How to check a cycling route before you ride it
Go through any planned route stretch by stretch and catch the gaps, banned roads and surprises before they catch you on the day.
The short answer
To check a cycling route, zoom along the whole line before you ride and confirm every stretch sits on a mapped road or path, with no straight lines jumping across fields. Then check the surface, roads closed to bikes such as motorways, private roads and gates, river crossings, the climbs and any closures.
Key takeaways
- A dead-straight line crossing fields or buildings usually means the planner left the road network.
- Motorways are closed to cyclists in the UK; California opens about a quarter of its freeways.
- A road on the map isn't proof of tarmac, so check the surface separately.
- Private roads, gates, fords and seasonal ferries are the stretches most likely to stop you.
- Check closures and the wind in the last days before the ride, not when you draw it.
Definitions
- Route check
- A stretch-by-stretch review of a planned line to confirm it's on real roads, legal for bikes and on the surface you expect.
- Gap
- A part of a route line that leaves the road network and runs straight across land with no road or path under it.
- OpenStreetMap
- The free, volunteer-built map of the world's roads and paths, which many cycling route planners draw on.
What do you need to check a cycling route?
You need the route file, a map with a satellite view, and street-level imagery. Knowing how to check a cycling route is one step in planning a cycling route: it comes after you've drawn the line and before you trust it.
- The route: a GPX file or a route open in your planner. New to the format? Read what a GPX file holds.
- A map with layers: road map, satellite view and, ideally, a surface or road-class view.
- Street-level imagery: Google Street View, Apple Look Around or Mapillary. Coverage is patchy on back roads.
- Local sources: the road authority's roadworks map, and a local club for long tours.
Most planners draw on OpenStreetMap, whose road classes run from motorway through trunk, primary, secondary and tertiary roads down to tracks and paths.
What should a route check cover?
Eight things, in the order you meet them on a review. The table is the checklist.
| Check | What to look for | How to check it |
|---|---|---|
| On a road | Every stretch follows a mapped road or path | Zoom along the line |
| No gaps | No line across fields, water or buildings | Satellite view at straight sections |
| Surface | Tarmac, gravel or unknown | Surface layer, then imagery |
| Bikes allowed | No motorways or motor-traffic-only roads | Road class; signs in street-level imagery |
| Private roads and gates | Estate roads, farm gates | Access tags; gates in imagery |
| Water crossings | Fords, closed bridges, ferries | Zoom in at every river |
| Climbs | Gradient and length | Elevation profile |
| Closures | Roadworks, events, seasonal passes | Road authority map, in the last week |
Zoom in until you can see single buildings.
Want this for your own route? Windline shows the wind for every stretch, timed to your pace. Free. Make a free ride page →
How do you check every stretch is on a road?
Look for straight lines. A routed track bends with the road and usually carries a point every 10–100 m (33–328 ft), while a gap is a straight segment with nothing between its ends. The guide to making a GPX route that follows the roads explains why planners draw them.
A worked example (hypothetical). You've planned a 92 km (57-mile) loop. At km 41 the line leaves a lane, runs dead straight for 600 m (about 2,000 ft) across two fields and a hedge, then joins a road. The road map shows nothing under it, and the satellite view shows crops and no track.
That's a gap: the planner was probably in straight-line mode for one click. On the day, your bike computer would point you into a field. Re-route that section in a cycling mode; a detour along the lanes might add 2–3 km (1–2 miles), and you'd rather know at home.
How do you check the surface and whether bikes are allowed?
A mapped road can still be gravel, closed to bikes or private, so check all three.
Surface. Many OpenStreetMap roads carry a surface tag, but plenty don't. Where it's missing, use satellite imagery: tarmac usually shows a centre line and sharp edges. See how to tell if a road is paved.
Roads closed to bikes. The rules differ by country:
| Country | Fastest roads | Bikes allowed? |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Motorways | No (Highway Code rule 253) |
| United States (California) | Freeways | On about 1,600 km (1,000 miles) of over 6,400 km (4,000 miles), mostly rural |
| Germany | Autobahn and motorroads (Kraftfahrstraße) | No, on either |
Where California opens a freeway to bikes, Caltrans says "Bicycles Must Exit" signs mark the end. OpenStreetMap's default for motorways in most countries is no bicycles.
