Off-route? Recalculate?

I have finally joined the GPS bandwagon and purchased a handheld mapping device: Garmin eTrex Legend HCx.  So what has prompted the purchase?  Well, I have a handful of possible justifications, but, I cannot deny the vague ‘it is a nice gadget that can be very useful’ motivation.  One justification is related to the recent involvement in the sport of randonneuring.  I am keen on using the device to help with the navigation of the route for the specific brevet.  Alas, using a GPS unit for randonneuring is not as straightforward as one might think.  Thankfully this challenge has been addressed.

In addition to using the GPS unit for brevet navigation, I want to use it for training.  Even though the unit does not have an integrated heart rate monitor nor a cadence sensor (Garmin 705), it does collect enough data to check my progress along certain ride routes, my pace on certain elevations, etc.  I plan to use such information to monitor my training efforts.  For a nominal sum, an application exists on the Mac OSX paltform which allows me to manage this information: Ascent.

In purchasing the unit, I must give the store top marks for quick order processing and customer service.  In addition to the unit, I also purchased a RAM mount system for the bicycle as well as the latest North America street mapping DVD.  After confirming with the sales agent of what I needed, I placed the order on-line, at my convenience.  The next day shipping option was only $9 dollars more, so not wanting to wait for more nebulous 3 – 5 business days option, I decided to get the package delivered the next day.  Alas the next day came and went, but the courier company never came.  I short e-mail to the store resulted in a quick response with an apology and a full refund of the shipping cost.  The package arrived the day after ‘the next day’.