Five apps that'll help you bike like a Tour de France champion
The 101st edition of the Tour de France is coming to close with only two stages left until the 3,500 kilometres (2,200 mi) race is completed. If all this world-class cycling has you pining to improve your own road time, then you should check out these five top cycling apps the next you pull out your bike.
Cyclemeter [iOS Universal; Free with in-app purchases]
If you must have one and only one app for tracking your cycling progress, then you should check out Cyclemeter. Cyclemeter tracks a variety of metrics on your iPhone and compiles that data into beautiful bar and pie charts that can be analyzed on your iPad thanks to iCloud syncing. The tracking and planning features are unrivaled, though they do make the app a bit challenging to use.
Routie [iPhone; $4.99]
Routie is a basic GPS tracking app that makes it drop dead easy to track your bike rides and other fitness activities. The app provides live metrics of your workout, auto-pauses when you stop and allows you to add photos to your route using the lockscreen camera.
iBiker [iOS Universal; Free with in-app purchases]
iBiker is both a workout planner and tracking app that uses GPS to track your performance. It also integrates with a wide variety of fitness devices and apps including Withings, Fitbit, Jawbone Up, Runkeeper, Loseit! and more.
Bike Gears [iPhone; $0.99]
Bike Gears is the tool for bike mechanics and cyclists who like to tinker and customize their bike. The app allows you to calculate gear ratios and find the right gear combinations by changing the chainring, sprocket, crank length and tire sizes.
Bicycling Magazine [iOS Universal; Free, subscription]
Whether you prefer fat tires or thin ones, Bicycling Magazine is one the best bike mags for reviews, helpful tips and more. You can purchase a one-year subscription for $14.99 or buy each issue individually for $5.99 each.
