Gravel ride "with friends" (but actually solo)

[Claire]

Hello, Tripleshot friends.

I've created a Strava route of just over 70km that I invite anyone to complete at their leisure to get a little taste of community while keeping with the spirit and practice of social distancing. If you did the StuckyLife route over Easter weekend, then you know how fun it is to ride virtually with other people on the same route! Ride it at your own pace as there is no prize for speediness. It is a mix of gravel, asphalt and dirt and covers a lot of the terrain we've been riding together and individually for a while - with hopefully a few little connectors new to some. It is not "gnarly" so should be pretty attainable by anyone with a cross bike and decent navigation skills - with or without a Garmin.

Complete the ride by Wednesday, May 6, with little or no deviation from the route linked below, then send me a link to your activity (claire_t at telus dot net) and I'll randomly draw a finisher's name to receive a custom batch of homemade cookies.

As the the StuckyLife folks say: stay safe, be prepared, ride respectfully and RIDE SOLO. (If you feel the need to ride in a group from outside your household, please do your own thing and don't associate it with this ride.) And, of course, have fun!

https://www.strava.com/routes/26403687

*p.s. If shortening the route by 7km makes it more doable, consider the Royal Roads section optional. Just continue on the Goose.

Email me if you want me to send the GPX file.

[Robgrant]

Great idea Claire and thanks for this. I'll send you an email for the GPX file.
Rob

[mfarnham]

Allow me to reveal my ignorance and ask, "How exactly would I go about using a GPX file?" Is this something that I can use on my iPhone, or do I need some newfangled bike computer?

Martin

[Claire]

I believe it's the latter, Martin. I've never done it, though, opting instead to memorize a route and glance at a map on the go if I need to confirm anything.

[Jeremy S]

Hi Martin, some iPhone apps can use GPX files, either imported directly or through the web (like Strava, where you can only import routes on the web site but they can be viewed in the app). It would depend on what app you are using. Of course, most bike computers can use those files if they are imported to them as well.

[JTyre]

Great route and idea, Claire, and out respect for your initiative and work I am not going to post a silly gif. .

p.s. For the Stuckylife ride, I simply clicked on the link on my iphone, and followed the blue line through Strava.
p.s.s. Claire, I'll private message you to let you know where you can drop off the cookies for me. Thanks.

[Rolf]

Here's a route idea for this coming weekend: https://www.strava.com/routes/26799754 (PM me if you can't extract the GPX file yourself from the link.) Same deal as Claire's ride last week: be safe, respectful, wear a clean chamois etc.

You wouldn't like my cookies because they suck. So if you participate, your prize will be... um... riding your bike!

Happy Mother's Day to all those deserving mothers out there (especially the ones who make awesome cookies, like Claire.)

[mfarnham]

So, in answer to my question above, you can import a TCX file into a Garmin Edge 500, and it works reasonably well. I've always just used my Edge to record rides, but the route-finding feature made following Rolf's route pretty straightforward. You get a much flowier ride than if you have to stop every 5 minutes to check your phone or a map.

If I were doing serious touring in unfamiliar places, I'd probably invest in a better computer with a bigger screen. But for stuff like these "together alone" rides, it's a huge improvement over trying to memorize the route or frequently consulting my phone.

Here's some "how to" info: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u580gttJq4c

Martin