Ride the World, Indoors

Open the Routes tab to try it yourself, or read on for a full walkthrough.

Routes in Ride Cave turn real outdoor routes into fully simulated indoor rides. Upload a route file, preview the elevation profile, trim it if you like, and start riding. Your trainer adjusts resistance in real time as the terrain changes, and live panels show exactly where you are on the route.

Upload Any GPS File

Routes accepts GPX, TCX, and FIT files — the three formats produced by virtually every GPS device, cycling computer, and fitness app. Files up to 50 MB are supported. Drag and drop a file onto the Routes panel or click Upload Route + in the top-right corner.

Ride Cave validates that the file contains actual GPS coordinates — indoor activities with no location data get a clear error. If the elevation data looks flat (less than 10 metres of variation over 5+ km), a warning banner appears so you know the grade simulation may not reflect the real terrain.

The Physics Behind Grade Simulation

Ride Cave smooths raw GPS elevation with a rolling average, computes grade as rise over run, and feeds changes through an exponential moving average so resistance transitions feel smooth. As you climb, your trainer increases resistance; crest the summit and it lightens. This is grade simulation, not ERG mode — you choose your own gear and push whatever power your legs can manage.

Momentum is modelled with real cycling physics: pedalling force is balanced against air drag, rolling resistance, and gravity. Stop pedalling on a descent and you coast. Carry speed into a climb and your momentum rolls you into the gradient. Heavier riders carry more inertia and coast further, just like outdoors.

Trim Before You Save

After uploading, you land in the inline editor. It shows a full elevation profile with drag handles at each end — pull either handle to trim and watch distance, elevation gain, and estimated duration update live. Give the route a name, an optional description, and location. You can mark it public to share with the community, and a 2D map tab lets you preview the route before saving.

Your Route Library

Routes are organised into four sections. Starred Routes collects everything you have starred from anywhere in the library. My Routes shows your uploads — the upload tile always sits at the front so you can add a new route without hunting for a button. Ride Cave Routes will hold curated routes from us, coming soon. Community Routes shows public routes shared by other users, which you can star or clone.

Each section shows up to eight routes on the home view. View All opens a paginated list with 12, 24, or 48 per page. If you own a route, a ... menu gives you Edit and Delete.

The Elevation Profile Panel

The live elevation profile is colour-coded by grade: green under 2%, yellow 2–5%, orange 5–8%, and red 8%+. The ridden portion draws bright; what lies ahead is dimmer. A pulsing dot marks your current position.

Tap the zoom toggle to switch into follow-rider mode. The chart zooms to a window covering 20% of the route length with your position at 25%, so most of the visible chart shows what is coming. A miniature overview inset appears in the top-left corner showing the full route.

The 2D Map Panel

The 2D map tracks your position on a vector map using OpenFreeMap tiles, themed to your Preferences setting (Liberty, Positron Light, Bright, or Dark). The completed portion is bright cyan; the remaining portion is dimmed. Pan and pinch-zoom are supported with rotation disabled so north stays up. Hovering over the elevation chart shows a corresponding dot on the map, so you can see exactly where a climb is located.

3D Satellite Fly-Through

The fly-through panel renders your route on a 3D satellite map with ESRI imagery and AWS elevation tiles — both free with no API key. Real terrain is applied so mountains look like mountains. The camera pitches at 65° and rotates smoothly to face your direction of travel. Before you start, a birds-eye overview is shown; once pedalling begins, the camera swoops into follow mode with the completed segment glowing cyan.

New Route Data Fields

Seven new fields are available in the Route category of the formula builder: Route Grade (current gradient in %), Route Elevation (current elevation in metres), Route Progress (percentage completed, 0–100), Distance Remaining, Climbing Remaining, Route Total Distance, and Total Elevation Gain.

Combine them with any other field. Distance Remaining / 1000 shows kilometres left. Climbing Remaining / Total Elevation Gain * 100 shows the percentage of climbing ahead. Every field has short aliases — grade, distrem, climbingleft — so formulas stay readable.

Group Rides on Routes

Public routes support group riding. Open a route while in a group and the footer becomes Send to Group. Everyone with a trainer or power meter auto-starts the ride, and the fly-through and map panels work for all participants. Grade simulation runs locally so everyone feels the same climbs at the same time.

Getting Started

Head to the Routes tab, upload a GPX, TCX, or FIT file, trim if you like, and save. Connect your trainer and start riding.