Import, Export, Share Routes and Courses on Various Biking Computers, Apps, Services, and Websites

Last year we had a pretty successful participation year for our group rides via our biking club (website – JeffCoBiking & Facebook page) and in conjunction with a local bike shop’s rides (ReCre’s Bike Studio) and the Team RWB rides with members from our biking group.

Some people don’t have bike computers (but obviously have phones) or don’t have any idea how to get the group ride routes onto them, and I think sometimes that may give riders who are not familiar with the area or just not great with maps cause for concern, despite most rides being no-drop rides. I’ve ridden a bit slower with riders a few times because they were totally unfamiliar with the route the group was doing and I didn’t want anyone to get lost, and many others on our group rides have also.

And perhaps in general riders going it alone are sometimes more likely to ride if they have other’s routes and courses to download for themselves, if they aren’t familiar with the roads, or even if they are and want to try new places, or are concerned about dogs and constructions and other issues.

So I have tried to put together a somewhat wide-ranging list of quick general instructions for various of the more popular bike computers, apps, services, and websites for biking that allows routing and courses. It is in no way comprehensive and probably has been done on hundreds of other websites, but I wanted to cover it for our group and while the group’s page is here for anyone to peruse, I thought I would just reproduce it in a blog post also.

I may be adding to it or tweaking it over time, but also if you have your own suggestions or instructions for other bike computers, services, etc then please post in the comments so that I can update this blog post and the biking page.

Share a Course from Garmin Edge to Another

Make sure the two Edge devices are within a short distance from each other and are turned on.
On the Garmin Edge device that has the course that you want to share, navigate to the menu (if you are not already in it) and select Settings, then Device Transfers, then Share Files and select Courses.
Select the course or courses that you want to transfer and then go up to Share Files above the top of the course list.
On the device that you want to receive the course on go into the Menu and select Settings, and then Device Transfers.
Select the nearby connect of the other device and the course to receive.
Once the course has been sent, it should be available on the other Garmin Edge device for use, a message will appear on both devices showing the transfer is complete.
Keep in mind that both devices will need to be paired via Bluetooth on a phone in order for the course to be successfully transferred. Additionally, the device receiving the course will need to have enough available memory to store the course data,and it may take a short time for it to show up in the courses on the receiving Edge.

Transfer a .gpx File to the Garmin Connect App

On your smartphone directly download the .gpx file from a web service or app, attach the file to an email on your computer or send it to yourself on your phone, use a service like Google Drive to temporarily store it and transfer it to your smartphone, or connect your smartphone to your computer using a USB cable and transfer the .gpx file to your smartphone using the file transfer feature of your operating system, or some other method to get a .gpx file onto your phone.
Open the Garmin Connect app on your smartphone.
Tap the Menu (the three lines in the upper left).
Tap “Training & Planning” from the list of options.
Tap “Courses” and then tap the “+” button in the top right corner of the screen.
Tap “Create a Course”.
Select “Import” and browse to the location of the .gpx file you transferred to your smartphone.
Tap the .gpx file to select it and confirm the import by tapping “Import” in the top right corner of the screen.
Once the import is complete, your new course will be available in the “Courses” section of the Garmin Connect app. It is also available on the Garmin Connect webpage on a computer.

Import a .gpx File Into the Garmin Connect Website

Log in to your Garmin Connect account.
Click on the “Create a Course” button on the dashboard page.
On the next page, click on the “Import” button.
Click on the “Choose File” button and select the .gpx file you want to import.
Enter a name for your course and adjust any other settings as necessary.
Click on the “Import” button to import the .gpx file into Garmin Connect.
Once the import is complete, you should be able to see your course in your list of courses on Garmin Connect. From there, you can view, edit, and use the course as you wish.
Your course also shows up in your Garmin Connect app on your smartphone as soon as they are imported into the Garmin Connect page on a computer.

