Hiển thị các bài đăng có nhãn Route Planning. Hiển thị tất cả bài đăng
Hiển thị các bài đăng có nhãn Route Planning. Hiển thị tất cả bài đăng

Thứ Năm, 7 tháng 7, 2016

Mn DOT Releases County Level Bicycle Maps


At the request of many cyclists, the Minnesota Department of Transportation has just released the first county level bicycle maps.  These 125 PDF maps can be printed on 8.5x11 or 11x17 paper to take with you to navigate during a ride or help you plan for one.  While most counties are contained on one map, larger counties have been split into several map sheets.

Information on these maps will help you determine which roads are paved or gravel, which have shoulders greater or less than 4 feet, the amount of traffic volume and also includes Federal, State and Regional bicycle trails.

For those of us that enjoy riding gravel, these maps will help us to better plan out rides throughout the state in areas we may be unfamiliar with.  For road cyclists, planning rides on roads with lower traffic and wider shoulders are now possible by using the information contained in the map's legend.


When planning out rides, I would recommend using these county level maps as a base guide while plotting your course with websites like RideWithGPS, MapMyRide, Strava or others that implement Google Maps.  Then you can navigate using one of the above mentioned cycling smartphone apps or a gps device and leave the paper map at home.  Use the Google Maps satellite mode to verify paved or gravel roads and those with narrow or wide shoulders.

Mn Dot admits that because this is their first effort to show this data on a county scale that there will be some gaps in the information contained in these maps.  They welcome your comments to help improve these maps in future versions.  Your feedback or recommendations can be emailed to  bicyclemap.dot@state.mn.us.

Central Lakes Trail
http://www.centrallakestrail.com/
Get out and enjoy 
the beautiful gem known as 
the Central Lakes Trail!
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Thứ Tư, 27 tháng 4, 2016

Minnesota Training Rides For Gravel Enthusiasts-Part 4


A while ago I put up a post on the MN Gravel Enthusiasts Facebook Group requesting gravel training routes around the state that I could share with those that want to start their training early this year.  I received several recommendations and I've contacted some of my gravel riding friends for their routes to share also.  Below I will have maps and links to these rides sectioned by areas of the state.

Some of these routes have been submitted by users and not tested by me, so ride at your own risk. Bring everything with you that you will need to be self-supportive to get you back to your starting point.  Also, bring plenty of food and water as there may not be any places along the way to get these items.  Please do not litter.  If nature calls during your ride, do not answer it in front of the locals.   You may experience aggressive dogs on country roads so be prepared and know how to handle the situation.

Twin Cities Area

Welch East/North Loop Gravel Training Ride
Chris Chavie


Dirty Girl Skittles and M&M's Gravel Ride (Long Route)
Chris Chavie


Hampton/Farmington/Empire/Vermillion Loop
Chris Chavie


Miesville Grinder
Marsh Jones


Welch South/East/North Loops
Chris Chavie



Southern Minnesota

Shady Lane Trail/Area 57 Gravel 100k
Bruce Anderson


Camp Winona/Jasper/Cody Lake/Union Lake Trails
Bruce Anderson


Rose Cemetery/Scotia Trail/High Prairie Trail 50k
Bruce Anderson



All the Good Stuff Gravel Century
Bruce Anderson

Thanks to everyone who contributed their routes for these last four posts. You have opened a whole new world of local and regional gravel opportunities to those that want to try gravel, prepare for that upcoming ride or race and you provided some challenging routes for those training for the Almanzo races.
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Thứ Sáu, 1 tháng 4, 2016

Minnesota Training Rides For Gravel Enthusiasts-Part 3



I recently put up a post on the MN Gravel Enthusiasts Facebook Group requesting gravel training routes around the state that I could share with those that want to start their training early this year.  I received several recommendations and I've contacted some of my gravel riding friends for their routes to share also.  I'm sure more will continue to come in.  Below I will have maps and links to these rides sectioned by areas of the state.

