Reading climbs, grades, and route cards

What a route's "average grade" doesn't tell you, and how to turn a route into something you can actually follow on the bike.

Last updated: September 22, 2026

Average grade hides the shape of a climb

A climb described as "4 miles at 5% average" could be a steady, predictable 5% the whole way, or it could be two miles of false flat followed by two miles at 9% -- both average to 5%, but they're completely different rides. Average grade over a whole route is even less useful: a route with one brutal 15% pitch and a lot of flat riding can have the same overall average grade as a route that's gently rolling the entire way.

Ride Planner instead scans the route's actual elevation profile for sustained stretches -- generally continuous grade at 3% or steeper for a meaningful distance -- and reports each one as a distinct climb with its own start point, length, and average grade over just that stretch. That's a much more useful unit than a single number for the whole route, because it tells you where the hard parts actually are and how long each one lasts.

What the star rating means

Each detected climb gets an informal 1-5 star rating based on a combination of its average grade and its length -- roughly, longer and steeper climbs score higher. This isn't an official categorization system (there's no governing body rating your local hill), just a quick at-a-glance way to compare climbs on the same route, or size up a climb before you get to it. A short, brutally steep pitch and a long, gradual grind can end up with similar star ratings despite feeling very different -- the rating is a starting point for judgment, not a replacement for it.

Checkpoints and the route card

Alongside climbs, Ride Planner surfaces checkpoints from the route -- points of interest, controls, or waypoints along the way -- each with a cumulative distance, estimated arrival time, and the time split from the previous checkpoint. That turns a route into something you can actually plan around: "if I'm past the 40-mile control by 11am, I'm on pace," rather than just knowing a total distance and elevation gain.

You can edit this list before printing: remove a checkpoint or climb that isn't relevant to your plans, or add your own stop (a gas station, a friend's house, a spot you know needs a food break) by distance and name. These edits only affect the downloaded PDF route card, not the on-screen time/wind/calorie estimate, and they reset if you run a new analysis -- so it's worth doing this pass right before you print, not earlier.

Using the printed card on the bike

The route card is meant to be glanced at mid-ride, not read like a report: distance and estimated time-of-day for each checkpoint and climb, in order, on a page you can fold into a jersey pocket or clip to a bar mount. Combined with the wind and heat index numbers from the main preview, it turns "I don't really know what's coming" into a rough mile-by-mile plan for effort, fueling stops, and what kind of terrain to expect next.