British Cycling members can now ride the same training routes as Team GB’s stars – including Lizzie Armitstead and Emma Pooley – after the national governing body launched an online mapping tool.
British Cycling Mapping has more than 300 routes, including one of national champion Armitstead’s favourite out-and-back rides in her native Yorkshire and 2010 world time trial gold medallist Pooley’s route along the north Norfolk coastline.
Users can create, edit, save, upload, rate and share their own routes, choosing to view routes in Google Maps or on Ordnance Survey Maps which offer more detail, including on a 1:25 scale better suited for off-road riders and race organisers.
The software also allows users to plot routes from scratch, use auto routing with fastest and quickest route options and to search for rides categorised by distance, bike suitability, elevation, topography and difficulty level.
British Cycling Mapping is available in three packages:
Taster: Available to all britishcycling.org.uk vistors – limited functionality with a sample of British Cycling Approved routes available to view but not amend, whilst routes can be mapped but not published, saved or printed.
Standard: Available to all British Cycling members – access to Google and Ordnance Survey (1:50 scale) maps. All British Cycling Approved routes can be accessed along with the favourite routes of some GB riders, and users can map their own routes, download to GPX, publish, rate, edit, save and print.
Premium: Upgrade available to British Cycling members for £20-£25 with all of the above plus access to Ordnance Survey 1:25 scale maps providing a more detailed view which is ideal for off-road cyclists and event organisers.
British Cycling membership marketing manager Gavin Finch said: “Over the past few years we’ve seen a huge rise in the number of people riding their bikes. In line with the sustained growth of the organisation and the sport as a whole, British Cycling Mapping will help continue that popularity, with people enjoying their cycling even more.
“It’s another fantastic benefit for our members. Whether it’s commuting, going on a club run, or racing on and off-road – British Cycling Mapping enables every member to plan their favourite routes as and when they want. As well as all that, it will also help us build on our relationships with event organisers, who can use it in conjunction with our online event calendar to plan their events.”
Visit www.britishcycling.org.uk/mapping for more or head to www.britishcycling.org.uk/membership to view British Cycling’s membership packages.