Some of these routes have been submitted by users and not tested by me, so ride at your own risk. Bring everything with you that you will need to be self-supportive to get you back to your starting point.  Also, bring plenty of food and water as there may not be any places along the way to get these items.  Please do not litter.  If nature calls during your ride, do not answer it in front of the locals.   You may experience aggressive dogs on country roads so be prepared and know how to handle the situation.

I will add more gravel rides to share in future posts as they become available.

Twin Cities Area

Pine Point1 Gravel
Toby Markowitz



Hampton/Welch Gravel Loop


Empire Fields/Cliff Road Round Trip
Chris Chavie


Northfield NNW


CVVC gravel, cast of thousands
Bruce Anderson



Farmer-Trail and Points West
Bruce Anderson



Chub-Lake-Counterclockwise
Bruce Anderson


The Fort Ride
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Thứ Tư, 23 tháng 3, 2016

Minnesota Training Rides For Gravel Enthusiasts-Part 2


I recently put up a post on the MN Gravel Enthusiasts Facebook Group requesting gravel training routes around the state that I could share with those that want to start their training early this year.  I received several recommendations and I've contacted some of my gravel riding friends for their routes to share also.  I'm sure more will continue to come in.  Below I will have maps and links to these rides sectioned by areas of the state.

Some of these routes have been submitted by users and not tested by me, so ride at your own risk. Bring everything with you that you will need to be self-supportive to get you back to your starting point.  Also, bring plenty of food and water as there may not be any places along the way to get these items.  Please do not litter.  If nature calls during your ride, do not answer it in front of the locals.   You may experience aggressive dogs on country roads so be prepared and know how to handle the situation.

I will add more gravel rides to share in future posts as they become available.

Twin Cities Area

Farmington/Eureka/Waterford Gravel Training Ride
Chris Chavie



Miesville Redux
Marsh Jones


HVW western 40
Melissa Hunter



Hampton/Randolph/Farmington Gravel Road Loop
Chris Chavie



Welch North Loop-Counter Clockwise
Chris Chavie


Southern Minnesota

Cannon-dbl-loop


Tour of Fillmore 2014 Route
Drew Wilson


The Filthy 50
Trenton Raygor
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Thứ Năm, 17 tháng 3, 2016

Minnesota Training Rides For Gravel Enthusiasts-Part 1


I recently put up a post on the MN Gravel Enthusiasts Facebook Group requesting gravel training routes around the state that I could share with those that want to start their training early this year.  I received several recommendations and I'm sure more will continue to come in.  Below I will have maps and links to these rides sectioned by areas of the state.

Some of these routes have been submitted by users and not tested by me, so ride at your own risk. Bring everything with you that you will need to be self-supportive to get you back to your starting point.  Also, bring plenty of food and water as there may not be any places along the way to get these items.  Please do not litter.  If nature calls during your ride, do not answer it in front of the locals.   You may experience aggressive dogs on country roads so be prepared and know how to handle the situation.

I will add more gravel rides to share in future posts as they become available.

Twin Cities Area

Welch South Loop
Chris Chavie



New Trier/Welch North & South Loop Ride
Chris Chavie


Dirty Girl Adventure Gravel Ride Route


 Carlos Avery N Loop
Paul Peterson


Miesville-Trier-Miesville
Marsh Jones

Southern Minnesota

Northfield/Nerstrand Gravel Loop
Chris Chavie


Cannon Hill Torture V2



Cherry Creek
Charles Wolf


Dickie Scramble 2015
Drew Wilson
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Thứ Năm, 5 tháng 3, 2015

Creating/Sharing Routes & Cue Sheets and Navigating Off-Line Using RideWithGPS

http://ridewithgps.comPlanning a ride/group ride is very easy with RideWithGPS and is my go-to choice because of its many free standard features.  It's an easy to use online mapping tool that was designed with cyclists in mind.  Use it to plan out a ride or to share a route.  I can share my routes on my blog, social media, by creating a PDF map/cue sheet or with other RideWithGPS users by making my maps Public.  To see how easy it is to plan your next ride, watch the "Create a Route" video below for a quick tutorial.


