Road Bike Racing - Best Software/Website to Generate Race Route Profiles?

What software or website do folks use to do a route profile of an upcoming race? Assuming that you cannot pre-ride the course and use a GPS device.

Is there any software that calculates grade over selected sections, in addition to giving you the actual raw numbers of elevation profile?

I wish I had something like this in Japan, but typically I don't have anything like it available. Gmap-pedometer and the google-gpx script gets me GPS files, but elevation is usually pretty sketchy without a lot of tinkering.

I'm pretty much in a "best guess" scenario if I can't get to the course and GPS it myself. In the states I could at least use my TopoUSA - even old it's at least going to give me a picture of profile.

I've used routeslip.com with some success... seems to give a reasonable profile.

Here's a very basic one for the Carl Dolan race that I whipped up:

http://www.routeslip.com/routes/30014

I've used routeslip.com with some success... seems to give a reasonable profile.


I corresponded with one of the developers of routeslip. He indicated it is more accurate the more points you use to map your route. For example, if you put a point on one side of a hill and your next point is on the other side of the hill, it won't measure the elevation gain of the hill, just the difference between the two points.

Edit: For example, this is a route with a lot of points - http://www.routeslip.com/routes/32386 and this is the same route without as many points http://www.routeslip.com/routes/32389

As you can see, the milage is nearly exact but there is a 120' difference in elevation gain over the 10-mile loop.

TOPOROUTE.com

Works for me.