How To Create A Bike Route

Mapping a route is the starting point for each ride.

Nowadays we rely on tech and devices for navigation and mapping, we have a lot of tools available to us that can help us look for locations, find short paths to destinations and map a route.

There are a lot of tools available for cyclists to map a route, some of them are paid while others are complicated to use.

Google Maps is one of the most widely used services nowadays. It is an incredibly versatile tool which is quick and easy to use.

It has multiple features and options helping you create and map bicycling routes, in this article we will show how to create your first route on google maps (with images) and use it on your phone.

Set The Ride Program

Before starting to draw the map, you must first set the ride program.

The trip program includes the:

Destination place you want to go to.
Riding time & distance.
Places or restaurants you want to visit on your way.
Time of rest.
Type of routes you want to cross, such as mountain trails or paved roads.
Back route.

Answering all of these details helps you design a perfect route for your ride.

Bike rides can be more fun with friends, but when it comes to planning, you need more coordination with them to make a program that will suit you all and agree about it at the end.

Choose An Online Tool

Nowadays we rely on technology and devices for navigation and searching for locations.

There are a lot of online tools and softwares that can help you map a bike ride, and you have to pick one that suits your needs.

The most common tools used by cycling community to map a bike ride are:

Strava.
Komoot.
Google maps.
Bikemap.
Plotaroute.

Each one has its own unique features and options helping you build the route, like showing you all possible routes to the destination and which one is used a lot by cyclists, estimated wind directions, road terrains, etc.

The best way is to give them a try and then decide which one is better for you from features and use experience perspective.

Plan Your Route With Google Maps (Example)

After setting the ride program now it's the time to map the route.

We will use Google Maps , just by using your desktop browser you can easily map a route.

Note: this guide can be applied on your google maps mobile application, the steps are the same.

First, go to http://maps.google.com.

Here is how to map a bike route on google maps:

(1) Click on the direction icon.

By clicking this button you can start selecting both the starting and destination points of your ride.

(2) select cycling option

(3) Choose the starting location.

You can choose the starting point of your ride, either by typing the location name or by pinning a marker on the map exactly on the desired location for more accuracy.

(4) Choose the destination.

The same as choosing the starting point, after choosing the destination, now google will provide you with the possible routes that can get you the destination.

(5) Click on add destination to create a loop.

In order to create a loop route that get you back to the starting point, you have add a new destination just by copy and paste the name of the starting point.

(6) Click on the menu icon.

Open the slider to get more options to helping you mapping your route.

(7) Choose bicycling to show bike routes.

By choosing a bicycling option you can view most used routes by cyclists, and road terrains, you can rely on those details to map a perfect route for your ride.

(8) Drag the blue line to edit the path.

Google will automatically select the route for you, by giving you the shortest path possible, also providing you with some details like total distance and estimated time of the trip.

More importantly it gives you the ability to edit the path by dragging the blue line, to target the places you want to pass through.

(9) Click on send the direction to your phone.

After finishing the route editing, now it's ready for use, by clicking send the directions to you phone, they will send you a link with an sms or an email.

By clicking the link, your device will open google maps application with your route direction just ready for use.

Happy riding!

More tips on how to plan for bike ride check this article.