ROUTE PLANNING TOOLS

Planning a route in Strava

Strava make it pretty easy to plan routes; you mark the start & end points and Strava does the rest. You can tell it to generate a route with the least hills if you prefer, and you can also see which roads and paths are most popular amongst other cyclists from Strava's vast collection of rides uploaded by cyclists over the years.

Please note that in May 2020 Strava updated their route planning tool & made it a paid-for feature only (it used to be free). Alternatively some other route planning tools that you might want to consider (some features may have a small cost) include www.ridewithgps.com, komoot.com, and www.cycle.travel (this last one is completely free!).

1. Go to Strava.com and follow the onscreen instructions to create an account (or just log straight in if you already have one!).

2. Once you're logged in click on "Dashboard" to get a drop down menu, and then select "My Routes".

3. This screen is where you'll eventually see any routes you create. To create a new one just select the "Create New Route" button.

4. The route creation screen will start with a blank map - make sure the "Ride" option is selected on the left menu (not "Run").

5. Drag the map to locate it & click on your start point and then end point, and Strava will build a route for you. Simple! You can also view the route's elevation profile by clicking "Elevation Profile" in the bottom right of the screen.

6. You can ask Strava to create a route with the minimum amount of climbing if you want (although the route might get a little longer) by selecting "Minimize Elevation" on the left menu bar.

7. You can also manually tweak the route by clicking on the route and dragging it to a point you want to go past (the same as it works for routing in Google maps). Strava will then automatically calculate the new route.

8. There's also several options you have too, for example changing the base map, the units, or viewing a heatmap of popular routes (this can be useful for identifying good routes). These options are all on the left menu bar again.

9. After you're happy with your route you can save it by clicking the "Save" button at the top right of the screen. It's a good idea to save it regularly too, even before you're finished, in case Strava decides to throw a bug and lose the route (as happened with me occasionally when clicking Undo).

10. After clicking the Save button a dialog box will appear. Enter a name for your route and optionally a description too. If you want this route private (ie to not appear in your activity feed to friends) then check the "Private" box before hitting save.

Exporting routes from Strava

Once you've created your LEJOG routes in Strava then you'll probably want to export them, to use on your GPS device:

• If you have a Garmin device and a Garmin Connect account, you can link them to Strava and get your routes sent straight onto your Garmin device with next-to-no effort. See the guide on the excellent DCRainmaker.com website.
• If however you want to export your route as a file, for example to load onto a GPS unit other than a Garmin, or to view them in Google Maps (see below), then carry on reading.

There are two common formats of GPS file available, GPX and TCX.

• GPX - This is a common open format understood by GPS units from many different manufacturers. When used on your Garmin (if it's one with mapping installed) you get detailed turn by turn instructions with streetnames.
• TCX - This format has been developed by Garmin and can include additional data such as heart rate and cadence (although obviously at this stage all you have is a route!). The turn instructions are more basic than with the GPX format.

There's lots of forums online debating which is better; personally I opted for GPX and found it worked well on my Garmin Edge 1000, providing clear instructions at each turn. Whichever format you opt for, the instructions for exporting Strava routes and importing them to your Garmin device are the same for both GPX and TCX.

To export the route, simply open the route in Strava, select "Export", choose your device from the drop down menu and then select your chosen file type. The file will then download.

1. Go to the Routes page (follow Steps 1 & 2 above) and select the route you wish to export.

2. Click on the "Export GPX" button (or "Export TCX") and your route will download. Easy!

Importing routes to Google Maps

Loading routes into Google Maps is useful for being able to review where you're going - especially by using the aerial view to check that what you think is a road isn't actually an impassable dirt track. Strava can also use aerial photos as the base map but I found it slower than using Google Maps.

The other great thing about Google Maps is that it's easy to share your route with others, for example letting your loved ones know where you're cycling in case of an accident.

It's easy and straight forward to use:

1. Go to www.google.co.uk/mymaps and login with your Google account. If you don't have one you'll be able to create one here.

2. You'll find yourself on the main MyMaps page - here all your maps will be listed when you've created them. For now click on the "+Create A New Map" button.

3. In the dialog box on the left, click on "Import new map".

4. A new "Choose a file to import" box will appear on screen.

5. You can either import files by clicking the "Select" button, or simply dragging and dropping the .gpx file you wish to upload.

6. Your route will import and be shown on screen after a few seconds, being represented by a blue line.

7. To change the base map, click on the "Base Map" label.

8. Several options will be shown, select the "Satellite" one.

9. The base map will now change to an aerial satellite view.

10. You can now zoom in on your route and drag it around the screen, checking the full length of your route for any unexpected problems.

11. You can add extra layers too, up to 10 on one map, for example to show your different days at once. Click the "Add Layer" icon to do this.

12. Give your map a name (click where it says "Untitled Map"), and then access the sharing options to send a URL link to your loved ones.

Importing routes to Garmin Edge devices

Importing GPX or TCX route files to a Garmin Edge device is as easy as 1, 2, 3.... If you've created your route on either Strava, Komoot, or Cycle.travel, you can now get the route sent straight to your Garmin device via the internet - see how to do this on the excellent DCRainmaker.com website.

Alternatively, if you have your routes in the form of a GPX or TCX file that you want to load onto your Garmin, then follow these steps:

A Garmin Edge 1000 connected to a laptop

1. Connect your Garmin Edge to a laptop via a USB cable.
2. 

   A Garmin Edge 1000 connected to a laptop

3. 

   The File Explorer window where you copy route files to

4. Open File Explorer in Windows, and after a few seconds you'll see a new drive appear called "Garmin Edge xxx" (where xxx is the model number of your Garmin). Navigate to the folder called "New Files" (it's in the "Garmin" folder) and copy the route files into here. Close the file explorer window and disconnect your Garmin.
5. 

   The File Explorer window where you copy route files to

6. 

   The course menus on the Garmin Edge 1000 - select the one you want to load and click "Ride"

7. After being disconnected your Garmin will reboot itself and bring up the normal menus (when connected to a PC it just shows a non-responsive screen). Going into the Courses option will list all the routes saved on the device including those that you've just transferred - select the one you want and hit "Ride". You're good to go!
8. 

   The course menus on the Garmin Edge 1000 - select the one you want to load and click "Ride"

If you own a different brand of cycle GPS, such as a Wahoo or Hammerhead Karoo, then you'll need to check their instruction manuals (or search online) for how to important route files to them.