Navigate to nearest course point(not starting point)

cool!

My 1030 will do what I think you want as a 2 step process.

1) I download however many local routes/courses I think I'm going to want to ride.  I name them XX, YY, etc...  On the Garmin I go to Navigation and start a route, it'll ask to "Navigate to Start", I decline, the route loads and starts and gives an Off Course warning.  I then go to the map and zoom out till I can see the course and I can also see my current position.  I can than manually zoom to the closest point on the course to my current position, press on the map and drop a pin.  A 3 bar menu upper right gives me the option to navigate to the dropped pin location, I select Yes, it'll then prompt me that it needs to stop the original course.  I select Yes.,  The device than navigates me to the course at the dropped pin

2) Once at the dropped pin, I stop the navigation, go back to the Navigation page and select the original route.  I select to start and ride, I get the same prompt "Navigate to Start" I decline.  I can then ride the route. 

BUT. 

The original route written and as created by somebody else might have had different start and ending points, unless it was written as an out and back.  If not an out/back, the device will know you are headed in the wrong direction UNLESS you are following as it was created, in a particular direction. If you create the route, you can make it an out and back.  Or if it's a loop, you will want to view the route to determine the direction it's supposed to be followed.  

Note this is on a Garmin with a touch screen, such as the 800 series, 1000, 1030, Explore versions.  I've no idea how to zoom, pan etc... on a button unit.  

And as somebody who has ridden bikes in many different locations LONG before a cycling GPS was available, if I'm someplace I've never been before, I carry a map as backup.  You are always at the mercy of somebodies algorithm with a GPS as to how it chooses to navigate you.  That leads to all kinds of errors, still. You want to trust a GPS with this, have fun. 

It is kinda funny to see how people here are defending the lack of a function that other manufacturers have. 
If you dont need it is fine. But others like me do like to have it. 
I could do without the edge telling me if I am thirsty or not. 

Seems people here wanna defend the amount of money they spend on this thing.
Even tough a cheaper alternative does have some functions that this thing simply does not have.

I could likely give you about 5-6 things I don’t like about my 1030, but also about a dozen or more I love.  Every device has its quirks, positive attributes and negative.  Your particular requirement is one I can’t recall anybody asking to do and I am active here and on 4 other cycling sites.  Your request makes sense though, I’ve been in your shoes wanting to ride a route somebody took the time to upload.  

But you want a perfect device and there isn’t such a thing, sorry.  If this particular feature was as important as you state, why didn’t you buy another Mio ?, instead of complaining that a Garmin won’t do it - even though I’ve shown how it can ?

You can start the timer when you leave home but don't load the route until you get to the start of your group ride. You don't have to save the ride in between it can be done with the timer running

You have to use FIT or TCX files to get "Course Pt. Distance" and the files have to have the course points (they might not have them). GPX won't work.

With edge 530 you can record the ride without loading any course, then when you are at start point, you can load the route without stopping the recording, and follow the suggested direction turn by turn.

When you will arrive at end point, you can stop the route but continue to record until home. 

Only one file will be created. 

All the Edges work this way. They have done so from the 800 (at least).

Recording rides is separate from navigation. 

Sometimes I find courses posted by others in my locale that go right by my house. I don't want to go to their starting point so I want to join the route where it passes by my house. This is when I want the Garmin to recognize that I have joined a round midway and then guide me on the route. Make sense?