{"id":204999,"date":"2026-04-07T13:08:54","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T13:08:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=204999"},"modified":"2026-04-07T13:08:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T13:08:54","slug":"tile-hunting-how-to-get-started","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2026\/04\/07\/tile-hunting-how-to-get-started\/","title":{"rendered":"Tile Hunting: How to Get Started"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you tired of riding the same routes or struggling to find inspiration for your long rides? Tile hunting is what you need. It transforms cycling into a global game of exploration. Let\u2019s take a closer look at how it works and how you can join in.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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What is tile hunting?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Tile hunting began as a niche challenge within the cycling community, popularised by platforms like VeloViewer in the mid-2010s. The concept was simple: overlay a grid on a map and encourage cyclists to explore new areas by \u201ccollecting\u201d tiles. Each tile represents a small, defined area on a map, around 1,5 km x 1,5 km. The goal? Ride through tiles to claim them, explore new places, expand your virtual grid, and turn every ride into an adventure.<\/p>\n

For me, tile hunting is the perfect blend of exploration and gamification. I love planning routes strategically to collect as many new tiles as possible in a single ride. The ride itself becomes an adventure as I venture beyond my usual routes, discovering hidden roads, trails, and landmarks I\u2019d never noticed before. And after the ride? That little completionist in my brain lights up when I see my tile map expand.<\/p>\n

How tile hunting works<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Tile hunting relies on a grid system overlaid on maps across the whole world. When you ride through a tile while recording your activity (via Strava, Garmin, etc.), it gets logged as \u201ccollected\u201d. Platforms like Statshunters<\/a> and Squadrats<\/a> sync with your ride data to track your progress, showing which tiles you\u2019ve visited and which remain unexplored. And that\u2019s when the hunt begins!<\/p>\n

Who is it for?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Tile hunting is for every type of cyclist, whether you\u2019re competitive or just love exploring. Leaderboards and challenges motivate those who thrive on competition, but even casual riders can use them as a fun way to decide where to ride next. It\u2019s also a visual diary of your adventures, letting you look back and see where you\u2019ve been, how far you\u2019ve explored, and how much you\u2019ve discovered. And even the pros are getting sucked into the hunt for tiles with Wout Van Aert and Tiesj Benoot enjoying some friendly competition on Squadrats.<\/p>\n

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Zobrazit p\u0159\u00edsp\u011bvek na Instagramu<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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P\u0159\u00edsp\u011bvek sd\u00edlen\u00fd Squadrats (@squadrats_com)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n