Fine tuning

I am reconsidering the route from Strettura to L'Aquila. I found the route Strettura, Terni, Rieti, L'Aquila which is about the same distance but cuts 640m of climbing. The route looks acceptably quiet since I found a direct-enough route that avoids the busy part of SS3 and then SS79bis. The completion of the direct SS79 has taken pressure of the secondary roads here. I have produced a variation of the route in RWGP and here is the difference:

There will be much more choice in terms of accommodation, food etc. on this new route. All in all it looks like a good deal!

So a little more pondering and discussion before I make the change, but if I do then:

• Add a new set of POIs
• Rethink the overnight locations taking the faster travel into account. I'm kinda keen to keep Strettura in the list...
• Update the route description page for Part 2 with the new route and location information including the subsequent distances
• Update the database with the new locations
• Identify candidate accommodation in the new locations and put in database

All in all, in terms of the overall structure of the ride, I think this is an improvement. There are days ahead with lots of climbing so this route through some valleys between the ranges will be a nice balance.

Moved route planning to RidewithGPS

 I couldn't get Basecamp to switch nicely between bicycle routing and car routing. I needed this so I could use a section of a SS road into Matera. So now a third option... RidewithGPS!

The entire ride has now been replotted in RWGPS. Like all route planning software, RWGPS has made the usual range of "interesting" choices... interesting in the "yes of course" category and also in the "you'd have to be crazy" category. No matter which software you use, you have to go over the route carefully to ensure that you agree.

For Part 1, the suggestions were mostly good except some routing via a busy highway that Garmin didn't suggest and which I had to manually correct. RWGPS found some really nice cycle path in the Tiber valley. For Part 2, RWGPS was a little too adventurous in the mountains, choosing some paths that look too rough for a laden bike. But then again it did better routing into Campobasso. 

RWGPS seems to frequently make pointless deviations off a main road through town onto back streets. This make navigation more intensive for not much benefit in many cases. All in all though I am happy with the results.

Part 3 was improved by me visualising a flatter route from Biccari to Matera. Slightly further but a much nicer ride.

Based on this slightly different route I have gone back and changed the route description in the pages of this blog. That is now up to date!

For now I regard the route planning as done unless some intended participant weighs in with suggestions or requests!!!