Originally Posted by caloso

If you're using Strava global heatmap, you're going to see some road routes that might not seem to make any sense. For example, a big bright loop out in the country that goes from a frontage road along an interstate, to 2-lane highway, to potholed and barely paved farm roads, to another 2-lane highway, and to more potholed and barely paved farm roads. If you're not part of the road racing scene, you probably wouldn't know that it's the course of a popular annual road race. Or you might see a route that goes right out to the boundary of the next county and stops. That's the big Saturday race ride, which has had a county line sprint since the days of downtube shifters.