What Is This Site?

In one sentence: The map creator in RideFreeBikeMaps is a web app that allows you to create custom bike maps formatted to use in a bicycle map holder.

I got the idea while I was on a bike tour from the Canadian border to the Mexican border. The maps I had while on that tour were amazing. They were so complete it took away virtually all of the planning. They had one big downside and that was their cost. Every day I’d look at those maps and think: all this information should be free.

The Map Creator allows you to plot a route, divide it into panels, and print it out using your home computer. The result is a series of panels that will all fit into a map holder that you can easily look at while in the saddle.

About Me

In a way this web site began while I was working behind a seafood counter at a grocery store. Five years later I found myself still selling fish behind that counter. It wasn’t a bad job but it wasn’t rewarding either. So one day I decided I’d quit. The day after that I decided to ride my bike from the border with Canada to the border with Mexico. While on tour I began dreaming about creating this site. After I got back from that tour I began pouring my energies I to this project. I’ve never developed a web site before. So I began by learning JavaScript, then css, and finally HTML. After a few weeks of intense focus this site was born and a dream was realized.