Estimating the time and effort of a route before you set off

Why an average speed isn't enough

Dividing distance by a usual average speed gives a rough estimate that ignores the one thing that matters most: ascent radically changes an outing's pace. The same distance with a lot of climbing takes noticeably longer than a flat route, and descents don't fully make up for that extra cost.

The principle: distance and ascent combined

A dedicated simulation calculates an estimated duration segment by segment rather than over the total distance: every climb slows the pace, every descent speeds it up, using coefficients specific to seven sport profiles — walking, trail, MTB, road cycling, gravel, kayak and stand-up paddle.

An example to gauge the gap

Two 15 km trail outings give a good sense of how much difference ascent alone can make: the first, on a rolling profile with 300 m of ascent, comes out around an hour and a half; the second, on a mountainous profile with 1,500 m of ascent over the same distance, can run to four hours or more. The identical distance masks a very different reality of effort — which is exactly what the combined estimate corrects for.

Fine-tuning the estimate with a personal profile

Entering age, weight and an effort level — easy, moderate, intense — refines the result, which returns an estimated duration as well as an estimated average and maximum heart rate, plus an average cadence for the chosen activity.

The special case of water sports

For kayaking and stand-up paddle, ascent doesn't mean anything: elevation correction is switched off for these two activities, and only distance counts in the estimate.

What this estimate is actually used for

The result mainly helps set a realistic departure time, plan water and food supplies, or judge whether a route stays reasonable before nightfall — rather than finding out on the ground. The estimated heart rate also gives a useful benchmark for pacing the start: setting off close to the average estimate rather than at full intensity from the first few kilometres avoids running out of energy on the second half of a hilly route.