Sunspot, it sounds like you’re referring to what’s known as “in-article” ads. The in-article ads do load as you scroll down the page and if you’re a fast reader, they might be loading after you’ve already scrolled past them, which causes the text you’re reading to shift down. Ad tech is always improving and getting faster, but I agree it’s still laggy. 🙁
Unfortunately there are multiple reasons we can’t always specify the ad size before the page loads, one of which is to ensure pages (and ads) are mobile-friendly.
We hate ads as much as anyone else so we’re definitely not turning a deaf ear. I personally use Singletracks 8-10 hours a day and I purposely do not have an ad-free membership on my account so I can get the full ad experience, and we’re constantly re-evaluating which ad placements make sense. Trust me, there are many more annoying and obtrusive ad types out there, and every now and then one of them will come through. In that case, we immediately work with our ad provider to track down and disable the offending ad. If you ever see an ad that is covering the content, please take a screenshot and send it my way.
I really wish there were a simple way to make the ads disappear completely… maybe one day. For many years we charged for trail maps which we hated having to do, and this year we were finally able to make ’em free. Next up: find a way to survive without ads. 🙂