Transfer a Course From the Garmin Connect App to the Edge

To send to your Edge make sure the Edge and phone are paired.
Click the menu and select “Training & Planning” and then “Courses” in the Garmin Connect App. Select the course that you want to send to your Edge, tap the three-button menu in the top right and select Send to Device, pick your device.
After a short time, it will upload the course. Note – sometimes it may take a few minutes to appear, the Edge should beep when it has downloaded the course.

Transfer a Course From Garmin Connect Web Onto the Garmin Edge

To send to your Edge make sure the Edge is plugged into your computer via USB.
From the Courses section in the Garmin Connect App (Menu, Training & Planning, Courses) select the course you want to send to your Edge, click the “Send to Device” button near the bottom of the course stats, and pick your device.
After a short time, it will upload the course.
Access and Ride Courses on your Garmin Edge
Turn on your Garmin Edge device and go to the Menu.
Select “Courses” from the menu and choose the course.
Click on the “Ride” button to start navigating the course.
You can also customize the settings for the course on your Garmin Edge, such as the display data fields, alerts, and navigation settings, to suit your preferences. There is also a Search if you have many courses.

Share a Course in the Garmin Connect App

Tap on the three lines/menu in the top left of the app.
Select “Training & Planning” and then “Courses” from the list of options.
Choose the course you want to share and tap on it to open its details page.
Open the course menu via the three-dot menu in the top right.
Select “Share” and select the sharing method that you want to use.
(If the share option is not available, you will likely need to change the privacy setting of the course.)

Share a Course on the Garmin Connect Webpage

In Garmin Connect on a PC click “Training & Planning” and then “Courses”.
Find the course that you want to share and select the course.
If the course shows “Private”, select to make Public.
Click the sharing icon at the bottom, in between the favorite star and the “Send to Device” button.
This will give you the link to share.

Export a Course as .gpx or .fit on the Garmin Connect Webpage

In Garmin Connect on a PC click “Training & Planning” and then “Courses”.
Find the course that you want to share and select the course.
Click the three horizontal dots to the right of “Send to Device”.
Click “Download GPX File” or “Download FIT file”.

Send a Course from Strava to Garmin Devices With the Connect App or Website

Make sure that you have already added and authorized your Strava account in the Garmin Connect App (Settings | Connected Apps | Strava | Agree | Authorize) or from the Strava app or website.
Start your route in Strava under “My Routes”, in a short while the route from Strava will be synced to Garmin’s Courses – Menu | Training & Planning | Courses).

Import a .gpx file into the Strava Website

Note – you must have a subscription to do this.
In Strava on the web, click the PLUS symbol in the top right and select “Create a Route”.
Tap the “+” button in the top right corner of the screen.
On the Route Builder page, click on the “Import” button at the top of the screen.
Choose the file format of the route you want to import. Strava supports a variety of formats, including GPX, TCX, FIT, and KML.
Select the file you want to import from your computer.
Click on the “Upload” button to start the import process.
Strava will then process the imported route and display it on the Route Builder page. From here, you can edit the route as needed, add cue points or points of interest, and save it to your Strava account. Once saved, the route will be available for you to use for navigation on the Strava app or on a compatible GPS device.
Note – you can also save other people’s rides as routes, if you have a subscription, see below.

Export rides as .gpx or Save them as a Route on the Strava Website

Note – you do not need a subscription to save a .gpx but you do need one to save routes.
Go to the person’s ride (or your own) that you want to export as .gpx or save as a route.
Click the three hollow dots over on the left near the bottom of the column.
From the menu that pops up select “Save Route” or “Export GPX”.

Use the Strava Website to ExportRoutes as .gpx, Save Other’s Routes, or Share Routes

Note – you do not need a subscription to do this.
Go to the route (yours or someone else’s).
To save someone else’s route as your own click the “Save” button.
Click the down arrow menu button beside “Save(d)” to share with another Strava member, or export the route. You can also Duplicate a route, which allows you to customize and edit it (no subscription required).

