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Why Plan Using AI?

I think planning using AI is the way of the future for bikepacking and cycle touring in backroad areas. AI is the best way to collect, disect, distribute and keep current the mass of information riders need to have fun and stay safe in an area they don’t know. Alternative methods take too much time or are more expensive.

Use this AI Planning tool to answer questions about the Earth Rivers and Ironbark route and generate individual ride plans.

Routes Covered by the AI Planner

Currently the AI Planner only provides information on the following routes:

• Earth Rivers and Ironbark – the AI Planner is well trained on the Earth Rivers and Ironbark route.
• Yellowbelly Track – the AI Planner is not trained on the Yellowbelly Track specifically (yet). However, it is able to answer some questions about rides between locations on the Yellowbelly Track. This is because the ERI route between Echuca and Nagambie is the same as the Yellowbelly Track. The Planner also has information about riding between the ERI route and Tallarook Station (which is the rest of the Yellowbelly Track).

This planner is curated. It only has access to a limited set of information. This increases the planner’s accuracy and reduces it giving wrong or invented details. Because of the curation, the AI Planner only provides information on these routes currently.

However, as I learn and experiment more I hope to improve the Planner’s operation and include more routes. Feedback from users (that’s you) is very important in improving the model.

Overview and Access

The ERI Planner is free to use. However, it has limitations:

• The underlying AI product is Google’s NotebookLM – so you will need a google account to access the Planner.
  • If you don’t have an existing google account you can create one from the access screen.
  • It may seem a pain to have to login with your own google account. However, an individual login means that only you can see your chats and responses. It also recalls the history of your chats and ride plans every time you log in (until you delete it).
  • Your relationship in using the Planner is with Google and its data and privacy protocols. I cannot see what any users ask or the responses they get.
• The AI in NotebookLM operates on a closed environment of static data. This means –
  • The ERI Planner cannot search the internet or get new updated information.
  • The ERI Planner cannot give you a live internet link (e.g. to a local bakery).
  • If you want a live link for current or more detailed information use the Earth Rivers and Ironback route page. That page has many live links to look for more details or current information.

Click on the button below to open the AI Planner.

The AI Planner opens in a new tab. Please read the Instructions and Examples below before using the Planner for the first time.

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How to Use the Earth Rivers and Ironbark Planner

When you open the ERI Planner it shows a chat panel as shown below.

Chat Responses and Discussion.

1. You type your prompt into the prompt box. The prompt should include:
   • Your context – i.e. your situation and what you are trying to achieve.
   • Plus a specific question – i.e. what do you want the model to tell you.
2. The model responds
   • It answers your question, trying to make it specific to your context.
   • It also adds other information that might be useful for you to know given your question.
3. Ongoing discussion. You review the response and decide to engage in more discussion. You don’t have to retype your context or original question. Just continue the discussion.
   • You might seek further explanation of the ride Plan, e.g. Why does the Plan stop overnight at Toolleen instead of Heathcote?
   • You might add further information yourself and ask for an amended plan, e.g. I want to have a break of 30 mins for lunch every day. Plus it is summer so I am happy riding to 6:30pm on any day. Please redo the plan.

PC Output v Mobile Phone Output. The default output format for Ride Plans is designed for PC screens. This includes some wide tables. If you are using the Planner on a mobile phone tell the Chat to produce Output designed for a mobile phone.

Saving your Plan or Response. You may want to keep your plan or the model’s response. You can click on the copy button at the bottom of the response. This puts the response (and only that response) into clipboard and you can paste elsewhere. If you want to save your prompts or other responses, you have to copy each one separately. It helps to think about how you are going to do this before hand. For example have a landing document open a ready to paste in to.

The little numbers in responses. The chat response includes little numbers in circles at the end of sentences. These are references to where in the sources the model got the information. If you click on the number it will show you a snippet of the relevant source document. These numbers are not live links to the internet. Clicking on these numbers isn’t helpful to most users.

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Examples of Use

Examples of using the Earth Rivers and Ironbark Planner

Initial Prompt	AI Response
I live in Melbourne. I am thinking of a getting a train for a weekend overnight ERI ride from either Nagambie or Murchison East station to Heathcote and back to the other station (either Nagambie or Murchison East). I want to go via Rushworth on one leg. Tell me which station I should start at and which station I should finish at (given weekend timetable). If this is feasible please create a ride plan.	AI Plan for Nagambie-Heathcote-Rushworth-Murchison with Trains
What are the best overnight options for the section between Echuca and Shepparton?	AI on Overnight Options between Echuca and Shepparton

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Default Assumptions used by Earth Rivers and Ironbark Planner

The model uses internal assumptions in its Ride Plans when the user does not specify something. These assumptions are deliberately conservative (to suit beginners). You can override the default assumptions by stating whatever suits you in your prompt to start a Chat. Even after a Ride Plan response, you can prompt the AI to use your new requirement and redo the Plan.

• Output Format: The user is using the Chat on a PC screen not a mobile phone screen.
• Riding Speed and Time: The average riding speed is 15 km/hr, which includes incidental stops and time spent negotiating obstacles.
• Ride Duration: Unless specified otherwise:
  • Rides start at 09:00.
  • The Ride Plan tries schedules breaks to try and avoid a continuous riding block of 2 hours or more.
  • The Ride Plan gives warnings if there is over 6 hours of riding per day, or rides finishing after 17:00.
• Route and Direction: Unless specified otherwise –
  • The Plan assumes you are riding in a clockwise direction.
  • The Plan assumes you want to go via stage 2A (via Nagambie).
  • If there is no end location, the Plan assumes a the full loop returning to your starting point.
• Overall Strategy:
  • The Plan aims to spread the total riding time evenly across all days of your trip.
  • The Plan aims to allocate stops each day in a sensible way. However, there are contradictory aims. One one hand, the model tries to spread Breaks throughout the day to avoid fatigue. On the other hand, It tries to bundle different types of stops together at one location to be more efficient.
    • Note this aspect of the model needs further refinement. Scheduling stops during the day is difficult for the model currently. Sometimes the model produces a strange day schedule. I don’t think this is a huge issue. I expect riders will just ignore it and stop where they want. But I would like to work out an improvement eventually.
• Breaks and Supplies:
  • Lunch – The Plan includes a daily 45-minute lunch break. Lunch is scheduled when convenient, usually in period between 12:00 and 2:00.
  • Breaks – The Plan schedules 15-minute rest breaks in the middle of any continuous riding block that exceeds two hours.
  • Supplies – The Plan includes 15-minute stops to buy supplies when needed. These are triggered when heading into remote areas or planning to camp overnight outside of a town.
• Transport and Transitions:
  • Bikes always – The Plan assumes the User has a bike. The Plan only recommends trains that carry bikes.
  • Which Timetable – The Plan uses the Monday to Friday train timetable when a day is not specified.
  • On a day that includes Train travel, the Plan:
    • Includes a 30-minute transition time from train arrival to when your riding starts.
    • States the waiting time from when your ride arrives at the Station to the Train departure time. The Plan warns you if this waiting time is less than 30 mins.
    • If there is extended wait time the Plan suggests things to do in the town while you wait.

Questions, Comments and Suggestions

This AI Planner is very new and still a work in progress.

I am very keen to hear from users. What do you think of it? What works, what didn’t, any suggestions for improvement?

The fastest and easiest way to comment is to use the comments section below. Access to the comment section is set so anyone can use it. You don’t have to login or give any personal details. Just type your thoughts. I get an email when anyone posts a comment.

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