Rudohorská cyklomagistrála: which way and when to ride
The best month for Rudohorská cyklomagistrála is September: 79% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In September the wind barely favours either direction — on average 0.4 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 | 1% | 18% | 46 | 1 °C | 0% | 99% | 8.7 † |
| February | 8% | 18% | 48 | 4 °C | 0% | 92% | 10.1 † |
| March | 40% | 19% | 49 | 10 °C | 0% | 55% | 11.7 |
| April | 69% | 23% | 49 | 15 °C | 0% | 14% | 13.6 |
| May | 65% | 34% | 90 | 19 °C | 0% | 1% | 15.2 |
| June | 63% | 32% | 84 | 24 °C | 6% | 0% | 16.1 |
| July | 58% | 30% | 85 | 26 °C | 15% | 0% | 15.7 |
| August | 61% | 25% | 70 | 25 °C | 15% | 0% | 14.3 |
| September | 79% | 20% | 70 | 20 °C | 1% | 1% | 12.5 |
| October | 71% | 18% | 61 | 14 °C | 0% | 18% | 10.7 † |
| November | 26% | 20% | 61 | 7 °C | 0% | 70% | 9.1 † |
| December | 1% | 17% | 48 | 2 °C | 0% | 99% | 8.3 † |
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 Jelšava → Zvolen, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Jelšava → Zvolen | Headwind > 15 km/h, Zvolen → Jelšava | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −1.8 | 4% | 0% | either |
| February | −1.2 | 4% | 0% | either |
| March | −1.5 | 5% | 1% | either |
| April | −0.7 | 3% | 1% | either |
| May | −0.2 | 2% | 1% | either |
| June | −1.1 | 1% | 0% | either |
| July | −2.7 | 2% | 0% | Zvolen → Jelšava |
| August | −1.3 | 1% | 0% | either |
| September | −0.4 | 2% | 1% | either |
| October | −0.6 | 2% | 0% | either |
| November | −0.4 | 2% | 0% | either |
| December | −1.3 | 2% | 0% | either |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 0–25 | W | −0.5 |
| 25–50 | W | −0.2 |
| 50–75 | W | −0.4 |
| 75–100 | W | −0.5 |
| 100–115 | W | −0.6 |
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.