This Cyclist Is Making Awesome Art With His Bike Routes

There’s a cyclist in Victoria that’s taking on a whole new meaning to art: using his routes to design shapes on maps.

The master behind the design is Stephen Lund. “My first was a Happy New Year sign,” he told Bicycling.com.

How does he do it? Lund meticulously pre-plans his course before he ventures out on his bike. By highlighting main roads, he gets inspired by finding shapes that can then trace on his bike.

Bicycling.com, reports that isn’t always that easy. “…unfortunately, maps don’t always account for roadwork and detours, and even a minor route change can throw off a drawing. Using Google Maps to design a route and then uploading it to a GPS device is a great way to prepare.”

When riding, he uses an activity tracking program called Strava. Much like Map My Run or MyFitnessPal, this program tracks your whereabouts via GPS and records your activities into a log. He notes in his blog that sometimes he has to start over if he accidentally goes off course, and the mileage can really add up.

Here’s some of my favorites. You’ll note some of the maps are flipped and turned so you can best tell what the image is.

Tour De Victoria Logo

Distance cycled: 65 km

A Giraffe

Distance cycled: 115 km

Stegosaurus

Distance cycled: 44.4 km

Little Digger With A Great Big Bucket

Distance cycled: 59.2 km

Queen Elizabeth

Distance cycled: 30.6 km

Butterfly

Distance cycled 44 km

Grasshopper

Distance cycled: 41.1 km

Italy & Sicily

Distance cycled: 22.7 km

Raccoon

Distance cycled: 26.3 km

[h/t: UFunk]