Ride VeloViewer tiling in Japan
- Thread starter Chuck
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VeloViewer
Warming-Up
- Jun 2, 2022
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I've got a country leaderboard on my to-do list although knowing which country to put people in can be tricky! Make sure you email me with any other suggestions in this area.
Ben VeloViewer
Ben VeloViewer
Half-Fast Mike
Lanterne Rouge-et-vert
- May 22, 2007
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Hello and welcome, Ben! Yes - I was wondering (mostly to myself so far) whether you couldn't outsource/invite Pete B or someone else to do this within the VeloViewer environment. I think some manual effort is inevitable when assigning max squares/clusters from a country to a rider. It's quite conceivable for a rider to have the max square or max cluster in a country or countries that are not their 'base'. And riders may move base country from time to time. I'm not a programmer, and thinking about how to do it automatically makes my head spin.
VeloViewer
Warming-Up
- Jun 2, 2022
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Whenever I have thought of a country leaderboard over the last number of years I always go through that same head-spin and leave it for another day! Strava provide a "State" and "Country" but about half of them are blank. Perhaps people aren't setting them in Strava? So I've given up on using that one.
Another option is to use the athlete's max square/cluster centre point but that could well put them in another country to the one they live in but it would probably get 99% of them correct so that might be a good option to set most of them. Of course, as you say, people move house and start up a second max square which might be in a different country. If they then pick the 2nd country but the scores are coming from their exploring in the 1st country then that will be weird!
Then you've got people whose squares/clusters spread across multiple countries anyway, how should that work?!
I've got some other ideas that might work but need to think them through a bit better.
Another option is to use the athlete's max square/cluster centre point but that could well put them in another country to the one they live in but it would probably get 99% of them correct so that might be a good option to set most of them. Of course, as you say, people move house and start up a second max square which might be in a different country. If they then pick the 2nd country but the scores are coming from their exploring in the 1st country then that will be weird!
Then you've got people whose squares/clusters spread across multiple countries anyway, how should that work?!
I've got some other ideas that might work but need to think them through a bit better.
yurikleb
Warming-Up
- Jun 7, 2022
- 6
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Hey everyone! I just found out about this whole tiling thing yesterday and I'm really keen on trying it as well!
I just joined Veloviewer https://veloviewer.com/athlete/84880356/ and am very impressed by all the features.
I'm sorry If I missed this and it's already somewhere in this thread, but are there any tips for the best way/tool to plan routes for ticking new tiles?
Is it just having the "my activities" tab open in one browser window and a route planner (Ride With GPS for example) in another window, side by side?
Or is there a more clever way?
Thanks!
Update:
I just tried the chrome extension, which is very handy and works very well on Strava website, the problem is that Strava Route Planner is quite limited as far as I figured out. It offers quite a limited amount of maps which makes it impossible to plan to go to the smaller trails. Or am I missing something?
I just joined Veloviewer https://veloviewer.com/athlete/84880356/ and am very impressed by all the features.
I'm sorry If I missed this and it's already somewhere in this thread, but are there any tips for the best way/tool to plan routes for ticking new tiles?
Is it just having the "my activities" tab open in one browser window and a route planner (Ride With GPS for example) in another window, side by side?
Or is there a more clever way?
Thanks!
Update:
I just tried the chrome extension, which is very handy and works very well on Strava website, the problem is that Strava Route Planner is quite limited as far as I figured out. It offers quite a limited amount of maps which makes it impossible to plan to go to the smaller trails. Or am I missing something?
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Half-Fast Mike
Lanterne Rouge-et-vert
- May 22, 2007
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The Strava Map Switcher extension for Chrome increases the number of maps available to you within Strava and its Route Planner.
Compared to RWGPS then Strava's planner is very limited. But at the moment it's the only option I know of with a tile overlay.
Please do share your progress!
OreoCookie
Maximum Pace
- Dec 2, 2017
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I assume you are referring to off road riding when you write trails? I am afraid this is a peculiarity of the Japanese off road scene: they are afraid of making trails public, because sometimes the police or local government has a very heavy-handed approach to mountain bikers. So in my experience, most keep trails a secret and you gotta ride with locals. There are a few exceptions like bike parks, but overall, this is the way it is. If you want to know more about offroading, ask @bloaker, he is the man.
Chuck
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Hi Yuri... I noticed you already followed me on RWGPS so you can see my write ups of my rides there. I try to mention the road/trail conditions so anyone interested in the same route has an idea of what to expect. And, of course, the VV champion (@Half-Fast Mike ) has done everything there is to do in the prefectures surrounding Tokyo, and then some, so his rides are another good source.
