Downloading Cycling route maps?

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lorrpb
lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Any tips or tutorials on how to download a pre-made route map to your phone? (This would be a route posted by an event sponsor or other source, not one I make.)

I thought I should be able to download to my basic map app like Google maps. Whenever click Download Map to Device, I am asked download yet another app in addition to the navigation apps I already have which include Apple maps, Google maps, Map my run, & Garmin. Sometimes I get choices for various file formats like .fit, .gpx, .tcx etc which I have no idea what they mean or how I would use them. It seems to be getting way too complicated!

What is the simplest way to get a map you can follow on a bike ride in unfamiliar territory? Am I overlooking the obvious somehow?

TIA

Replies

  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
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    What Garmin do you have? (A lot of cyclists use their Garmin not their phone for this.)
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
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    I second what NorthCascades said. If for whatever reason you don't want to use your Garmin. The other question is how long is the ride that you're doing both in terms of length but more specifically how long you think you'll take to ride it? I ask because your phone's battery may or may not up to the task of having the screen on the entire time.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    My watch is a Vivoactive 3. I don’t think it does maps. The rides would probably be 3-4 hours. If I can’t have the screen in the whole time, that’s probably ok and I could just refer to it as needed. But I’m unclear how to get the data from the computer to my phone.
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
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    I would suggest using an app like Strava. Upload the route to their website and then you can follow it via your phone (using the Strava smartphone app). There's more information about that here and here.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    Thank you for the links!
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    edited June 2019
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    RideWithGPS should do it... though I've never used it the way you're asking.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
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    lorrpb wrote: »
    My watch is a Vivoactive 3. I don’t think it does maps. The rides would probably be 3-4 hours. If I can’t have the screen in the whole time, that’s probably ok and I could just refer to it as needed. But I’m unclear how to get the data from the computer to my phone.

    I can't say much on the phone side because I don't really use mine that way. Occasionally I'll stop and check the make on my phone, but for the most part I just used my watch.

    FYI, you don't need maps to do turn by turn. As long as you plan the route in advance, it had all the data your watch needs to tell you to go left in 100 yards.

    Strava is probably a good choice.

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