Vrchárska cyklomagistrála: which way and when to ride
The best month for Vrchárska cyklomagistrála is September: 70% 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 | 0% | 26% | 65 | -1 °C | 0% | 100% | 8.7 † |
| February | 3% | 25% | 61 | 2 °C | 0% | 97% | 10.1 † |
| March | 23% | 26% | 63 | 6 °C | 0% | 74% | 11.7 |
| April | 52% | 30% | 61 | 12 °C | 0% | 32% | 13.6 |
| May | 51% | 46% | 109 | 16 °C | 0% | 9% | 15.3 |
| June | 57% | 42% | 103 | 21 °C | 0% | 0% | 16.2 |
| July | 58% | 40% | 113 | 22 °C | 2% | 0% | 15.8 |
| August | 64% | 34% | 102 | 22 °C | 2% | 0% | 14.4 |
| September | 70% | 27% | 86 | 17 °C | 0% | 6% | 12.5 |
| October | 54% | 21% | 70 | 12 °C | 0% | 37% | 10.7 † |
| November | 17% | 21% | 62 | 6 °C | 0% | 82% | 9.1 † |
| December | 0% | 22% | 58 | 1 °C | 0% | 100% | 8.2 † |
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 near Zuberec → Banská Bystrica, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, near Zuberec → Banská Bystrica | Headwind > 15 km/h, Banská Bystrica → near Zuberec | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −1.1 | 1% | 1% | either |
| February | −0.5 | 1% | 2% | either |
| March | −0.3 | 3% | 2% | either |
| April | −0.1 | 3% | 3% | either |
| May | +0.3 | 2% | 2% | either |
| June | +0.4 | 1% | 2% | either |
| July | −0.1 | 1% | 1% | either |
| August | −0.9 | 1% | 0% | either |
| September | −0.4 | 1% | 1% | either |
| October | −1.6 | 1% | 1% | either |
| November | −1.9 | 1% | 1% | either |
| December | −1.2 | 0% | 1% | either |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 0–25 | SW | −1.3 |
| 25–50 | S | 0.0 |
| 50–75 | SW | −1.0 |
| 75–101 | SW | −0.4 |
| 101–119 | SE | +0.8 |
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.