This isn't perfect, but it's got me round various Audaxes so far with only a few problems (see below):-
Plot route on bikehike, do a separate plot per loop if there are multiple loops.
If it's not too much trouble you can split up the loops into out and back sections, but you shouldn't need to if all goes well.
For each loop:-
1. Download as 'gpx track' as a file such as 'blah_1.gpx'
2. Download as 'gpxx route' as a file such as 'blah_1_r.gpx'
Copy all files to the GPS in the Garmin\Courses folder.
You now want to set the track to display on the map (but don't use it for navigating), i.e.
* Where To? -> Saved Rides -> blah_1.gpx -> Map Setup -> Make sure 'Show on Map' is checked and change colour to blue or green (which work well against the City Navigator maps).
Then you want to use the route to navigate against:-
* Where To? -> Saved Rides -> blah_1_r.gpx -> Navigate
I have my routing set to:
Calculate Routes For: Bicycle
Guidance Method: Follow Road
Recalculate: Off
Don't have either of the checkboxes for avoiding unpaved roads or major streets checked.
All of this works for the Edge 705 because the GPXX route has many many points (thousands even for a 200) and all of them are used for navigation, this ties the navigable route down to exactly where you want to go, the GPS can't easily take you on big detours even though it's using 'Bicycle' routing which likes to keep you off major roads. 'Bicycle' routing still allows it to navigate you down places where only bicycles can go.
The only time this will disagree is things like the 'right through hedge' or 'dismount and straight on over weir' type instructions.
I keep the GPS on the map page so I can make sure that the thick pink line is tracking against the expected track (in red or green).
I've never had a problem with it trying to make me do a U-turn, despite plotting each loop in full. But for long rides that don't visit a central HQ each time I'll be splitting the route up into 2. Just make sure you split it at a control that you don't want to bounce, the route calculation will take a few minutes or so when you decide to navigate against the new route and you can't see the map screen whilst it's doing this.
However, I've still had problems with this. On the 'Uts 200 the maps just disappeared in the middle of one loop, and with the maps went the routing. But I still had the track displayed, so I could zoom in and work out where I needed to go based on what the track looked like (even though there were no junctions). Turning it off and back on again at the next control fixed it and I was fine for the final loop.
It also failed to give me the appropriate instructions at many junctions (mainly turning right off a main road to a minor road), which is why it's very important to keep an eye on the map screen as you can't really assume that the absence of an instruction means continue straight along the current road.
These instructions are quite different from what other GPSes may use (like the eTrex Legend/Vista). The main difference is that the Edge 705 (and 800) can take this new GPXX format that allows you to have thousands of points in a route. This takes away the risk that the GPS will decide to take a very different route between two points than you want to, because each point is just another 80-100 yards down the road from the previous one.
I've not found a good way of implementing the 'sparse route' of one routepoint per routesheet instruction and having it tell me what I want it to tell me when I want it to tell me something. Still working on this...
Definitely try it out before you do your next Audax. I play around with the settings on mine and using my 12km commute as a guinea pig.
