How to plan a gravel route: surface, distance and tyres

A good gravel ride starts long before you get on the bike. Unlike on the road, a planning mistake here is not just a detour: it can be a stretch of sand you cannot ride, a closed track, or an afternoon pushing the bike with no water. With a bit of method, almost all of that can be avoided from the sofa.

Decide what kind of gravel you want

"Gravel" covers very different things: from compacted gravel tracks almost as fast as tarmac to technical trails with roots and loose rock. Before drawing anything, ask yourself three questions:

How much unpaved do you want? A mixed route with roughly 30–50% dirt is a good starting point if you come from road riding; routes that are almost entirely off-tarmac demand more practice and more time.
What profile are you after? Rolling and steady, or short, sharp ramps? On dirt, a 10% ramp feels much harder than on tarmac, because the rear wheel slips if you lose traction.
What is the occasion? A two-hour training ride is not the same as a full-day adventure.

Realistic distance and climbing for your level

The most common mistake is estimating time from your road average speed. On gravel, speed drops: loose surfaces, bumps, careful descents and stops to check the map mean you will typically ride roughly 15–30% slower. What takes 2.5 hours on tarmac can easily take 3.5 hours on gravel.

A few cautious guidelines:

On your first ride on new terrain, stay under 60–70% of the distance you would do on the road.
Give climbing more weight than kilometres: 600 m of ascent on tracks is more tiring than on tarmac.
Leave a margin of daylight. If the ride drags on, the final part gets rushed, and you will not feel like reading the map.
Adjust for the season: mud, heat or wind can change the real effort a lot.

Draw the route in Cyklot step by step

Cyklot’s route planner calculates the path over the network of roads and tracks between the points you mark. This is how you would use it for a gravel ride:

Mark points on the map. Tap the map to add the start, intermediate points and the finish. Two points are enough to get a route; more points let you force the route through a specific track. You can search for a place with the map search box, undo the last point or clear everything.
Pick the "Gravel" profile. The available profiles are road bike, gravel, mountain bike and safety. The gravel profile favours tracks and surfaces suited to a gravel bike. Some routing options, such as avoiding hills or avoiding traffic, appear depending on the profile you choose.
Read the stats. As soon as there are two points, the route is recalculated and you see the distance, elevation gain and the elevation profile, which helps you spot the steep ramps.
Compare alternatives. You can ask for up to three paths between the same points and compare them by distance, climbing and the share of unpaved surface when that data is available. It is the quickest way to choose between a faster version and a more adventurous one.
Close the loop. If you drew an out-leg, a button generates the return by running through your points in reverse order.

You can also import a GPX you already have, for example one a friend sent you, and review it with the same tools.

Check the route before you go

The calculator works from community map data and, although the gravel profile helps a lot, it does not know what is really on the ground. Before you accept the route:

Zoom in on track and trail sections: a path can be mapped and still be unrideable because of sand, steps, gates or overgrowth.
Look for very steep ramps on the profile. If a sustained stretch is steeper than what you usually climb seated, consider an alternative or be ready to walk.
Check for private property, hunting estates, or tracks closed for works or by season.
Look at the weather: after rain, clay that rolls well when dry turns into paste that clogs your wheels.
If you doubt a section, decide on a tarmac detour in advance.

Tyres and pressure

On gravel, the tyre is your suspension. As a starting point, common widths run from about 35 to 45 mm: the more technical the terrain, the wider. Low, fast-rolling knobs suit hardpack and tarmac; more aggressive ones grip in sand or mud at the cost of rolling slower on the road.

Pressure depends on your weight, the width, whether you ride tubeless and the casing, so there is no universal figure. Very roughly, with 40 mm tubeless tyres many riders sit somewhere around 1.8–2.8 bar (about 26–40 psi), a bit more with inner tubes. Lower pressure means more grip and comfort, but a higher risk of rim strikes or the tyre folding in a corner. Test, note what works for you and adjust front and rear separately. Always carry a repair kit, a tube or tubeless plugs, a pump or cartridges and a multi-tool.

Water, food and bailout points

On long rides on rural tracks you cannot count on finding a cafe or a fountain every few kilometres.

Water: as a reference, half a litre or a bit more per hour, more in the heat. Mark fountains and villages on the route and refill as soon as you can.
Food: at a moderate pace, many riders take around 30–60 g of carbohydrate per hour on long rides. Always carry extra in case you are delayed.
Bailout points: identify in advance the roads or villages where you can cut the route short if something goes wrong, and estimate how long it takes to reach each one.
Coverage and battery: load the GPX onto your bike computer and carry a spare battery; do not rely on mobile data in remote areas.

Export and share the GPX

Once the route is ready, save it and open it from your routes. From its page you can export it as a GPX file for your GPS or bike computer and share it with a link so your riding mates can see it. Always tell someone your route and when you expect to be back.

Next step

Open the planner, try the gravel profile with three alternatives and save the one that best fits your level. Your saved routes are waiting in Routes.