Import a .gpx file Into the Wahoo ELEMNT Companion App

Open the Wahoo ELEMNT Companion app on your smartphone or tablet.
Tap the “Routes” tab at the bottom of the screen.
Tap the “+” button in the top right corner of the screen.
Tap “Import” from the list of options.
Select “Choose File” and browse to the location of the .gpx file you want to import.
Tap the file to select it and confirm the import by tapping “Import” in the top right corner of the screen.
Once the import is complete, you should be able to see your imported route in the list of routes in the “Routes” tab. You can select the route and start navigating it on your Wahoo ELEMNT bike computer by syncing it with the app. To do this, make sure your ELEMNT bike computer is connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your smartphone or tablet, and then follow the instructions in the app to sync the route with your bike computer.

Share a Route in the Wahoo ELEMNT Companion App

Open the Wahoo ELEMNT Companion app on your smartphone or tablet.
Go to the “Workout” tab.
Select “View Routes” and select the route.
In the top right of the “Route Detail” screen click the “Share” button.
Select the service or app that you want to share to.

Import a .gpx file to the Wahoo ELEMNT Companion App or via USB

Transfer the .gpx file to your smartphone via sharing, an email attachment, Google Drive or other service, or another method to get the file to your smartphone.
Open the .gpx file on your smartphone, perhaps using a file manager or by clicking it in email, etc.
A dialog should open up asking what to want to open it with and which should include Elemnt as an option.
After selecting Element name the route.
It will now show as a route on the Workout screen under the “Choose a route” option.
To directly import a .gpx into the Elment/Bolt itself, connect it to a computer.
Copy the .gpx file into the Elemnt/Bolt’s “Routes” folder.

Sync routes from a RideWithGPS or Strava Account

Make sure that you have set up the connected service in the Wahoo Element app via Profile, then “Connected Apps” and select the service you want to connect and enter your credentials.
In the app select “Settings”, then “Pages”, then “Map”.
On the Elemnt/Bolt/Roam device press “Page” button until the map screen displays, then press the “Route” button.
Scroll up and down until you find the “Sync” and select it.
It can take a few minutes for it to sync from the service.

Import a Route into the RideWithGPS Website

Select “Upload” from the left-hand menu on the Ride with GPS homepage.
Click “Select Files” and select the .gpx, .fit, or other file to import and click OK.

Export a Route from the RideWithGPS Website

Note – you need a subscription to do this.
Click “Routes” from the left-hand menu.
Select the route to export.
In the “More” menu select “Export as File” or click “Export GPX file”.
Select the file format you want to use as an export and click “Download”.

Share a Route from the RideWithGPS Website

Note – you do not need a subscription to do this.
Click “Routes” from the left-hand menu.
Select the route to share.
Click the “Share” button in the top menu right above the route name.
You can share via Email, Facebook (via Private Message, News Feed, to a group or page, in an event, or on a friend’s timeline), Twitter, or copy the route link.

Import a .gpx into the Hammerhead Dashboard or Directly via USB

To import a .gpx file into the Hammerhead Karoo Dashboard on a computer, go to the Hammerhead Karoo Dashboard and select Routes in the sidebar menu.
Click “New Route” at the top right corner and then click on “Import” (or drag and drop it and click “File Upload”).
Select the .gpx file on your computer and click “Open”, the file will be processed.
The route is then available in the dashboard and When your Karoo syncs your route will be on the device.

To import a .gpx file directly to your Karoo bike computer – plug the device into a computer via a USB cable

Navigate on your computer to the “Routes” folder on the Karoo and copy the .gpx file to that directory.

Import a Route into the Hammerhead Dashboard via an URL

Use an URL from Strava, Ride with GPS , Komoot , Training Peaks , Bikemap , and other route URLs.
Go to the Hammerhead Karoo Dashboard and select Routes in the sidebar menu.
Click “Add” at the top right corner and then click on “Import Route”.
Where it says “Web Url” paste the complete URL of the route, then click “Import”.
The file is uploaded and the route is then available in the dashboard.
When your Karoo syncs, your route will be on the device.

Download a .gpx or Share a Route from the Hammerhead Dashboard

Go to the Hammerhead Karoo Dashboard and select Routes in the sidebar menu.
Click the three buttons under the route map and to the right of the route name.
Click “Share” (to share to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Email) or click “Downland GPX”.