% | either |
| September | +1.1 | 0% | 2% | either |
| October | +0.6 | 0% | 2% | either |
| November | −0.4 | 0% | 2% | either |
| December | +2.0 | 0% | 3% | either |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in October, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 0–25 | SE | −0.6 |
| 25–50 | S | +0.9 |
| 50–76 | SE | +0.4 |
| 76–101 | SE | +0.8 |
| 101–127 | SE | +0.7 |
| 127–152 | SE | +0.8 |
| 152–171 | SE | +1.2 |
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.