Garmin Files for 2010 Anchor House Ride

As promised here are the Garmin GPS cycling computer route files for the 2010 Anchor House Ride for Runaways. But first some ancient history.....

When I rode my first Anchor House Ride for Runaways in 1996, formal cuesheets had only existed for a couple of years. Back in the 1980's, each day's stage was created from state and county maps the night before and written instructions were slipped under rider's motel room doors. Veteran rider Ken Sharples took over the task of designing the route about 1991 and toiled over the winter planning, driving, taping and transcribing detailed cuesheets; needless to say - it was a huge improvement over what had gone before! Today I not only have Ken assisting me in the job of route design but a small but dedicated group of committee members (Frank K, Tim Q and Debbie P) handling route brainstorming, hotel selection, cuesheet production, and a ton of other details. I'm thankful to them for all the work they do - they make my job a lot easier!

Official disclaimer: Although the paper cuesheets look slightly different today than they did back in the day (foldable quadrant style is now the latest rage) they still are the only official set of route instructions and override any other navigational aids or devices. Its important to keep that in mind because the cuesheets may contain last minute changes or alterations that the GPS route files may not have. That being stated, here are the links to each of the individual legs of this year's ride that are posted on MapMyRide.com. Click on the day number to access each leg.

Note: to export the routes from MapMyRide you must be a registered user of the service. The basic membership is free and can be cancelled after you have accessed all the route files. The website will guide you through the registration process the first time around.

Day 1 Charlottesville to Culpeper VA.

Day 2 Culpeper to Winchester VA.

Day 3 Winchester VA to Frederick MD.

Day 4 Frederick MD to Gettysburg PA.

Day 5 Gettysburg to Lancaster PA.

Day 6 Lancaster to Kulpsville PA.

Day 7 Kulpsville PA to Pennington NJ.

To download a route to your computer - click on "Route", select the "Export as GPX" tab if you have a Garmin 605 / 705 or the "Export as CRS" tab if you have a Garmin 205 /305 / 500 GPS cycling computer. Save these files to a folder on your computer you can find easily and give them a unique name (such as "2010_AH_Day_1" for example).

To use these files, they must be transferred from your computer to your device. There are two methods of installation; the one you choose depends on which device you have.

• Devices able to navigate using GPX files (Garmin 605,705) can use either the .GPX or .CRS format files. Connect your device to your computer with a USB cable and move the GPX files you've downloaded and saved to the (device name)/Garmin/GPX folder of your device. To use the file, press "Menu" on your device, select "Where To?" then "Saved Rides" then select the file and then select "Navigate". Within a short time the route will be displayed on your map. You can find the Edge 605 / 705 manual here
  
• Devices that use CRS files (Garmin 205, 305, 500) require the presence of Garmin's Training Center software on your computer to transfer courses to your device. If necessary the latest version of GTC is available here. Import the files from the folder on your computer you have placed them into Training Center by selecting File/Import/Courses". Highlight the route file to be moved, select "crs" in the drop-down at the lower edge of the window and click "Open". Click the "Courses" button and you'll see your route file in a subfolder named "Mapmyfitness". Highlight the route file and click the "Send To Device" icon to the left of the"Active Device Select" pull-down. Once installed you access the course file by selecting "Mode/Training/Courses" on the device, selecting the route file and selecting "Do Course". For answers to your questions regarding courses and workouts on the Garmin 205 / 305 the manual is available here and the Edge 500 manual here.

Route Elevations: For those of you who only want to see each day's elevation profile you can click on each day's route and select the "Show Elevation" checkbox in the upper right corner of the screen. A elevation graph will display at the bottom of the route map.

Remember: carry, read and use the official cuesheets! Use your GPS device as a secondary navigation aid. And have fun with them.

See you along the way.

Brian