We’ve been investigating some smart cycling avenues lately, here’s a quick experiment tracing out a recent cycling path between Punchbowl and the city. What’s highly useful and new in this map is the height above sea level indicator at the bottom. I’m not so sure the general height is the most important information, it would seem that the average gradient is what matters most when making cycling journey decisions (is this route generally high above sea level but flat, or is this route generally flat with a few steep hills?). I like how the tool can track your journey, although I think it’s certainly focussed on the lycra-wearing cycle fanatics, not the nervous first timers.
Here’s a map from ‘ridewithgps.com’
Also worth exploring is the suite of ‘mapmy’ products, such as mapmyride.com. Mapmyride offers a similar service to ridewithGPS, although it also has workout options built in.