Exporting a GPX file from Strava, Komoot or Garmin

The GPX file is the universal format for cycling routes. It lets you move a route from one app to another, load it onto a GPS bike computer or share it with your group. Here's what it contains, how to get it from Strava, Komoot or Garmin Connect, and how to avoid the most common mistakes.

What is a GPX file?

GPX stands for GPS Exchange Format. It's a simple text file, in XML format, that describes a series of geographical points: latitude, longitude and, usually, elevation. Almost every mapping, navigation and sports tracking tool can read and write it, which makes it the most reliable way to exchange a route.

From these points, software can recalculate the distance, the elevation gain and the gradient of each section, and draw the route on a map.

Track or route: what's the difference?

A GPX file can contain two types of data:

• A track: a dense series of points that closely follows the road. This is what an activity recording produces, and what most tools export for a planned route.
• A route: just a few waypoints, between which the device works out the path itself. The result then depends on the software reading it.

To share a route with a group, a track is the safest choice: everyone sees exactly the same line.

Exporting a GPX from Strava

1. Open the route you created or saved.
2. Open the “⋯” menu.
3. Choose “Export GPX”.

The file is downloaded to your device. On a phone, it usually ends up in the downloads folder.

Exporting a GPX from Komoot

1. Open the tour, planned or completed.
2. Open the “⋯” menu.
3. Choose “Download GPX file”.

Exporting a GPX from Garmin Connect

1. Open the course.
2. Click the gear icon.
3. Choose “Export to GPX”.

What about other tools?

Most route planners and hiking or cycling apps offer a GPX export, often in the route's share, export or download menu. If you can't find it, search the tool's help for the words “export” and “GPX”. Avoid proprietary formats if you want to share your route with people who don't use the same app as you.

File size and common mistakes

A file that is too large

A GPX file contains a point every few seconds or every few metres. For a day ride, it's usually well under a megabyte. A much larger file often comes from a very long recording, or from an export that includes extra data such as heart rate or power at every point. In that case, export the planned route rather than the recorded activity.

A file that isn't a GPX

Some tools also offer other formats, such as FIT, TCX or KML. They aren't interchangeable: check that the downloaded file really ends in .gpx. On a phone, the file is sometimes opened directly in another app instead of being saved: in that case, use the share menu to save it to your files.

A track without elevation

If the file contains no elevation, the profile and the elevation gain can't be calculated correctly. Routes planned in a route planner generally include elevation; it's less common for files converted from another format.

A badly drawn out-and-back

For a loop, check that the line closes back at the start, and that the direction of travel is the one you want: it changes the climbs, the descents and the exposure to the wind.

Using your GPX to organise a ride

Once you have your file, you can upload it to Cyclodate to organise your group bike ride. The file can be up to 5 MB. When you upload it, a ride name, the start, the finish and the places along the way are suggested automatically, and you can edit them. The distance, elevation gain, gradients and climbs are calculated from the GPX; artificial intelligence only writes an analysis of the route based on these figures.

Your participants can then download the GPX from the ride page to load it onto their bike computer. For what comes next, the guide to organising a group bike ride explains how to choose the pace and the dates, and the one on choosing the day of your ride based on the weather helps you decide between several slots.