I have just been on a cycle tour in Spain with some friends. They had sent me the routes on GPX files before we left. I uploaded the GPX files onto cycle travel because I like to convert them to TCX files for my Garmin. We noticed many variations on my routes and wondered why? I have done a run today and uploaded the GPX route from Garmin Connect into cycle travel and notice that there are a number of variations of the route. I will send you the GPX file and perhaps you can look at this for me and explain?
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Hi Muriel. When you upload a GPX to cycle.travel, it makes an editable route from it, with via points in.
In other words, if (for example) you uploaded a GPX from London to Oxford via Reading, then cycle.travel would add a via point at Reading - because usually it would choose to take a route through the Chilterns instead.
Guessing where these via points go is a tricky business, and cycle.travel doesn’t always get it right. If your GPX is broadly similar to what cycle.travel would plan anyway, then the resulting route will probably be the same. If it’s quite different, then it’s liable to get it wrong. This is particularly the case if you’ve followed main roads or rough tracks that cycle.travel wouldn’t usually route along.
In other words, it’s a bit of an imperfect process and it doesn’t always get it right. When I get the chance I’m working on refining it a little – it’s not something I’m concentrating on right now but I hope to have another look at it before long.
Thanks Richard for the explanation. Appreciate you taking the time to reply. I'll continue to use cycle travel to plan my routes - i think it's great!!
No problem and glad you like it! I’ll post here when I get a chance to refine the upload process a bit.
Yes I've noticed this issue with cycle.travel bypassing a dogleg to Stratfield Saye in our GPX file. It still shows the original route highlighted in a different colour though so it does draw your attention to the change. I think cycle.travel is bypassing an unsurfaced track but will check tomorrow when I cycle it. For me this is fine..the whole point of me importing the GPX is to serve as a start point for more planning (not converting formats) so the route tweaks made by cycle.travel are interesting to note and may end up getting used.