As for planning, once you get off the road and on to trails, things seem to get pretty uncertain. Whether the trail actually exists, what kind of surface it is... kind of hit and miss. I just try to have a backup plan ready in case Plan A doesn't pan out.
Be careful about the tiling bug, though. Once bitten, it is hard to recover.
yurikleb
Warming-Up
- Jun 7, 2022
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Thanks for all the tips, everyone!
I will do some testing in the next couple of weeks and share any tips I might have!
@OreoCookie I don't only mean off-road, from my experience there are many smaller/side roads which do not appear on Strava but are visible on OSM-Cycle map for example (which is available in RWGPS). Those are often in a decent condition for a road bike, even if small parts have a bit of gravel.
See a quick comparison of an area south-east of mt. Jinba attached.
@Chuck thanks for the warning, I can imagine it's really addicting!
I will do some testing in the next couple of weeks and share any tips I might have!
@OreoCookie I don't only mean off-road, from my experience there are many smaller/side roads which do not appear on Strava but are visible on OSM-Cycle map for example (which is available in RWGPS). Those are often in a decent condition for a road bike, even if small parts have a bit of gravel.
See a quick comparison of an area south-east of mt. Jinba attached.
@Chuck thanks for the warning, I can imagine it's really addicting!
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Chuck
Maximum Pace
- Feb 7, 2011
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I'm hoping that once I'm mended to bag a few more tiles before year end. It is my quest.... 'Tiling at Windmills.'
Hope @Half-Fast Mike is OK. Don't see him riding much these days except for a commute now and then.
@joewein seems to have collected most of the collectible tiles near his regular riding spots, so maybe he lost the bug?
Hope @Half-Fast Mike is OK. Don't see him riding much these days except for a commute now and then.
@joewein seems to have collected most of the collectible tiles near his regular riding spots, so maybe he lost the bug?
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joewein
Maximum Pace
- Oct 25, 2011
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Yeah, I haven't totally abandoned the effort but tiles are not very high on my list of priorities these days.
I did pick up ONE tile in Chichibu in August and another on Saturday which bumped up my max cluster by 5 tiles.
My wife is going on a three day hiking excursion with friends soon so I suggested going hiking on Saturday for training.
We drove to Tomin no Mori and traffic was atrocious. It took us three hours by car just to get to Musashiitsukaichi, totally doable by bicycle in the same time!
After a quick lunch there we drove up to the trail head. The car park closes at 17:30, which gave us less than 3 hours. We still made it to Mt Mito at 1500+ meters (the car park is at 1000 m) and back in time but on Sunday and today my muscles told about what I did on Saturday. I guess that means it was a good preparation for my wife's upcoming trip and I did get my tile
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Half-Fast Mike
Lanterne Rouge-et-vert
- May 22, 2007
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Lots of challenges unrelated to cycling this year. I'm comforted by the knowledge that the tiles will still be there, and that I have an unassailable lead... famous last words.
Half-Fast Mike
Lanterne Rouge-et-vert
- May 22, 2007
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For the first time in a while I was able to stuff some challenges into a closet, a few more under the rug, and make a break for the hills. I had hoped for a long weekend but that didn't work out.
I was staying at the GS Astuto Rider House and Café - now a proper licenced hotel and cafe - that I have been helping to renovate over the last 18 months.
There was a proper guest, so on Saturday morning Tim, Brigitte (the guest) and I set off northwestish. Although I had explained tiling briefly at dinner on Friday night, I don't think Brigitte had fully grasped the in(s)anity involved, but as I was the only one with a plan, they would follow me. Madness...
The first section was mostly the reverse of a ride Tim and I had done in April. Going back for more.
"This is not a good sign", I thought to myself.
My first new tile was an easy side trip from the main road. The second one was much trickier. It would involve wading through a river and then climbing around 40 vertical metres up a steep untamed mountainside of loose earth. I had elected not to try it back in April as I was too tired by that stage of the ride. This time I was terribly unfit and overweight, which didn't make it easy, but I did it.
Climbing down was barely easier than climbing up, but I managed to get up and down without falling.
We continued along the closed rindō. It became progressively more washed-out and rocky. Before long we could only push the bikes. Garmin was misbehaving. Eight kilometres of rindō remained, but we had no way of knowing how much further we would have to push. [Checking later, it would probably have been another 2 km until a flatter bit.] We agreed that we'd had enough adventure, and headed back down the way we had come but without the silly tiling detours.
