Shimanami Kaidō
Seto Inland Sea — Hiroshima to Ehime · Onomichi (Mukaishima ferry landing) → Imabari Station
Island-hopping across Japan’s Inland Sea on a chain of great bridges, from Onomichi to Imabari.
- Distance
- 71.7 km
- Climbing
- +594 m
- Est. time
- 2 h 25 min
- High point
- 75 m
Free to ride with a free account. It rides in your browser with any smart trainer or power meter, and your result goes on the leaderboard below.
Ride it in stages
Few riders hold 72 km on a trainer. Ride it a stage at a time: the cuts avoid the middle of the big climbs — a stage ends at a summit, in a valley or on the flat — and this page remembers what you have ridden and what comes next.
5 stages of about 14.3 km — none over 50 minutes at 165 W.
- Stage 1 (next)km 0–14.5Next14.5 km+140 m~29 minRolling
- Stage 2km 14.5–27.813.3 km+65 m~24 minFlat
- Stage 3km 27.8–4214.3 km+120 m~28 minRolling
- Stage 4km 42–5816 km+187 m~33 minRolling · Cat 4
- Stage 5km 58–71.713.7 km+81 m~25 minFlat
Times are at a steady 165 W — no stage takes more than 50 minutes. Cross a stage's finish line and it is ticked — feeling good? Keep pedalling and the ride carries on into the next stage. Progress is kept in this browser, and in your account when you are signed in.
Elevation profile
0–75 m · 5 categorised climbs · Moderate · Road + Cycle pathAbout Shimanami Kaidō
The Shimanami Kaidō links Japan’s main island, Honshū, with Shikoku across a string of small islands, and it was built with cyclists in mind: every bridge has its own cycle path, reached by a gentle spiral ramp, and a blue line painted on the road shows the way from one end to the other.
Between the bridges the route follows quiet coast roads past citrus groves, shipyards and fishing harbours. The crossings are the highlights — among them the long cable-stayed Tatara bridge and, at the end, the Kurushima-Kaikyō bridges, several kilometres of riding high above a tidal strait. The first crossing, from Onomichi to Mukaishima, is a five-minute ferry: this track starts where it lands.
Why ride this route indoors?
- A long, mostly flat ride with short ramps up to each bridge: a natural endurance session with built-in surges.
- It is the friendliest route on this list — a good first long ride indoors.
- Japan rides on the left, and so does this route.
Good to know
+Is this the official route of Shimanami Kaidō?
No. It was recreated by Cycloscape from open map data (OpenStreetMap) following public descriptions of the route, for indoor training. It may differ from the official route or from current road conditions.
+What do I need to ride Shimanami Kaidō indoors?
A smart trainer or a power meter, and a browser. Cycloscape connects over Bluetooth or ANT+ from the browser, sets the resistance of a smart trainer to the real gradient, and turns the route’s GPX into a 3D world. There is nothing to install.
+Can I ride Shimanami Kaidō in stages?
Yes. Few riders want more than 50 minutes on a trainer in one go, so Cycloscape offers its 72 km in 5 stages of about 14 km, none longer than 50 minutes at 165 W. The cuts avoid the middle of the big climbs — a stage ends at a summit, in a valley or on the flat. Start from any stage and, if your legs are good at its finish line, keep pedalling: the ride carries on into the next stage and every stage you finish is ticked. The page remembers which stages you have ridden and which one is next.
+Is it free?
Yes. Riding it needs a free account — sign up in seconds with Google or a code by email, no card. Your result is saved and goes on the route’s leaderboard.
Leaderboard
Best effort per rider — a free account puts your ride on it.