How to preview a cycling route before you ride it

How do you preview a cycling route?

You preview a cycling route by looking at it four ways: from above, from the road, in 3D and through the forecast for your hour. Previewing is the last step in planning a cycling route, before you trust the line on the day.

Checking a cycling route asks whether the line is rideable; a preview asks what the ride will be like. Check first.

You'll need the route's GPX file (see GPX files for cyclists), a computer, and a rough start time and riding speed.

Which preview method shows what?

No single view shows everything, so combine two or three (checked October 2026):

The flyover's road data comes from OpenStreetMap, so it's only as complete as the map. Komoot Premium also has a separate weather-on-route forecast.

Want this for your own route? Windline shows the wind for every stretch, timed to your pace. Free. Make a free ride page →

Step 1: what does satellite imagery show you?

Satellite imagery shows the surface, the road's width and anything the line crosses that isn't a road. Open the route in Google Maps or Google Earth and follow it end to end.

Tar is usually dark and even, often with painted lines; gravel is pale, with dusty edges and ruts (how to tell if a road is paved goes further). Check the shoulder: a highway with a wide sealed edge in Arizona rides differently from a hedge-lined Devon lane. And watch for the line leaving the road across a field or river.

The imagery isn't live. Google says some images are mosaics taken over days or months, so a newly resurfaced road may still look like gravel.

Step 2: what can street-level imagery tell you?

Street-level imagery shows the road from the saddle: the surface up close, the shoulder, the signs and the traffic when the camera passed. In Google Maps, drag the yellow Pegman onto a blue line, then click along the road in your direction of travel.

Check the date first: Street View shows the month and year of each image. Google weighs population density when deciding where to drive, so many farm tracks, gravel climbs and quiet rural roads have no imagery. Where it runs out, try Mapillary, a free collection of more than 3 billion contributors' photos.

Spot-check the junctions, the busiest road and every surface change.

Step 3: how do you see the climbs before you ride them?

The elevation profile gives you the numbers and a 3D view gives you the shape. In the profile, note where each climb starts, its length and steepest gradient, and when it comes: a 6% climb at 20 km (12 miles) feels very different at 140 km (87 miles).

Google Earth's 3D view is free. The web version imports KML but not GPX, so convert the file first; Google Earth Pro, the desktop version, opens GPX and can fly a tour along the line. Google says Pro won't be available to download from 25 June 2027.

Planners keep 3D for paying members (as of October 2026): Strava's subscriber 3D layer in its mobile app, 3D maps in Komoot Premium on its website, and Ride with GPS's paid plans since September 2026. Relive is different: it turns rides you've already recorded into 3D videos, and its help centre says you can't plan routes in it.

Step 4: how do you preview the wind and weather on your route?

You need a forecast timed to where you'll be, not one for the start town. On a 120 km (75-mile) ride at 25 km/h (15.5 mph), you reach the far end nearly five hours later, when the wind may have swung round and the heat built.

That's a route-timed forecast: each short stretch gets the forecast for the hour you'll reach it. Read each stretch's wind against your direction of travel; cycling in the wind explains why headwinds and side-on gusts matter most.

How do you know the preview worked?

It worked when you can describe the ride without the map: surface changes, the busiest stretch, the big climb and the wind there.

• The line cuts across fields. Re-draw it so the GPX route follows the roads.
• No street-level imagery. Try Mapillary, or ask a local club.
• Imagery and map disagree. Plan a way round, or ride it ready to walk.
• The ride is beyond the forecast's reach. Preview roads and climbs now, the weather in the final days.

What should you do after previewing the route?

Fix what it found: swap a busy stretch for a quieter road (avoiding busy roads shows how) or move the start to beat the heat or wind. Send the group the final GPX, and check the forecast again the evening before.