Athletic art

Fitness enthusiasts in Bangalore have chosen to celebrate the New Year in a rather curious and innovative way. Well, they’ve gone for a combination of fitness and tech to welcome 2022, and to wish and motivate friends for the year ahead.

As rangolis appeared as New Year’s greetings in Bengaluru, fitness enthusiasts researched, mapped out, experimented, and then finally walked or biked to create ‘2022’ signs on the apps’ GPS trackers maps.

The latest trend in the city, we are told, is to take up the challenge of creating either a Karnataka or map of India on a GPS tracker while cycling, walking or running which would then reflect on google or Strava applications. This is commonly referred to as GPS art.

Many enthusiastic digital creators and cyclists have used apps like Strava to showcase a combination of their artistic and athletic skills by creating the virtual shape of a Christmas tree, Santaface, digital series and messages for loved ones.

“I prefer scenic roads and the outskirts of Bangalore to the urban jungle. So while testing new shapes or routes for other cyclists, I try to include areas of the map that provide a beautiful setting and allow the cyclist to feel refreshed while tracing the shape of the map ”, Shiva Kumar Devan, who created the Karnataka map on the app, told Bangalore Mirror.

“By subscribing to the app, I can mark multiple points on the app’s map and create the shape. Then I have to go for a test drive to see if the plotted points actually make the shape I want and if there are any dead ends or road breaks. It’s a trial and error process, and you can always take a parallel path if you get stuck; it’s fun to explore new roads this way, ”explained Devan.

The creators suggested that the process resembles the popular game of joining the dots game, but the added nuance is that one can trace their own dots, explore new routes in the city, and create virtual art in the process. , while cooling off on their bikes.

“We have many tools available online that allow you to plot routes and export them as GPS files. Later, any cyclist can import them and follow the shapes created. I made the map of India using Google Maps to minimize the hassle of dead ends and narrow alleys. As I’m definitely not the pilot, you have to go and check how easy they find it to follow, ”said Rishi raghav, the trail maker for the shaped map of India.

You don’t have to be a cyclist or an athlete to create virtual maps on GPS plotters.

“Relating to At first it may not seem so precise, but eventually more details can be done. For example, anyone can plot the points on the map of India. However, it won’t be as clear once the rider has completed the trip if I don’t add all these twists and turns on the way, ”explained Rishi.

Last weekend, cyclist Vikas Ruparelia completed a walk of nearly 90 km through the city in order to plot the image of the map of India on the Strava app. The cyclist created a virtual map of India during a treacherous eight-hour race and gave half the credit for his achievement to Raghav, the trail’s creator.

“Since the map of India has a lot of twists and turns, someone must have traced it on the GPX map I installed it from. Following the map and executing it was extremely difficult. I have traveled more than 30,000 km in 15 years; this ride was unique, challenging and certainly comparable to one of my most difficult with the Rohtang Pass stroll. Even though the distance here was not that long, in order to keep the shape of the map and not make mistakes, I had to ride slowly and with full concentration. Ruparelia noted.