Best cycling route planner that takes GPX: a 2026 UK guide

You've got a GPX file. Maybe you downloaded it from Strava, exported it from Komoot, or a friend shared a sportive route. Now you need a planner that actually accepts it, does something useful with it, and ideally helps you decide when to ride it.

The problem is that most searches for "best cycling route planner GPX import" return a shortlist of apps that all claim to support GPX, but the details of how that works, and what you can do with your file afterwards, vary enormously. This guide covers the four most relevant options for UK cyclists in 2026, explains the mechanics of each GPX workflow, and shows where wind-aware timing fits into the picture.

Quick answer: the best GPX-friendly cycling route planners (UK)

Here's the short version if you're in a hurry:

• Komoot, best for turn-by-turn navigation after importing a GPX
• Ride with GPS, best for power users who want full file-format flexibility and device ecosystem support
• cycle.travel, best for planning quiet, traffic-free UK routes and exporting GPX to your device
• Tailwind GPS, best for working out when to ride a route you already have, using route-specific wind and weather scoring

Which one you need depends on your goal. If you want to navigate a new route on your Garmin Edge, Komoot or Ride with GPS are your starting point. If you want to know whether Saturday's loop will be a tailwind dream or a grinding headwind slog before you even clip in, that's where Tailwind GPS route-specific wind scoring fills the gap the others leave open.

What does "takes GPX" actually mean? (Import vs export)

It's worth separating two distinct things that often get lumped together under "GPX support".

GPX import is when you bring a file into a platform: uploading an existing route someone else created, or one you exported from another app. The platform then stores it, lets you view it on a map, and usually allows you to navigate from it or edit it.

GPX export is the opposite direction: you plan or save a route on a platform, then download a GPX file to load onto your Garmin Edge, Wahoo Elemnt, Hammerhead Karoo, or another device.

Some tools are stronger on one side than the other. Strava, for instance, has a route-building workflow on its website: you go to Dashboard, then My Routes, then Create New Route, and you can build from scratch or upload a GPX. But Strava's navigation and export experience for head units is more limited than dedicated planners. cycle.travel is excellent for planning but less focused on the import side. And Tailwind GPS sits in a separate category entirely: it's not a navigation tool, it's a decision tool that scores your routes by weather and wind so you know when to leave.

The key question to ask yourself: do you need to find or build a route, navigate it on a device, or decide when to ride one you already have? Usually you need all three, just from different tools.

Komoot: GPX import and route planning workflow

Komoot is probably the most widely used dedicated cycling route planner in the UK. Its GPX workflow is solid, if not always intuitive to find at first.

To import a file, go to Profile, then Saved Routes, and look for the option to import a GPS file. Komoot also gives you an "Import to Plan a Route" path that opens the file in the route editor, where you can select a sport type (road cycling, gravel, MTB) and let Komoot snap the track to appropriate road surfaces. This is particularly useful if your GPX was recorded rather than planned, since recorded tracks sometimes drift slightly from roads.

After import, Komoot distinguishes between an activity (something you've already ridden) and a planned route (something you intend to ride). For navigation purposes, you want the latter. Once saved as a planned route, you can export it back out as a GPX file via the route page, which you can then download to a Garmin Edge or Wahoo Elemnt through either Garmin Connect or the device's own file transfer.

Komoot's community content is a genuine strength. You can discover popular local routes, see surface type breakdowns, and get elevation profiles. What it doesn't tell you is whether Thursday at 7am will be a better departure than Thursday at 10am given the forecast wind direction on your specific loop.

Ride with GPS: GPX import, export and device sending

Ride with GPS has the most flexible file-format support of any dedicated cycling route planner. According to its help documentation (updated February 2026), it accepts GPX, TCX, FIT, KML and KMZ files, so if you've got a file from any mainstream source, it'll almost certainly work.

On mobile, the easiest method is using your phone's OS share function: open the file in your file manager or email, tap Share, and select the Ride with GPS app. On the web version, you can drag and drop directly into the library. Both routes end up in the same place: your route library, ready to navigate or edit.

Export is equally well supported. You can download routes in multiple formats and, crucially, use the "send to device" functionality that the platform has built out for Garmin, Wahoo and Hammerhead devices. For cyclists who treat their bike computer as the final destination for every route, this end-to-end workflow is genuinely smooth.

