Lakes Route: which way and when to ride
The best month for Lakes Route is September: 63% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In September the wind barely favours either direction — on average 0.3 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 | 2% | 28% | 120 | 2 °C | 0% | 97% | 8.9 † |
| February | 10% | 28% | 90 | 4 °C | 0% | 89% | 10.2 † |
| March | 27% | 33% | 113 | 7 °C | 0% | 69% | 11.8 |
| April | 48% | 35% | 116 | 12 °C | 0% | 38% | 13.5 |
| May | 45% | 52% | 184 | 15 °C | 0% | 18% | 15.0 |
| June | 49% | 50% | 182 | 20 °C | 1% | 3% | 15.9 |
| July | 50% | 47% | 196 | 21 °C | 3% | 1% | 15.5 |
| August | 55% | 43% | 196 | 21 °C | 2% | 1% | 14.2 |
| September | 63% | 35% | 141 | 17 °C | 0% | 7% | 12.5 |
| October | 59% | 27% | 115 | 13 °C | 0% | 26% | 10.8 † |
| November | 22% | 29% | 118 | 7 °C | 0% | 75% | 9.3 † |
| December | 2% | 32% | 132 | 3 °C | 0% | 97% | 8.5 † |
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 Montreux → Rorschach, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Montreux → Rorschach | Headwind > 15 km/h, Rorschach → Montreux | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +0.5 | 0% | 0% | either |
| February | +0.3 | 0% | 0% | either |
| March | +0.2 | 0% | 1% | either |
| April | −0.3 | 0% | 0% | either |
| May | −0.1 | 0% | 0% | either |
| June | −0.3 | 0% | 0% | either |
| July | +0.3 | 0% | 0% | either |
| August | +0.2 | 0% | 0% | either |
| September | −0.3 | 0% | 0% | either |
| October | −0.1 | 0% | 0% | either |
| November | +0.4 | 0% | 0% | either |
| December | +0.6 | 0% | 0% | either |
Stages
The route is split into 4 stages of about 100–150 km between towns; each stage has its own page.
| Stage | km | Best month | Tailwind Montreux → Rorschach in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Montreux → Spiez | 136 | September | +0.1 |
| 2. Spiez → Luzern | 115 | September | −1.0 |
| 3. Luzern → Niederurnen | 124 | September | +0.4 |
| 4. Niederurnen → Rorschach | 127 | September | −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.