Anyone who has spent 20 minutes scrolling for a route on Strava knows my pain. Up until today, its been an unpleasant experience (aka pain in the ass) and honestly we usually ditch it for Google maps. Which truth be told, may be worse given they never know if a road is cyclist friendly.

So it was a surprise to see Strava announce a batch of updates to its route discovery and mapping experience, all aimed at helping you find a route, trust it, and follow it without second-guessing every turn or if it will bring you home safely.

What Strava Announced

Rather than nailing the search terms like you’re Ethan Hunt trying to key code Mission Impossible 13, Strava is saying they get what you mean. You can search in your own words, and results are matched to your intent. Type like a human, get routes like a human wants. Or head to the Maps tab and search by route name or point of interest for your next run, walk, hike or ride.

They’re also expanding its route inventory and curated it more carefully, so there’s a deeper pool to pick from before you ever lace up.

Redesigned route cards are a thing now too. The new cards let you size up a route using photos and activity data from other Strava users. Think of it as the pre-run recon. Much like you do when you Google a new restaurant and look at the user submitted photos to see if it actually looks good.

Offline maps are now no problem. When you’re offline, your saved routes show up right on your home screen. You can also start and save a workout in Offline Mode too, and the finished activity uploads once service comes back. This is especially a big for trail runners, mountain bikers and anyone who are going deep into new territory where cellular service gets spotty.

These improvements apply across GPS-based activities on Strava, including running, cycling, walking and hiking.

What’s Next? Alot.

Strava also previewed what’s coming down the road:

• Hands-free turn-by-turn audio directions for subscribers
• Expanded route details with community-informed tags and descriptions
• The ability to browse and discover routes on the web

Route discovery is something I love but rarely use. I am a creature of habit and shutter at the idea that I’ll get lost and waste time. So anything that cuts the planning time and the wrong-turn anxiety is a win. Offline maps and audio cues in particular move Strava a little closer to being your whole navigation setup, not just the place your activity goes to be admired afterward. But for us, its still not something I turn to on a daily basis.

We’ll be keeping an eye on when turn-by-turn audio lands and see if its any good. Until then, Strava is pumping a lot out.

Will you use it?