Ride with GPS is the most capable option for cyclists who want deep cycling route planning features and broad device compatibility. The trade-off is that it's a more complex tool than most recreational riders need, and weather integration is limited to a basic overlay rather than route-specific hourly scoring.

cycle.travel: GPX-friendly UK route planning (quiet roads)

cycle.travel is built around a specific and compelling idea for UK cyclists: routing you on quiet, traffic-free roads rather than direct but busy ones. It knows UK cycling infrastructure well and consistently finds routes that Komoot might miss.

Once you've planned a route on cycle.travel, you can export a GPX file and load it onto your device. The planner handles the routing logic, you handle the export to Garmin or Wahoo manually. It's a straightforward workflow if you're comfortable with file management.

Where cycle.travel is less developed is on the GPX import side. It's primarily a planning tool rather than a library for your existing routes. If you've got a GPX you want to analyse or score, you'll need to take it elsewhere.

For UK club cyclists and commuters who want to explore quieter alternatives to their usual roads, cycle.travel is worth bookmarking. It's a planning tool first, and a navigation/import tool second.

Tailwind GPS: the GPX route planner for wind-aware timing decisions

Tailwind GPS approaches the GPX workflow from a different angle. It's not competing with Komoot for turn-by-turn navigation, and it's not trying to replace Ride with GPS's route editor. What it does is answer the question none of the others touch: given a route I already have, when is the best time to ride it this week?

You can upload a GPX file directly, draw a new route on the interactive wind map, or connect your Strava account to pull in routes automatically. Once a route is in the system, Tailwind GPS samples wind direction and speed, temperature and rain probability at points along the actual route, hour by hour, and condenses the result into a single Tailwind Score between 0 and 100 for each departure time.

The score reflects your specific route, not generic conditions at your postcode. A southwest wind at 20 km/h might give your clockwise loop a score of 78 at 8am and a score of 41 at noon, because wind direction shifts, and your position on the route changes relative to that wind depending on when you leave. That level of granularity is what separates route-specific wind forecasting from a standard weather app.

Scoring is also personalised to your expected riding speed, since a faster rider will reach the exposed ridge section of a route earlier in the ride than someone at a more relaxed pace. Set your average speed in your profile and every score adjusts accordingly.

On the free tier, Tailwind GPS saves up to 3 routes and shows 3-day forecasts. Subscribers get up to 40 routes and a 14-day planning window for $2.99/month or $19.99/year, which also unlocks weekly ride summary emails and per-route alerts when conditions hit a target score. For anyone planning a weekend sportive, a club ride, or just trying to get the most out of limited riding time, the 14-day window makes a real difference. You can see how Tailwind GPS scores your Strava routes with hourly wind conditions across the full forecast period.

There's also a Headwind Training mode that flips the logic: instead of finding your easiest ride, it surfaces routes and times with sustained headwinds, useful for structured endurance or strength work. You can read more about using wind direction for harder and easier training days.

Comparison table: which planner suits your GPX workflow?

Best for UK commuters: cycle.travel (route quality) or Ride with GPS (device sync) Best for club rides: Komoot (social/discovery) + Tailwind GPS (timing and club ride coordination) Best for sportives/long days: Ride with GPS (export workflow) + Tailwind GPS (14-day forecast, departure time scoring) Best for headwind training: Tailwind GPS (Headwind Training mode)

Step-by-step: a practical GPX workflow for UK cyclists

Here's how these tools fit together in a real-world sequence.

Step 1: Get your GPX. Export from Strava (Dashboard > My Routes > your route > Export GPX), download from Komoot (Profile > Saved Routes > Download GPX), or ask the ride organiser to share theirs. Alternatively, build one from scratch using Ride with GPS's route editor or the Tailwind GPS route builder.

Step 2: Import into your planner. If you want turn-by-turn navigation, import the GPX into Komoot or Ride with GPS. On Komoot, use Profile > Saved Routes > Import a GPS file. On Ride with GPS mobile, use your phone's share function to open the file directly in the app.

Step 3: Export to your bike computer. From Komoot or Ride with GPS, download the planned route as a GPX file and transfer it to your Garmin Edge (via Garmin Express or the device's USB storage under /NewFiles) or Wahoo Elemnt (via the app's route sync). This is the standard workflow for a GPX download to Garmin Edge or any ANT+/BLE-compatible head unit.

