In each ride description there are two lines, of which the following
are a typical example.
32 Miles - Terrain 4-3 View Route and Terrain - No difficult climbs.
Total Climb 944 Feet - While Climbing 58 feet per mile - Average Grade 1.1%
In this example Miles 32 is self-explanatory. Total Climb 944 feet is the accumulated number of feet of climb over the whole course of the ride. Assume a ride climbs steadily for one half the ride, an amount equal to Total Climb. Then returns on a downward course the same number of feet. The average amount of climbing While Climbing 58 feet per mile is the Total Climb 944 feet divided by one-half the length of the ride 16.5 Miles. And converted to percentage (ie. While Climbing 58 feet per mile divided by 5280 feet per mile times 100), gives the Average Grade of 1.1%.
For a different ride, in this case Berkshire to Dryden, the link View Route and Terrain will take you to a map, showing the course of the ride. Below the map a graph showing the actual ELEVATION at points along the ride. Below that is a list CLIMB DETAILS describing the portions of the ride with steeper climbs. In this example there are none. The elevation graph appears quite choppy, due to the different scales used for elevation and miles. Using the full screen display mode, follow the link indicated by the 4 diagonal arrows in the upper right, the elevation contour is more realistic. In addition the mileage is marked along the route, a great help in planning. On the less hilly rides such as Berkshire to Dryden the elevation scale is even more exagerated than on hilly rides as the following -
Also, in the full screen display mode, just about the Elevation graph, a link "Show elevation with grades" will display elevations in segments with the grades in colors.