Private roads. OpenStreetMap's access=private means no public access without individual permission. Treat it as closed until you know otherwise, and look for gates in street-level imagery.
How do you check the climbs, crossings and closures?
Read the profile, zoom in at every river, and check closures close to the day.
Climbs. Gradient is height gained divided by distance: 120 m (394 ft) in 1.5 km (0.9 miles) averages 8%. Short spikes in the profile often hide ramps steeper than the average.
Water. A ford can be dry in August and impassable in March, and some ferries run only in summer.
Closures. Check the road authority's map in the week before. Many US states run a 511 traffic service, and UK councils publish roadworks. Alpine passes can stay shut into early summer.
Wind. Check it last, with a route-timed forecast: the forecast for each stretch at the hour you'll ride it. Cycling in the wind explains why headwinds cost more than tailwinds repay.
How do you know the check worked?
Ride the route on screen once more. You should find no straight segments without a road under them, every unknown surface confirmed or re-routed, no motorway or private road on the line, and a plan for every crossing and steep climb.
Then export the GPX again and load the new file, not the old one. Planners keep both versions.
What if the check finds a problem you can't fix?
Ask people. When the map can't answer, a local club, tourist office or regional forum often knows the road. Street-level imagery helps, but check its date: an old photo may show a road that has since changed.
If a stretch stays doubtful, plan a known alternative and mark it on your device. To see the route before the day, read how to preview a cycling route, and to dodge traffic, see how to avoid busy roads.
Frequently asked questions
Should you check a route that another rider shared with you?
Yes. A shared file shows where someone else rode or planned to ride, not whether it suits you. Their tyres may have been wider, a road may have closed since, and a planned route may never have been ridden. Run the same checks on a shared GPX as on your own.
Do routes on official cycle networks still need checking?
Yes, though usually less. Signed networks such as EuroVelo in Europe or national routes in the UK and US are surveyed, but they still have diversions, seasonal ferries and sections under repair. Check the network's own website for current notices, then look at any stretch where your file leaves the signed line, such as the ride to your hotel.
What does bicycle=dismount mean on a map?
It's an OpenStreetMap tag for a way where you may take a bike through only if you get off and walk it. You'll meet it on some bridges, pedestrian zones and station underpasses. It isn't a ban, but a long dismount section costs time, so plan for walking pace there or find a road around it.
Can a route planner send you onto a motorway?
In a cycling mode it rarely should, because OpenStreetMap's default for motorways in most countries is no bicycles, and bike routing respects that. It happens when a planner is set to car or straight-line mode, or when a road's access is mapped wrongly. That's why the access check still matters, especially near cities, ring roads and major bridges.
What should you do if part of your route is a private road?
Treat it as closed unless you have permission. Some private roads are estate or farm roads where owners allow riders, and others are gated with no right of way. Look for a public road around it first. If there isn't one, contact the landowner before the ride and carry any written reply.
Get the wind for your ride.
Upload a GPX, add your start time and pace, and see the headwind, gusts, rain and heat for every stretch of the route, timed to when you’ll be there. Free for riders.
Make a free ride page →Sources and method
- GOV.UK (2026). The Highway Code: Motorways (253 to 274), rule 253 (prohibited vehicles)
- California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) (2026). Frequently asked questions (bicycles on freeways)
- OpenStreetMap Wiki (2026). Key:highway
- OpenStreetMap Wiki (2026). Key:access
- OpenStreetMap Wiki (2026). OSM tags for routing: access restrictions (default bicycle access by country)
The gap example is hypothetical, built to show what a gap looks like; its distances are illustrative, not from a real ride. The share of California freeway open to bikes is Caltrans's figure of about 1,000 of more than 4,000 miles, which is about a quarter; we converted miles to kilometres at 1 mile = 1.609 km and rounded. The gradient example is height gained divided by distance: 120 m over 1,500 m is 8%. Other conversions: 1 m = 3.28 ft, 1 km = 0.621 miles, rounded.
About the author
Wes Thomson, Founder, Windline. Wes Thomson builds Windline, live wind and weather forecasts timed to when riders reach each stretch of road. He built it for his own 2,093 km tour from Pont Drift to Cape Town, and writes these guides with the same focus: what the wind will do to your ride, and how to plan around it.