The Complete Guide to Strava Art: Drawing Pictures on the Map with Your GPS Track

Introduction: When Riding Meets Art

Open Strava and see someone’s activity trace turn out to be a cat, a bicycle, or even a detailed portrait — that’s Strava Art (GPS drawing). Combining cycling, urban exploration, and creative art, it has become one of the most entertaining subcultures in the global cycling community.

Canada’s Stephen Lund is hailed as the “father of Strava Art.” Riding around Victoria, he has produced hundreds of giant GPS artworks. In Taiwan, the grid-like city streets and winding country lanes provide an excellent “canvas.”

This article walks you through route-planning tools, design techniques, and real-world execution so you can create your own Strava Art.

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1. What Is Strava Art?

Definition

Strava Art is an art form that uses a GPS tracking device (phone, cycling computer, etc.) to record a ride, so that the resulting track forms a specific picture or text on the map.

How It Works

1. Design a route on the map in advance so its shape forms the picture you want
2. Ride the designed route in real life
3. Your GPS device records the ride
4. After uploading to Strava, the track appears on the map as the picture you designed

Why It’s So Captivating

• Combines sport and creation: You’re not just riding — you’re making art
• Urban exploration: To “draw” the piece, you’ll ride streets you’ve never visited
• Community sharing: Finished pieces are highly shareable on social media
• Self-challenge: Large pieces can easily run 50-100 km, testing both stamina and navigation

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2. Route-Planning Tools

1. Strava Route Builder

• URL: strava.com/routes/new
• Pros: Plan directly on Strava, then navigate right away
• Cons: Limited freedom — routes get auto-snapped to roads

2. Google My Maps

• URL: google.com/maps/d/
• Pros: Draw lines freely, see the overall effect from above, share and collaborate
• Best for: Sketching the initial design and confirming the overall shape

3. RideWithGPS

• URL: ridewithgps.com
• Pros: Routes snap automatically to roads and can be exported as GPX files
• Best for: Turning your design into an actual rideable route

4. Komoot

• URL: komoot.com
• Pros: Rich road-condition info, great navigation
• Best for: Planning longer-distance Strava Art routes

Recommended Workflow

1. Use Google My Maps to sketch the rough shape of your picture
2. Use RideWithGPS or Strava Route Builder to turn the shape into an actual rideable route
3. Export a GPX file to your cycling computer (Garmin, Wahoo, etc.)
4. Follow the navigation and ride

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3. Design Techniques: From Simple to Complex

Beginner: Letters and Numbers

The easiest Strava Art to start with is text and numbers, since they’re made of straight lines and simple curves.

Good subjects:

• Numbers (birthdays, anniversaries)
• Letters (name initials)
• Simple characters (like “big,” “middle,” “one” in block form)

Design tips:

• Grid-style neighborhoods are easiest — right-angle turns come naturally
• Use “print” style rather than cursive; GPS tracks struggle to render smooth curves
• Letters should be at least 1-2 km wide, or the details will blur together

Intermediate: Simple Shapes

Good subjects:

• Hearts, stars, arrows
• Simple animal silhouettes (cat, dog, fish)
• Geometric shapes like bicycles or houses

Design tips:

• First identify the shape’s core features and simplify it down to 10-15 line segments
• Use major roads for the main lines and small lanes for details
• Circles can be approximated with polygons (an octagon already looks round enough on a map)

Advanced: Complex Artwork

Good subjects:

• Portraits
• Complex animal patterns
• Multi-color pieces (requiring multiple overlapping rides)

Design tips:

• Design the shape in drawing software first, then overlay it on the map
• Pieces are typically 5-15 km wide
• Scout the route in advance to confirm it’s rideable (check for dead ends, construction sites, private roads)

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4. Taiwan’s Cities as “Canvases”

Taipei

• Strengths: Dense grid streets, many road choices
• Weaknesses: Heavy traffic, lots of traffic lights
• Best areas: Da’an District, Xinyi District (most regular grid)
• Best time: Sunday early morning, 5-8 AM (fewer cars)

Taichung

• Strengths: Well-planned roads, many bike lanes
• Weaknesses: Some areas have wide gaps between roads
• Best areas: Xitun District, Beitun District

Kaohsiung

• Strengths: Grid streets, flat, bike-friendly
• Weaknesses: Very hot in summer
• Best areas: Qianzhen District, Lingya District

Rural Areas

• Strengths: Wide roads, light traffic, room for extra-large pieces
• Weaknesses: Low road density, uncontrollable curves
• Best for: Simple, large-scale shapes

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5. Key Points for Real-World Execution

Navigation Devices

• First choice: Import the GPX route into a Garmin/Wahoo cycling computer and use its route-navigation feature
• Alternative: Phone with RideWithGPS or Komoot navigation
• Note: Phone navigation drains battery faster; bring a power bank for long-distance pieces