One of the features I like about RideWithGPS when planning group rides is the ability to make a PDF file of the route complete with map, description and cue sheets to share with other riders.  There are many customizable options when creating this PDF file and the tutorials below will show you how it's done.



Another way to share a route is by creating a GPX Track (.gpx) file for use with Garmin units or to be loaded into other mapping sites like MapMyRide, Runtastic or Endomondo for use with a smartphone for navigation.  It is very easy to do, after the route is created and saved click on the "Export" tab and select "GPX Track (.gpx)" and a dialogue box will open and allow saving of the gpx file.


To make it easy for my friends or members of a group ride to download the PDF Map/Cue sheet or gpx file I use Dropbox to share a download link to those files.  This way, by posting the share link on social media or in an email, anyone can download these files for printing or loading into their favorite mapping site/software.  Below is an example of a PDF Map/Cue sheet I recently created for an upcoming Ride Like A Girl Cycling women's gravel ride.


For those using the RideWithGPS app for Android or IOS, voiced turn-by-turn navigation for any route planned on the website is now available.  To make this feature even better, RideWithGPS has released off-line maps for iPhone and Android for rides planned on the website to be navigated using the app without cell service or internet connection.


Sign up and start planning, sharing rides and generating cue sheets today.  For more information on RideWithGPS, visit the FAQ page.  More tutorial videos can be found on the RideWithGPS You Tube channel.
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Thứ Sáu, 29 tháng 8, 2014

Plan Road Rides Right From Your Android Device With RunBikeRoute

RunBikeRoute for Android is a simple and easy to use route planning tool app that I have been using regularly for the last couple of years.  It's how I plan my road rides and discover new route options.  I like to mix things up a bit by creating routes that include gravel and paved segments of road and because RunBikeRoute uses Google Maps, it lets me choose between the standard map and satellite imagery.  The satellite map layer helps me locate gravel roads and determine which paved roads have wide or no shoulders to ride on.  I will use this app to discover new areas and roads I've never been on to keep from riding the same old routes.


I have a very busy schedule but I still set aside time to ride.  Some days I may only have an hour to an hour and a half available, while other days may let me ride up to 4 hours.  This is where RunBikeRoute comes in handy for me, I can plan a route to fit the window of time I have to ride based on mileage, elevation profile and my average riding speed. 


Drawing a route that snaps to roads or trails can be done by using the Bicycling mode in the settings.  I use the Manual mode for off-road or roads and trails that Google Maps doesn't recognize.  Once my route is created I can save it within the app for reference, view it while out on a ride or refer to it to recreate the route later on my computer using Strava, Runtastic or RideWithGPS for live turn-by-turn navigation using the corresponding app.  See my posts Strava Routes Now Available For iPhone & Android, App Review: Runtastic Road Bike Pro, or Route Planning Made Easy Using RideWithGPS* for more information.
 
 

*Use with Garmin GPS units or the new RideWithGPS app.

For the last few months RunBikeRoute was not available on Google Play and I sent an email to the developer to find out why.  The developer responded by telling me that she had taken it down because "I just have not had time to keep it up to date and as more and more people transition to newer devices it simply wasn't working as well."  She has received other emails like mine and decided to work on a better version of the app that will take advantage of  a lot of newer and faster Android features.  After our conversation she has re-published the current version of the app with the caveat that she was unsure of how it would work on the newer Android operating versions.

