Digital Route Info - Cycling Kansas City

HomeDigital Route Info

Cycling Kansas City—and other sources—can provide route information in digital formats, which gives a rider the option to preview a route as well as to load it into a GPS-enabled device to keep you on-route during a ride. We most-frequently use Garmin Connect for that routing information, but you may run across links—both here and with other resources—for routes using other tools like Ride with GPS [RWGPS], Strava, Komoot, etc. Luckily, you don't need to have a Garmin head unit (aka cycle computer) to use routes published on Garmin Connect, nor do you need to have a RWGPS-compatible device to use routes published on that platform.

This page can be used as a reference & instructional guide for getting these digital routes out of the system used by the ride organizer to publish a route, and into your personal device for use while out on a ride.

Garmin Device, a Garmin Connect route is pretty straightforward: Save it to "your routes" and it's available on your device.

Use another platform? Export/save the route to a file on your computer (we don't recommend trying to accomplish this on a mobile device). Garmin Connect gives two file options—GPX or FIT—and while both are very similar in functionality, the one you choose depends very much on the final system you will be using for your ride. For example, RWGPS can import both types, while Strava can only import GPX.

In general, you would prefer FIT files—they contain more information than just the coordinates for the route—but GPX files are more universally supported.

In Garmin Connect, the export/download function is available from the route info pane's ellipsis button at the bottom-right. The screenshot shows the expanded function after clicking the ellipsis.

If our route is published with RWGPS find the route export function under the [More] menu for the route. RWGPS provides far more options & file formats for exporting a route, and you can see that FIT can contain "cue sheets" where GPX does not (a "cue sheet" is the turn-by-turn instructions that accompany a route; not all route tools include them, and not all devices can use them, so your mileage may vary).

Other routing systems will have similar file-export/download functions, and if you have an account on that system—which may offer access to published routes for free—you may find it is compatible with your device even if it's from a competing manufacturer (for example, Wahoo! head units can retrieve Garmin Connect routes directly, even though the two companies are in direct competition).

After you have the file, you can import it into your preferred route system. It is out-of-scope to provide instructions on how to utilize your chosen tool, but one thing to keep in mind when importing our routes: a number of routing systems have the option to "re-route" after importing to accommodate information/intelligence built into the tool.

DO NOT use these "smart" re-routing functions!

For private rides, this feature can be very helpful, but our routes are previewed & planned based on recent construction information and/or property traversal permissions, and "smart" re-routing could take you off the planned route in significant ways, particularly if we have permissions to cross property that the routing tool would consider to be an invalid segment. Going off-route in significant ways takes you away from help & support, and we want everyone to stay safe while enjoying their ride.