Cykelspåret (6): which way and when to ride
The best month for Cykelspåret (6) is September: 82% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In September the wind barely favours either direction — on average 1.4 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% | 18% | 44 | 1 °C | 0% | 100% | 7.1 † |
| February | 1% | 15% | 33 | 2 °C | 0% | 98% | 9.3 † |
| March | 16% | 15% | 32 | 6 °C | 0% | 84% | 11.6 |
| April | 49% | 14% | 31 | 10 °C | 0% | 47% | 14.3 |
| May | 73% | 22% | 49 | 15 °C | 0% | 9% | 16.7 |
| June | 75% | 25% | 66 | 20 °C | 0% | 0% | 18.2 |
| July | 71% | 28% | 80 | 22 °C | 1% | 0% | 17.5 |
| August | 71% | 29% | 78 | 21 °C | 0% | 0% | 15.3 |
| September | 82% | 18% | 48 | 17 °C | 0% | 1% | 12.7 |
| October | 52% | 19% | 58 | 11 °C | 0% | 35% | 10.1 † |
| November | 11% | 19% | 49 | 6 °C | 0% | 87% | 7.8 † |
| December | 3% | 19% | 45 | 3 °C | 0% | 97% | 6.5 † |
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 Söderköping → Västervik, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Söderköping → Västervik | Headwind > 15 km/h, Västervik → Söderköping | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −1.0 | 10% | 6% | either |
| February | −0.6 | 8% | 5% | either |
| March | +0.3 | 6% | 7% | either |
| April | +0.6 | 5% | 7% | either |
| May | −0.9 | 6% | 3% | either |
| June | −0.9 | 5% | 3% | either |
| July | −1.3 | 5% | 2% | either |
| August | −1.9 | 6% | 3% | either |
| September | −1.4 | 7% | 4% | either |
| October | −1.3 | 8% | 6% | either |
| November | −1.5 | 8% | 6% | either |
| December | −1.4 | 9% | 5% | either |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 0–26 | S | −0.7 |
| 26–52 | SE | −0.3 |
| 52–77 | S | −1.9 |
| 77–102 | W | −3.3 |
| 102–131 | SE | −0.7 |
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.