I have been using RunBikeRoute on a Samsung Galaxy S4 running Android 4.4.2 (Kit Kat) and it has worked fine with the exception of the Export feature to create a GPX or KML files for use with other mapping software or GPS devices.  I have also had to use Tracker Booster to get a quicker reading on my location while using the app on rides. The developer will certainly address any issues with the current version of the app and continue to work on an updated version.  Comments about how RunBikeRoute is working and requests for new features are welcomed by the developer by sending an email to code.for.good@gmail.com.

I like the convenience of RunBikeRoute for planning a ride anytime without a computer.  I can plan a route in a couple of minutes, save it, hop on the bike and go.  If I'm unsure of a turn or the distance until my next turn I can refer to my route using the app.  Now that RunBikeRoute is available on Google Play again for download, start planning your rides and discover where new roads will take you.

For more information on how to use RunBikeRoute and all of its features, see my post Planning Your Next Ride Just Got Easier With Run. Bike. Route. for Android.  RunBikeRoute is available on the Google Play Store for $0.99. 
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Thứ Năm, 21 tháng 8, 2014

Resources to Get You Riding Gravel


The idea for this post came to me after I received an email from a woman who was a gravel first-timer and thought she would enjoy riding gravel but didn't know where to start.  She asked me for some recommendations of where to ride near the Twin Cities.  I gave her a list of resources to point her in the right direction.  Riding gravel is one of my passions so I decided I should put this information into a post so others can enjoy the Minnesota gravel riding experience.

There are several resources I use to help me discover new places to ride.  With this information I can plan out routes and by using my smartphone I can stay on track without the worry of getting lost in unfamiliar territory.  If you are new to riding gravel or an experienced aficionado, I hope this information will help you find new roads to ride.

Google Maps


Google Maps has been a longtime favorite of  mine for finding gravel and planning routes.  Using the Google Earth (satellite) layer I can find gravel roads and map out a ride.  Once my route has been created, Google Maps displays the route distance, elevation profile and the option for turn by turn directions by selecting "List all steps" in the elevation profile box.  From here you can print a cue sheet by selecting "Print text only" or with the map included by selecting "Print including maps" in the print options above the map.


Mobile Apps


There are quite a few cycling website/apps that use Google Maps for their mapping engine to plan routes, Strava, MapMyRide, RideWithGPS, Runtastic, and Endomondo just to name a few.  Creating routes using these websites will sync them with the corresponding mobile app for use out on rides to keep you on course.  These apps will also let you search other user's routes and some even give you the option to download GPX files of the routes for export into the app website of your choice or Garmin GPS devices.  For more information and features on Runtastic's Road Bike Pro app see my post App Review: Runtastic Road Bike Pro.  To learn how to create routes with your PC using the Strava Route Builder for use with the Strava iPhone and Android apps, see my post Strava Routes Now Available For iPhone & Android.

Gravelmap

http://gravelmap.com

Gravelmap is an interactive user-submitted gravel route database created by a web developer/cyclist from southern Oregon.  This is a growing resource with new road/routes being added weekly as the word gets out about it.  Read my post Gravelmap Launches Interactive User Submitted Gravel Route Database for more details.

 Forest Roads

Image Credit:  MN DNR
Minnesota has many miles of forest, logging and fire roads located in our State and National Forests waiting to be explored.  For more information on riding gravel in Minnesota's State Forests, see my post Explore Minnesota's State Forests by Mountain Bike With Resources From the MN DNR.  GORP has compiled a list of road and trail rides in Superior National Forest and more information can be found on the USDA Forest Service website.  Information for Chippewa National Forest can be found on the USDA Forest Service website.  The Cook County Visitors Bureau has also compiled a list of adventure riding opportunities in Northeastern Minnesota.

Riding Gravel Forum/
Gravel Grinder News

The Riding Gravel Forum is a place to share your knowledge, experiences and photos with others that like to crush gravel. It's also a good resource to learn from experienced gravel riders, ask questions and join in the conversation on everything from bikes, components, accessories, gravel racing and everyday gravel riding.  Read my post New Riding Gravel Forum Provides a Place to Talk "Gravel" to learn more.

