Instructions

How to record your ride and submit your mileage.

🌙 + ☀️

The goal is both.

A Solstice Cycle is the combined mileage of any two consecutive solstice rides — one summer, one winter, in either order. Ride the summer solstice first, then the winter. Or start with winter and complete it the following summer. The year doesn't matter and there's no required starting point. Submit both and your combined total appears on the Solstice Cycle leaderboard. You can submit one event without the other — but the whole point is to ride both extremes.

Four steps to get on the board

1

Ride on the solstice

Get on your bike on the winter or summer solstice — December 21st or June 21st. Ride as much or as little as you want. There's no minimum distance and no required route. Ride your neighborhood, your favorite loop, or just see where the night (or day) takes you.

The winter solstice window is sundown to sunrise. The summer solstice window is sunrise to sunset. You don't have to ride the entire window — most people don't. Just get out there.

2

Record your ride with a GPS device

Use any GPS device to record your ride — a Garmin, Wahoo, Hammerhead, Apple Watch, or your phone. As long as it tracks your route, it works. Make sure GPS recording is active before you start riding, not after.

If you use a phone, apps like Strava, Komoot, Ride with GPS, or Apple Fitness all work. Any app that can export a GPX file will do.

3

Export your GPX file

After your ride, export a GPX file from your device or app. GPX is a standard format — most cycling apps support it. See the platform-by-platform guide below if you're not sure how.

Save the file somewhere easy to find on your computer or phone. It'll be a file ending in .gpx.

4

Submit on this site

Head to the Submit page, enter your name (optional — you can stay anonymous), your email, and select which event you rode. Upload your GPX file and we'll calculate your distance automatically. Hit submit, and you're on the leaderboard.

Your email is never shown publicly. It's used only to keep the leaderboard tidy in case we need to reach out about a submission.

Exporting from your app or device

Step-by-step instructions for the most common platforms.

🟠 Strava
  1. Open the activity on strava.com (or the mobile app)
  2. Tap the three-dot menu (⋯) on the activity
  3. Select Export GPX
  4. Save the downloaded file
🔵 Garmin Connect
  1. Open the activity on connect.garmin.com
  2. Click the gear icon (⚙) in the top right
  3. Select Export to GPX
  4. Save the downloaded file
🔴 Wahoo
  1. Open the Wahoo app and tap the activity
  2. Tap Share (upload icon)
  3. Select Export File → GPX
  4. Save to Files or share to your computer
🟢 Komoot
  1. Open the tour on komoot.com
  2. Click Share at the top right
  3. Select Export as GPX
  4. Save the downloaded file
🟡 Hammerhead Karoo
  1. Sync your ride to Strava or Garmin Connect via the Hammerhead app
  2. Then follow the Strava or Garmin steps above to export the GPX
🍎 Apple Watch / iPhone
  1. Record your ride using the Workout app or a third-party app
  2. Use HealthFit (App Store, free) to export GPX from Health data
  3. Or sync your Apple Fitness workout to Strava and export from there
🗺 Ride with GPS
  1. Open the activity on ridewithgps.com
  2. Click Export in the top menu
  3. Choose GPX File (tracks)
  4. Save the downloaded file
📱 Other GPS Apps
  1. Look for an "Export" or "Share" option on the activity
  2. Choose GPX as the file format
  3. If GPX isn't an option, try syncing to Strava first

Common questions

Do I have to ride the entire night or the entire day?
No. Ride as much as you want. The winter event runs sundown to sunrise and the summer event runs sunrise to sunset, but you don't have to cover the whole window. An hour counts. Five hours counts. However much you ride, submit it.
Can I ride on a trainer or stationary bike?
The spirit of The Solstice is being outside — that's the whole point. We'd encourage you to get out if at all possible. That said, if weather or circumstances make it impossible, ride what you can and submit it. We're not the bike police.
Do I have to ride on the exact solstice date?
The solstice falls on or around December 21st and June 21st each year. Riding on that day is the idea, but a day or two either side is fine if life gets in the way. Just make sure you're selecting the right year when you submit.
What if my GPS recorded a slightly wrong distance?
GPS distance is always an approximation. We calculate it from your track points, which may differ slightly from what your head unit displayed. That's normal and fine — everyone's on the same system.
Can I submit more than one ride?
If you went out twice in the same event window and want to count both, upload the larger of the two files or combine them. We display one entry per submission, so if you submit two separate files, both will appear on the leaderboard.
Is my email address shared publicly?
No. Your email is never shown on the leaderboard or anywhere on the site. It's collected only for record-keeping purposes.
Something went wrong with my submission. What do I do?
Try uploading again — the most common issue is uploading a file that isn't a true GPS track (for example, a planned route rather than a recorded activity). Make sure you're exporting an activity, not a route. If problems persist, reach out and we'll sort it out.

Ready to go?

Submit your ride and get on the leaderboard.

Submit Your Ride Read About the Event