Routing = the process of automatic path selection and route creation based on specific conditions.
When you pin viapoints in the route planner, a route is calculated between those viapoints using a particular routing method. The most classic routing methods are shortest and fastest way. An additional interesting option in the recreational world is the nicest route. Read here how we determine that at RouteYou.
How routing is done also depends on how the trip is done: on foot, by regular bike, by mountain bike, by horse, by motorcycle, and so on. Therefore, RouteYou offers numerous options that link a specific mode (walking, cycling, ...) and the desired routing method: shortest, fastest or nicest.
To the overview of RouteYou routing options.
Additional information:
The routing options consider various factors, with surface type being particularly important.
When it comes to subsoil, we classify it into four categories:
- Paved - good condition: e.g. asphalt, bricks, concrete slabs...
- Paved - bad condition: e.g. cobblestones, poorly maintained asphalt with deep potholes, ...
- Unpaved - good condition: e.g. gravel, vegetation-free soil but well passable
- Unpaved - bad condition: e.g. gravel with many pits, vegetationless ground with many bumps, stretches with a lot of vegetation
In the following matrix you can see which sections
- are allowed per routing
- are preferred for each routing
- are not allowed within each routing
Paved (good condition) |
Paved (bad condition) |
Unpaved (good condition) |
Unpaved (bad condition) |
|
---|---|---|---|---|
Hiking | ALLOWED | ALLOWED | PREFERRED | PREFERRED |
Recreational cycling | PREFERRED | ALLOWED | PREFERRED | |
Race cycling | PREFERRED | ALLOWED | |
|
MTB/gravel | ALLOWED | ALLOWED | PREFERRED | PREFERRED |
An example to illustrate how to read the table:
If you select the routing option "Recreational Cycling - Nicest," you can PREFERABLY expect to encounter paved surfaces in good condition or unpaved surfaces, such as gravel, that are also well-maintained. While there may be some sections of paved surfaces in poor condition, these are rare. You should expect to find NO unpaved sections that are in bad condition.
Each road and path in our digital network map is individually classified based on its suitability for cyclists, hikers, motorcyclists, etc. This allows for the selection of the shortest and fastest routes, as well as the most scenic ones. Some routing options have a variant with an additional feature, such as "avoid climbs" or "avoid cobblestones.".
Here is some additional information on a few of those routing options.
In addition to the fastest and shortest, we also offer an advanced routing algorithm based on more than 38 parameters to calculate the "nicest" route between two points.
The definition of "nicest" depends on your chosen mode of transportation: hiking, road cycling, mountain biking, motorcycling, etc. There can be much debate about what is "most suitable" and "nicest." Therefore, we acknowledge that this is more of an art than a science. However, through research, we have concluded that professionally designed routes tend to emphasize specific road features while avoiding others. We have been able to link over 85% of this to our ever-growing set of more than 38 parameters. For example
- road width,
- road significance,
- road congestion,
- routes through or alongside forest areas,
- along rivers,
- near lakes,
- near or through parks,
- in urban areas,
- in industrial zones,
- and so on.
We hope you find this information useful and that it helps you plan a suitable route more efficiently.
If you disagree with our calculation of "suitability," you can adjust the route at any time. After all, "There's no accounting for taste."
A routing option for road cyclists with a support vehicle (nicest & shortest) is available. You can find this option under the route type 'Road bike Route'.
This routing option differs from the standard road bike routings (nicest or shortest) because those options prioritize car-free roads. This isn't very convenient if you need to stay close to the cyclists with a support vehicle.
The routing option "Node-to-node cycling (avoid climbs)" allows you to avoid as many climbs as possible. It's important to note the "as much as possible" aspect. After all, this doesn't mean you won't encounter any uphill sections.If you need to cross a mountain or hill, you'll have to go up one way or another. However, this option guides you along the least steep paths. We also consider the direction of the slope; steep descents are not penalized, while steep ascents are. As a result, you may find that your route up differs from your route back down.
Here is a great example of the effect of this routing option. If you want to cycle from the hilly Pajottenland area in the south of Schepdaal to the north of Schepdaal, you'll need to tackle the steep ridge where the Ninoofsesteenweg (red line) runs. As you can see, there are two node-to-node routes: one via Sint-Getrudis-Pede, which includes a more challenging climb, and another along the western part of Schepdaal, where there are still inclines but they are a bit less steep. This means you get a less steep, longer option.