BCI has used RidewithGPS.com for route plotting for years. Almost every route we offer is available on the RideWithGPS.com web site.
Some of your dues go to pay for our subscription with RideWithGPS.com.
We provide links so you can see the route on various maps and also the elevation profile.
RideWithGPS.com will open in your browser on a computer or smart phone.
They also have a mobile app version that will open on iOS and Android phones.
You personally can sign up as a free user for limited access with their Starter plan, or unlock the full features with a paid Premium plan subscription.
BCI has established a Club Account: You can now have a free Starter Plan and join our Club Account - then have the benefit of downloading routes to your gps device or having turn-by-turn directions through the app on your smart phone, all as a benefit of BCI membership! By becoming a member of the BCI RWGPS CLUB account you will unlock features that are typically reserved for paid accounts. Namely, the option to download any of the club's routes for offline use and the ability to use turn-by-turn voice navigation while navigating any routes in our route library.
If you already have a Ride with GPS account you'll be automatically added to the club, if not you'll be asked to set up a Starter (Free) RWGPS account. After joining the club account you'll be able to access it from your homepage
Many members use RWGPS to get cues from their smart phone or through their gps unit. If you have a paid Premium RideWithGPS account, or join our BCI Club Account and a GPS that can upload a .tcx, .fit or .gpx file, your device can give you the turn by turn directions from our RideWithGPS route. Some riders use the RideWithGPS app (IOS & Android) on their smartphone while riding (paid Premium plan is required or join our BCI Club Account to get turn by turn cues) You can adjust your own device settings to give turns sooner and more often along a ride.
RideWithGPS does generate a rough full page cue sheet for each route,
but the BCI Route Slip is more accurate, may have detailed notes and is designed to fit as a narrow 1/2 page slip to fold & clip to your handlebar… that happens by plotting the route on RWGPS, then crafting an Excel spreadsheet in our basic format and then saving it as a .pdf file to post here on the web site.
They have a robust Help section on line to teach you how to Plan Routes, go Mobile, and work with several brands of GPS units.
Some of the details in our route slips will be better than the turn by turn cues in the RWGPS version, so it’s still good to bring a hard copy of BCI’s route slip cue sheet along.
Your GPS can save your completed rides to RWGPS, and RWGPS can send them to STRAVA, so then your rides will post to our Ridership Challenge.
You can even export the FIT, TCX, GPX file from your phone to your bluetooth enabled gps.
LEARN MORE ABOUT EXPORTING GPX FILES
Pro Tips about RWGPS Route Planning
Select your map: You can use standard Google Maps Terrain Satellite & Hybrid, but also OSM, OSM Cycle and OSM Outdoors, ESRI Topos, USGS Topos and scans of paper USGS Topo Maps. Also with Street View you can see what a road looks like anywhere.
Heat Maps: Turn on the Global Heatmap and many cyclist (as well as pedestrians) using GPS devices will show you the most popular routes being used by recreational cyclists. Personal Heatmap shows where YOU have been! When making a route out of your area, you can see what the locals use most…
POI: You can place and identify Points Of Interest like coffee stops, bars, water, restrooms, summits and many more. You can place them on or adjacent to your route.