Air quality forecast along your route.

When you’re planning a ride, checking the weather usually means looking at temperature, rain and wind. Air quality can be just as important, especially for longer or harder rides.

Air quality varies by both location and time. Epic Ride Weather uses your route, start time and riding speed to show the air quality you’re expected to encounter along the way.

Epic Ride Weather app screenshot showing air quality forecast

Air quality changes as you ride

For cycling, air quality is most useful when it’s tied to both where you’ll be and when you’ll be there.

A ride might take several hours and cover 50, 100 or even 200 kilometres. Conditions can vary from one part of the route to another, and they can improve or deteriorate as the day goes on.

Epic Ride Weather matches the forecast to your progress along the route and the time you’re expected to reach each point. You can see the overall AQI for the ride, how much it is expected to vary, and when the best and worst conditions are likely to occur.

Use air quality when planning your ride

You might decide to:

  • start earlier or later
  • shorten the ride
  • choose a different route
  • reduce the intensity
  • move a hard workout to another day
  • ride indoors instead

For example, the forecast might show that the air is expected to improve significantly later in the morning. On another day, it might show conditions getting worse as your ride progresses.

That can make the difference between simply seeing an AQI number and being able to use it in your ride planning.

Wildfire smoke can travel a long way

Wildfire smoke is one of the clearest examples of how air quality can change over a large area.

The fire itself doesn’t need to be nearby. Smoke can travel hundreds or even thousands of kilometres, with winds determining where it goes and how long it stays.

Here in British Columbia, I’ve seen this firsthand. Onshore winds can bring in beautifully clean Pacific air. Under different conditions, smoke can linger or move into the area from fires far away.

That means a smoky morning may improve later in the day. It also means clear air at the start of a ride doesn’t guarantee the same conditions farther along the route.

Recent wildfire seasons in British Columbia, elsewhere in Canada and in Europe have made this especially noticeable. The effects on communities directly impacted by fires can be devastating. For those of us farther away, smoke has also become something to consider when planning outdoor exercise.

Epic Ride Weather app screenshot showing air quality forecast with wildfire smoke

Air quality beyond wildfire season

Wildfire smoke is only one contributor to poor air quality.

Epic Ride Weather forecasts the pollutants used to calculate the Air Quality Index, including PM2.5, PM10, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide.

The app shows the overall AQI along with the main pollutant contributing to it. The detailed pollutant charts show what is driving the forecast and how individual pollutants are expected to change during the ride.

Available now in Epic Ride Weather

Air quality forecasting is now available in Epic Ride Weather alongside temperature, precipitation, wind and the other conditions you already use to plan your rides.

Choose your route, set your start time and riding speed, and Epic Ride Weather will show you the air quality expected along the way.