GPS Accuracy

• Cycling computer GPS: About 3-5 m accuracy, fine for most pieces
• Phone GPS: About 5-15 m accuracy, may jump around near tall buildings
• To improve accuracy: Let the GPS fully lock on before you start (wait 30+ seconds)

Handling Inevitable Deviation

• A GPS track can never perfectly follow your designed route
• Corners will come out as curves rather than sharp angles
• Out-and-back sections at the start/end will leave extra lines
• Solution: Place your start and end points at the edge of the picture or somewhere inconspicuous

Safety First

• Never take dangerous riding actions just to chase route precision
• If a section is impassable, it’s better to skip it
• At busy intersections, obeying traffic rules matters more than route precision
• Some small lanes may be dead ends or private roads — always be ready to detour

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6. Post-Production Tips for a More Polished Result

Presentation on Strava

• After uploading, review it on Strava to make sure the picture reads clearly
• Use Strava’s “screenshot” feature to share on social media
• Tag your activity description with #StravaArt

Post-Production Polish

• Use StatsHunters (statshunters.com) or VeloViewer (veloviewer.com) to generate beautiful track visuals
• Compare a screenshot of your track with the original design in drawing software to showcase your creative process
• Make a timelapse video showing the track gradually taking shape on the map

Social Sharing Strategy

• Share a side-by-side of your design sketch and the finished piece
• Include the distance, time, and elevation gain
• Share fun stories from the process (obstacles you hit, unexpected discoveries)

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7. Classic Types of Strava Art

1. Birthday Wishes

Ride out the birthday person’s age or the letters “HBD” across the city — a one-of-a-kind birthday gift.

• Difficulty: Easy
• Distance: Usually 15-30 km
• Time: 1-2 hours

2. Holiday Themes

A Christmas tree for Christmas, a heart for Valentine’s Day, a zodiac animal for Lunar New Year — festive and creative.

• Difficulty: Medium
• Distance: Usually 30-60 km
• Time: 2-4 hours

3. Charity Campaigns

Ride out a slogan or logo for a charity event, combining sport with social awareness.

• Difficulty: Depends on the design
• Distance: Depends on the size of the piece

4. City Landmarks

Use your track to “draw” an iconic city landmark — Taipei 101, Kaohsiung’s 85 Sky Tower, the Taichung National Theater.

• Difficulty: High
• Distance: Usually 50-100 km
• Time: 4-8 hours

5. Portraits

The hardest form of Strava Art — using your track to “draw” a human face.

• Difficulty: Extreme
• Distance: 80-150 km
• Time: A full day

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8. Your First Strava Art Project

Recommended First Piece: A Heart

A heart is the most classic and beginner-friendly Strava Art, because:

1. It’s a simple shape — just two curves
2. Its size is flexible (5-20 km wide)
3. It’s recognizable even without perfect precision
4. It’s great for sharing on social media

Design Steps

1. Open Google My Maps
2. Find an area you know well
3. Choose an inverted-V-shaped road as the bottom point of the heart
4. Use two curved roads to form the left and right halves of the heart
5. Connect the two halves with roads at the top
6. Confirm the entire route is rideable

Execution Tips

• Don’t aim for perfection the first time — the point is to enjoy the process
• Plan for about 1.5-2x your normal riding time (navigation, red lights, finding your way)
• Even if the shape isn’t perfect when you finish, it’s still worth sharing — people will appreciate the creativity

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9. Strava Art Community and Resources

Online Communities

• Reddit r/StravaArt: The world’s largest Strava Art community
• Instagram #StravaArt: A hub for sharing finished pieces
• Facebook Strava Art groups: Regional Strava Art groups

Sources of Inspiration

• Lenny Maughan (@lennymaughan): A San Francisco running GPS artist
• Stephen Lund (@gpsdoodles): Pioneer of Strava Art
• Yasushi Takahashi (Japan): Wrote a giant marriage proposal using a GPS track

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Conclusion: Draw Your Story with Your Wheels

Strava Art is one of the most creative ways to ride a bike. It gives every ride an extra sense of purpose and fun, turning the city into your canvas and your sweat into art.

You don’t need any special equipment, and you don’t need artistic talent — just a bike, a GPS device, and a bit of imagination. Start with a simple heart, and you’ll discover a whole new world of riding waiting for you.

Next time someone asks, “What did you ride today?” — you can say, “I drew a picture.”

Related Reading

• Strava In-Depth Guide: From KOM Hunting to Analyzing Your Progress
• Taiwan Cycling App Review: A Full Comparison of Strava, Garmin Connect, and RideWithGPS
• Beyond Strava: A Complete Comparison of Komoot, RideWithGPS, Wahoo, and Other Cycling Apps
• Bike GPS Route Planning Techniques: Advanced Use of Garmin Connect, Komoot, and RideWithGPS