We don't all live in cycling paradises
But with a bit of know-how we can all get at least one step closer
Finding quiet and fun roads to ride. So in this video we are going to talk route planning
How to use technology that's available to us now, to find and then follow great new routes to ride
So if you're new to the sport and you're wondering how to escape busy roads
Or you're just looking for some new roads to spice up familiar routes. Hopefully this video will help !
So what are great roads to ride ? A bit, I guess, depends on what you personally like :
I love riding up and down hills as just as long as they're not too steep, thank you very much
Other people like riding around on the flap by the cruising along or going fast as they possibly can
So we'll leave those kind of route planning decisions up to you.
However, what is universal, among all cyclists, is a love of quiet, safe and calm roads
Now, this isn't a well-worn phrase in cycling, but it should be : don't ride where you drive
I'll say again for effect :
Don't ride where you drive
Or, don't ride where you drive ! 'ding'
I see a lot here where I live in the UK
I think people know a few key roads out of the city and into the countryside and they know them because they drive them
And from the cocoon of your car
They can look really quite nice : beautiful countryside, nice wide roads, fast-moving traffic and what's not to like !
Well fast-moving traffic for start :
These roads suck for cycling and yet so often they are packed with bike riders
So instead we need, you need, to find quieter back roads to ride on
This is where the technology comes in so there are a few dedicated route-finding apps and websites out there
We use one called "Komoot" here at GCN and there is a great free version and also a premium option as well
It's super easy. So I'm on their website now. I've clicked on the route planner page
I've been putted my start point, which is an excellent coffee shop I know
and I've inputted a destination which is an excellent tea shop buy note and Komoot has literally done the rest
I know, from experience,
That these are roads that I would choose to ride and Komoot found them
because it's got all sorts of various clever algorithms,
data that it has access to much of it gained from its own users and also things on there called highlights
Which have been left by public spirited individuals and directing me to some great things for cyclists
So in this case brilliant lanes from Portbury to Clevedon
Now this as you can see is an Outback now I fancy a loop
So I'm gonna add in another way point in this case a highlight :
Nice bike path which sounds great and you can see, after a bit of thinking time,
Komoot has literally created a loop performing. Now, there are loads of other little options on here you can play with,
including what type of route you want
So i've off a bike touring which is typically the quietest roads out there
There's also gravel on there or faster road riding as well
And it's told me how far my route is :
in this case 44.1 kilometers, it told me how much climbing there is and where on the route it comes
by this elevation profile at the bottom and it's even give me an estimated time
and that's based on how fit I think I am, as you can see, I've sort of gone for... hum
well, fairly generous estimation of my own fitness
There are three ways you can then follow this route :
the first one is the old-school route where you painstakingly write down turn-by-turn directions
Onto a piece of card that then gets wet and sweaty
now I'm not entire sure why you'd want to do that certainly not anymore.
instead, you can use your phone as a kind of sat-nav device
So Komoot has an app and if I simply click on my ride start navigation
I can follow turn-by-turn directions either audibly if I want to stick my phone in my pocket or
Visually as well if I have a mound that allows me to attach my phone to my handle bars
Then the third technique is using a GPS bike computer like this one
So, this is a Wahoo
And actually I can sync it up to my Komoot account which means that at the push of a button
I get my Komoot route onto here and then I can follow it using it like a normal Sat-nav
If you wanted a bit more research into your plan ride before you go, perhaps because you're travelling to there
So there's a little bit more riding on it, You've got more invested in it, Then I thoroughly recommend checking out Google StreetView
I use this all the time, a lot of it, because of filming but actually it's super useful
If you just want to get a bit of an idea about what the road looks like,
even what the road surface is like and also traffic conditions because you can be pretty sure that if the Google Street View car is caused a traffic jam
The average cyclist probably will as well
so that, that is a definite red flag and it's obviously super easy to use
I don't really think I need to explain it. But anyway ego you drag the little orange
person up onto the road that you want to check out in this case brilliant lanes Portbury to Clevedon
and excuse you an idea of my internet speed by the way.
Oh there we go : "unintelligible". Brilliant Lane Portbury to Clevedon
Actually, that does look good. Doesn't it?
bonus
Lastly local knowledge is an awesome resource
Just waiting it to be taken advantage of whether it's done digitally on social media or actual real
People like walking into your local bike shop, for example
which is always a goldmine
or a Local cycling club, even just random cyclists that you see out
and about in my experience bike riders are always more than happy to talk
About routes so you definitely make the most of that and also you can then share your tips in return and before long
I'm confident that you'll have built up an awesome network of roads then allow you to build
loops that are tailored it's exactly what you enjoy and
Crucially where you keep the time spent on busy roads to an absolute minimum
Now hopefully this video has been useful. Please give it a big thumbs up if you've enjoyed it and
Stay safe, and enjoy riding. It's a beautiful new road