Shade
Running in the shade in Saint-Étienne
Loops computed for running, leaving around midday.
In Saint-Étienne, shade has to be earned: the best loops sit around 3% shade at midday. This is exactly where the departure time you choose matters most.
Three loops
| # | Distance | Time | Climb | Shade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10.1 km | 62 min | +277 m | 7 % |
| 2 | 10.2 km | 59 min | +644 m | 2 % |
| 3 | 10.0 km | 58 min | +192 m | 1 % |
How the shade is computed
SHADE doesn't pick a route because it is popular, but because it will be shaded at the hour you set off. For Saint-Étienne, shade on the ground is computed from three real sources: tree canopy, shadows cast by the terrain, and shadows cast by buildings. Those three do not cool you equally — under trees the air itself is cooler, while a shaded street keeps radiating heat from the tarmac — and the percentage shown accounts for that.
In practice, in Saint-Étienne as anywhere, shifting your start by an hour or two changes comfort more than changing route. The app's time slider redraws the loop accordingly.