Useful resource for those riding bicycles.. Topgraphic route planner..

[Fumesucker]

I found this the other day, plot a route on it and it will give you a graph showing altitude changes along your route. I think it might be very useful for those who are either riding bicycles or thinking about doing so, you can find which route has the least daunting hills to climb.

What it told me is that I might as well give up on thinking about riding here. I have 70 vertical feet to climb in two hills before I even get out of my small subdivision and about 200 vertical feet before I get to the closest shopping, which is about 2.5 miles away. Then I get to do it all over again on the way back on roads that don't even have shoulders, let alone bike paths.

I always wondered why I was dripping sweat before I got out of my subdivision on my 21 speed mountain bike, now I know why.

http://www.toporoute.com/routePlanner.html


Here is the graph of my route to go shopping..

[MountainLaurel]

1. Neat-o

I mapped out my route to work, which ranges between 6 and 24 feet in terms of elevation.

[Fumesucker]

3. Lucky you...

I can only wish, we don't have anything resembling a flat, straight road here..

[Fresh_Start]

2. very cool

for me 1.5 miles 450 feet of elevation to my grocery store (850 to 1300)

[Fumesucker]

6. Probably more climing than that actually..

There's only 50 feet of elevation change between my house and shopping, but the total climb is well over 200 feet since the route is so hilly..

[Fresh_Start]

10. yea for me too.

my graph looks like a heart monitor trace

[underseasurveyor]

4. That will come in handy.. thanks!

It's amazing how the slightest incline brings the sweat to the surface. All I can say is I'm glad i quit smoking last year and yet i can tell my lungs are still not up to par.. getting better though. But the exhaust fumes from the traffic :puke:

[pink-o]

5. Wow. that is awesome!

Living where I do, I have a print-map that gives me the red lines for the most "Everest-y" streets in SF, and I know my city well enough to avoid most of them. But in a strange place--and whether or not I'm feeling ambitious that day!--it's a great resource tool.

[Bigmack]

7. Our "trip to town"...

http://www.toporoute.com/cgi-bin/getElevationPlot.cgi

on edit... thanks very much for the site. I'll pass it along.

[Fumesucker]

9. Now *that's* a climb!!! n/t

[Fresh_Start]

11. but what a terrific ride home!!!!

wheeeeeeeee

[Bigmack]

15. SORRY... MY BAD....

Below is the actual route I wanted to post. Didn't notice it was screwed until I went back to in the post. The route is steep, but we go from near-sea-level to up and back to near-sea-level.... both ways.

"Click and drag" gives that weird elevation plot. Gotta "Save image to the desktop" to get the right one.

See elevation plot....

[Romulox]

8. Hey! I get your name now.

One loop of my Saturday ride. Smooth sailing! :smoke:

[Fumesucker]

12. That one hill at 10.5 miles looks like a killer....

I'm old and pretty far out of shape myself.

Thirty five years ago I could do a century without feeling all that bad at the end..

Used to draft school buses but I'd run out of gears.. :)

[Romulox]

14. Truth be told, I think it's a goof

There's a man-made ski hill along the route. There is a climb up a hill there, but not all the way to the peak. My guess is google is picking up on the higher elevation.

Anyhow, I pass plenty people out on the road, and plenty pass me. Most days, I'm just happy to be movin'!

Thanks for the cool tool. :thumbsup:

[dawgman]

13. kick to save info for later.

[Solon]

16. My route gives a max of about fifty feet or so in change of elevation...

between work and home. This is with some downhill riding, and it isn't unexpected, though the route chosen by google was wrong. I can avoid most of that plus traffic by cutting through the neighborhood.

[Fumesucker]

17. You can change routes in Google maps..

By clicking on an intersection and dragging the route where you want.. You can do this any number of times until you get just what you want.

[Solon]

18. I did that and it changed the route a bit...

I don't think its completely accurate though, there was a sharp drop in elevation, I even know where, but then a sharp rise afterwards, when the street is actually almost completely level for well over a mile after the drop. The route itself is only about 2.11 miles long. Also, I can't change the route to bypass the intersection up near an overpass, that I don't go near, simply because I go through a parking lot.

[Fumesucker]

19. Try the follow roads button.. n/t