The local wildlife (kamoshika - Japanese serow) was suitably perplexed.
So only 2 new tiles on this (mis)adventure, but that's better than zero tiles, and no harm done apart from fatigue and a flat from running my tyre pressures too low and my bike too fast on the downhill.
Options for Rindō Revenge include (1) get fitter, (2) push bike further, (3) use mountain bike, (4) try it from the other end, and (5) leave it it doesn't matter.
I was staying at the GS Astuto Rider House and Café - now a proper licenced hotel and cafe - that I have been helping to renovate over the last 18 months.
There was a proper guest, so on Saturday morning Tim, Brigitte (the guest) and I set off northwestish. Although I had explained tiling briefly at dinner on Friday night, I don't think Brigitte had fully grasped the in(s)anity involved, but as I was the only one with a plan, they would follow me. Madness...
The first section was mostly the reverse of a ride Tim and I had done in April. Going back for more.
"This is not a good sign", I thought to myself.
My first new tile was an easy side trip from the main road. The second one was much trickier. It would involve wading through a river and then climbing around 40 vertical metres up a steep untamed mountainside of loose earth. I had elected not to try it back in April as I was too tired by that stage of the ride. This time I was terribly unfit and overweight, which didn't make it easy, but I did it.
Climbing down was barely easier than climbing up, but I managed to get up and down without falling.
We continued along the closed rindō. It became progressively more washed-out and rocky. Before long we could only push the bikes. Garmin was misbehaving. Eight kilometres of rindō remained, but we had no way of knowing how much further we would have to push. [Checking later, it would probably have been another 2 km until a flatter bit.] We agreed that we'd had enough adventure, and headed back down the way we had come but without the silly tiling detours.
The local wildlife (kamoshika - Japanese serow) was suitably perplexed.
So only 2 new tiles on this (mis)adventure, but that's better than zero tiles, and no harm done apart from fatigue and a flat from running my tyre pressures too low and my bike too fast on the downhill.
Options for Rindō Revenge include (1) get fitter, (2) push bike further, (3) use mountain bike, (4) try it from the other end, and (5) leave it it doesn't matter.
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Half-Fast Mike
Lanterne Rouge-et-vert
- May 22, 2007
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Chuck
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Was off to Izu this weekend. Still playing with my GoPro. Collected some tiles down there. Since getting up to the top of my max square takes so much time now, figured I might try to move my efforts down to Izu instead. @Half-Fast Mike 's lead in the max square count up north looks pretty insurmountable. So...Izu it is (and maybe Fuji?), where Golden Tiles are plentiful.
Anyway, this is a video of this weekend's effort. I am not a fan of the traffic and road along the eastern coast of Izu, but the views are great.
Anyway, this is a video of this weekend's effort. I am not a fan of the traffic and road along the eastern coast of Izu, but the views are great.
- Jul 26, 2008
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Great looking ride/video work.
I'd guess the bird to be a 鳶 (トビ or トンビ), a black kite, very common here. A key point is that these have an indented/concave tail, often almost a v-like notch (and the tail is on the long side). Not completely unique to them, but many others have a rounded tail, often short(er), sometimes even stubby (eagles, and I think kestrels, too).
I'd guess the bird to be a 鳶 (トビ or トンビ), a black kite, very common here. A key point is that these have an indented/concave tail, often almost a v-like notch (and the tail is on the long side). Not completely unique to them, but many others have a rounded tail, often short(er), sometimes even stubby (eagles, and I think kestrels, too).
adventurous cyclist
turtle speed cyclist
- May 16, 2019
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Enjoyed watching it. Very nice.
Chuck
Maximum Pace
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BUMP!
It is tiling season again and I hope to bag some long sought after tiles. However, when I download the Veloviewer klm file with the squares, they don't extend up into the area far enough so I can use the klm file overlay to know if I have crossed the magic line or not. Somewhere long ago, I think @Half-Fast Mike posted a way to extend the tile lines but can't find that info anymore. So, HFM, if you care to share your knowledge of how to get the tile lines over the area I want to go, I'd greatly appreciate it.
It is tiling season again and I hope to bag some long sought after tiles. However, when I download the Veloviewer klm file with the squares, they don't extend up into the area far enough so I can use the klm file overlay to know if I have crossed the magic line or not. Somewhere long ago, I think @Half-Fast Mike posted a way to extend the tile lines but can't find that info anymore. So, HFM, if you care to share your knowledge of how to get the tile lines over the area I want to go, I'd greatly appreciate it.