RideLoop
How to plan a cycling route: 7 steps to a better road ride
A good ride starts before you clip in. Planning a route well means you finish on time, on roads you'd ride again, with the wind at your back for the last miles. Here's the checklist road riders use, step by step.
Short version: distance = hours × your average speed, minus about 10% for stops. Start from your door, ride a loop on roads with a shoulder and light traffic, keep the climbing under 75 ft per mile unless you want a hard day, head out into the wind, and send the route to your Garmin as a GPX track.
1. Pick a distance you can finish
Work from the time you have, not the number you'd like to brag about. Multiply the hours by your usual average speed, then take off about 10% for traffic lights, stops and the slow first mile.
| Time you have | Easy (12 mph) | Steady (15 mph) | Brisk (18 mph) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 hour | 11 miles | 13 miles | 16 miles |
| 1½ hours | 16 miles | 20 miles | 24 miles |
| 2 hours | 22 miles | 27 miles | 32 miles |
| 3 hours | 32 miles | 40 miles | 49 miles |
Not sure of your speed? Use the riding time calculator, which also adds time for climbing and coffee stops.
2. Choose where to start
The best start is your own front door: no driving, no parking, and the ride ends at your shower. If home is on a busy road, start somewhere with legal public parking, water and a restroom, like a park or a town lot, and pick the quietest way out of town.
3. Loop, out-and-back or lollipop
- Loop: new roads the whole way, which is why most riders prefer it. The catch: once you're halfway, the quickest way home is to finish.
- Out-and-back: ride out half your distance and turn around. Easy to cut short, easy to follow, and the simplest way to beat the wind.
- Lollipop: an out-and-back with a loop at the far end. Handy when the only quiet road out of town is a single one.
4. Check every road
The fastest way between two points is rarely the nicest road to ride. For each road on your route, check three things:
- Shoulder: a paved shoulder of 4 ft or more, or a bike lane, gives you room when a truck passes. A narrow road can still be fine if it's quiet.
- Traffic: speed limit and how busy it is. A 50 mph county road with no shoulder is the one to avoid.
- Pavement: cracked edges and potholes push you into the lane. Street-level photos show the surface before you ride it.
Our guide to finding bike-friendly roads covers where to look: state road surveys, Street View, and local club routes.
5. Count the climbing
Two rides of the same length can feel nothing alike. Divide the total climb by the distance: under 50 ft per mile rides flat to rolling, 50 to 75 is hilly, and over 75 is a hard day for most riders. Allow about a minute of extra time per 100 ft of climbing.
The full scale, and why Strava and Garmin disagree on your climb, is in how much elevation gain is a lot.
6. Plan around the wind
Check the forecast wind for the hours you'll ride, not just the morning. Wind is named for where it comes from, so on a west wind, head west first: you face it while you're fresh, and it pushes you home when you're tired. Above about 15 mph, pick roads lined with trees or shorten the ride.
More in should you ride into the wind first?
7. Get it onto your bike computer
Export the route as a GPX file that holds a track, so your device follows your roads instead of picking its own (GPX vs FIT vs TCX explains why). On a Garmin, import it as a course and sync; here's how, and here's what to do if it doesn't show up.
Then tell someone where you're going and when you'll be back, or share live tracking (Garmin calls it LiveTrack). Carry a phone, ID and a way to fix a flat.
Before you roll: a checklist
Tick them off as you go. Nothing is saved; it's just for you.
Or let RideLoop plan it
Steps 1 to 6 are what RideLoop does when you press Build. Pick a start, from your door or anywhere on the map, and a distance. RideLoop builds a loop on roads riders have graded for pavement, shoulder and traffic, and counts every hill against the Hills setting you chose (Gentler to Climber). On a windy day it favors loops that head out into the wind, and the ride card says "Tailwind home". When there's a café beside the loop, it can route you through it for a coffee stop. On Gold, loops also leave out highways and steer around shoulderless county roads.
Step 7 happens by itself once you connect Garmin: every loop lands in your Garmin Connect account, and on Silver and Gold it goes straight to your Edge or watch. Every plan can download the GPX for any other device.
Questions
How do I plan a bike route?
Pick a distance from the time you have, choose a start, decide on a loop or an out-and-back, check that each road has a shoulder, light traffic and good pavement, count the climbing, check the wind, then load the route onto your bike computer.
How far should a beginner ride?
Start with 10 to 15 miles on flat, quiet roads, about an hour. Add 10 to 20 percent a week as it gets easy.
What's a good average speed on a road bike?
Most recreational riders average 12 to 16 mph on their own on rolling roads. Club riders often hold 16 to 20 mph, and faster in a group.
Is a loop better than an out-and-back?
A loop gives you new roads the whole way. An out-and-back is easier to cut short and makes the wind simple: into it out, with it home. A lollipop, an out-and-back with a loop at the far end, gives you some of both.
What app can plan a cycling route for me?
Most route apps let you draw a route by hand. RideLoop builds the loop for you: pick a start and a distance, and it puts the loop on roads riders have graded for pavement, shoulder and traffic, then sends it to Garmin.
Plan your ride in a minute
Pick a start and a distance. RideLoop builds the loop on graded roads and sends it to your Garmin.
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