Elevation - one way vs loop
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KathleenKP
Posts: 580 Member
Can anyone explain this to me? Or do you have a link for an explanation? (I'm not finding one - I can't figure out which terms to use to narrow it down enough.)
****But, what, exactly, are these elevation reports calculating?****. Just the UP portions???
If I do a loop, I get a (+) **AND** a (-) report, and they are generally within a couple feet of each other. So I assumed it was calculating both the up and the down.
But if I do a one way, I get one elevation one way, and another number going the opposite direction. However, they are both (+) numbers. There is no (-) number on those reports.
None of the guys I ride with can explain this either. We all just know what a given elevation over distance will look like in terms of effort.
So I can't compare the one ways to the loops. I guess if I could figure out what was being calculated, I could cross between the two and know what effort might be needed on a new route.
****But, what, exactly, are these elevation reports calculating?****. Just the UP portions???
If I do a loop, I get a (+) **AND** a (-) report, and they are generally within a couple feet of each other. So I assumed it was calculating both the up and the down.
But if I do a one way, I get one elevation one way, and another number going the opposite direction. However, they are both (+) numbers. There is no (-) number on those reports.
None of the guys I ride with can explain this either. We all just know what a given elevation over distance will look like in terms of effort.
So I can't compare the one ways to the loops. I guess if I could figure out what was being calculated, I could cross between the two and know what effort might be needed on a new route.
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Replies
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I'm not sure I follow. Are you talking about garmin data? Route profiles/data provided by race organizations? Something else?
I assume the + is total ascent and the - it total descent, so a loop should have the + and the - about equal. On a one way, it could be very different depending on the elevation of the start and end points.0 -
It sometimes depends on the particular system. As said above, Garmin and I think Strava will calculate gain and loss separately. Some online ones will subtract loss from gain which can be very surprising when you actually do the ride!0
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elevation gain is your entire distance climbed for your ride. it does not count any descents.0