Another one of my go-to gravel resources is Gravel Grinder News from Trans Iowa Race director, Guitar Ted.  It covers everything from bikes, equipment, events and gravel-related links.

Riding Safely

There are several good articles on how to stay safe out on those lonely gravel roads.  Guitar Ted has put together this post entitled Safety And The Gravel Road Rider.   Marsh Jones, Miesville Grinder organizer has some Common sense tips for riding gravel on his blog.  I have on many occasions encountered aggressive dogs out in the country and Crazy Guy on a Bike has written Some tips for handling encounters with "Man's Best Friend" while cycling that will help you know what to do in just such an event.

Gravel Events

For those looking to challenge themselves or ride with others there are still quite a few gravel races/rides left for 2014 in Minnesota.  I have compiled a list of 2014 Minnesota Gravel Grinders with links to more information and registration details.  2014 is winding down and I will be publishing a new list for 2015 as next year's gravel events start to be announced.  For additional gravel events outside of Minnesota, visit the Gravel Grinder News Calendar of Events page.


The upcoming Fall riding season is my favorite time of the year to hit the gravel.  Weather conditions can range from warm and sunny to cool, cloudy and sometimes windy.  Dress accordingly and be prepared for sudden weather changes because you may find yourself a long way from your finish destination if things turn cold or rainy.  When the leaves begin to change colors expect some spectacular scenery on rural country rides.  Southeastern Minnesota is where I like to ride this time of year, the hardwood forests along gravel roads in this region are quite a sight for the eyes.  Begin a new adventure, leave the hustle and bustle of the city and head out into the country for some great riding on the road less traveled.  
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Thứ Sáu, 11 tháng 7, 2014

Cyclopath Now Helps Find Bikeable Routes Throughout Greater Minnesota

http://cyclopath.org/

Cyclopath is a geo-wiki bike route planner that is operated by GroupLens Research at the University of Minnesota.  Until recently, this useful route planning tool was limited to the Seven County Metro Area.  Now Cyclopath has added the MnDOT road network to their map making easier to find routes throughout the state based on your own bikeability ratings for roads and trails.  Using Cyclopath is easy and can be done either on the website or on your Android device with the Cyclopath app.

Cyclopath's map is editable where anyone can add information about roads, bike trails, locations and cycle routes.  Your input will help Cyclopath and MnDot improve the data contained in the map.  For more information on the privacy policy and what is done with the data collected, visit the Cyclopath User Agreement page.

 

Now you can find a bike route anywhere in Minnesota based on your biking preferences.  Do you want to find the fastest route with the shortest distance?  How about traveling a little or a lot further to include highly rated roads?  Would you like to travel a little or a lot further to include trails and bike lanes?  These preferences can be chosen on both the website and the Android app.

Website
Android App

Website

When you are ready to find your route, enter your starting point and desired destination using the website or Android app and select your bikeability preferences.  For demonstration purposes, I chose to search for a route from Cannon Falls to Mankato using a higher bikeability preference.



After the route is found on the website, you can view the overview of the route, route directions, print a cue sheet and download a GPX file to be imported into most GPS devices or for upload to sites like Runtastic, MapMyRide and RideWithGPS.  When logged in, routes can be saved to your library for later use or on the Android app.


In the app, the route will be displayed and (with GPS enabled) it will show your location along the route.  Switch between the route map and route directions by selecting the menu button in the lower right-hand corner of the screen.  The app even has an option to record your GPS track.  Saved routes from the website and the app can be accessed and loaded, too.

These are just a few of the features that are possible with Cyclopath.  For more information including video tutorials, FAQ, guidelines for map editing and the User Manual, visit the Cyclopath Geowiki Help page.  To sign up for a free Cyclopath account to contribute and improve map data or save routes to your library, visit the Log in/ Create Account page.  The Cyclopath app is free on Google Play.
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