Step 4: Check your departure time with Tailwind GPS. Upload the same GPX into Tailwind GPS (or connect Strava if the route is already saved there). Open the route and scroll through departure hours. Look for the highest Tailwind Score in the window you can actually ride. If Saturday morning scores a 74 at 7am but only 38 at 9am, you've got a concrete reason to set that earlier alarm.

For a broader look at how route planners compare across all these dimensions, the 2026 cycling route planner comparison covers the full landscape in detail.

Troubleshooting common GPX issues

• Web vs mobile upload: most platforms accept GPX on both, but some features (like Komoot's import-to-plan function) work best on the web version. If a mobile upload fails, try desktop.
• Duplicate routes: if you import a GPX that's already in your library (via Strava sync or a previous upload), many platforms will create a duplicate. Check your library before importing.
• File format confusion: GPX is a track/waypoint format. TCX and FIT contain more data (heart rate, power, cadence) and are common exports from Garmin and Wahoo. Most route planners accept all three for import, but if you're sharing a route rather than an activity, GPX is the cleanest choice.
• Route vs activity GPX: a recorded activity GPX includes timestamps and sometimes drifts from roads. A planned route GPX is cleaner for navigation. Komoot and Ride with GPS can usually handle both, but you may need to re-snap a recorded track to roads.

FAQ: GPX route planning questions UK cyclists ask

Can I import GPX on mobile or do I need a desktop? Both work for most platforms. Ride with GPS lets you share a GPX file directly into the app on iOS and Android. Komoot works on both, though complex edits are easier on desktop. Tailwind GPS accepts GPX uploads through the browser on any device.

What file formats are accepted besides GPX? Ride with GPS accepts GPX, TCX, FIT, KML and KMZ. Komoot handles GPX and TCX. Tailwind GPS accepts GPX. For bike computer sync, FIT files are native to Garmin devices, but GPX is universally readable. If you're syncing from a Wahoo or Garmin and the option exists, FIT will carry more data, but for route-only transfers, GPX is fine.

How do I export to Garmin or Wahoo? For a Garmin Edge: download the GPX from your planner, connect the Edge via USB, and copy the file to the Garmin/NewFiles folder. The device indexes it on next start. Alternatively, use Garmin Connect to sync if your planner supports it directly (Ride with GPS does). For Wahoo Elemnt: routes sync via the Wahoo app, and Ride with GPS has a direct send-to-Wahoo function. Komoot also syncs to both Garmin and Wahoo via their respective companion apps.

Will my Tailwind Score depend on my speed? Yes, directly. If you typically ride at 20 km/h you'll hit the exposed stretch of your route at a different time than someone riding at 28 km/h. Because wind direction can change across a ride, earlier and later sections of your route may have completely different wind angles. Tailwind GPS personalises the score to your pace so the forecast reflects where you'll actually be on the route at each point in time.

Does Tailwind GPS work with routes I ride repeatedly, like Strava loops? This is exactly what it's designed for. Connect your Strava account and your regular routes appear automatically, no rebuilding required. Every saved route gets scored for every departure hour across the forecast window. If you've been riding the same Thursday evening loop for two years, Tailwind GPS will tell you whether this Thursday at 6pm scores an 82 or a 29, and show you the headwind/tailwind/crosswind breakdown behind that number. See how wind scores work for Strava routes for the full detail.

Which apps work together best for a complete workflow? The combination that covers all bases: Komoot or Ride with GPS for building and navigating routes, plus Tailwind GPS for timing decisions. You can read a full breakdown in the best cycling apps for forecast-based planning comparison.

The bottom line

If you're asking "what's the best cycling route planner that takes GPX?", the honest answer is that it depends on which part of the workflow matters most to you.

Komoot wins on navigation quality and community discovery. Ride with GPS wins on file-format breadth and device compatibility. cycle.travel wins for traffic-free routing on UK roads. None of them answer the question that Tailwind GPS is built around: given your route and the next 14 days of weather, when should you actually leave?

For most UK cyclists, the practical answer is to use one of the navigation tools to build and sync your route, then bring the same GPX into Tailwind GPS to score your departure windows. It takes two minutes, costs less than a coffee a month on the paid plan, and turns the weather from a source of uncertainty into a genuine planning advantage.

Upload your GPX route to Tailwind GPS and get a Tailwind Score for every hour you can actually ride.

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