Weekday Long Ride Cyclists Wanted

[petefromaus]

Hi all,

I’m a keen road cyclist from Sydney, Australia that is visiting DC in early August. I am in DC from August 3rd (Thursday) to the 6th(Sunday) and am super keen to ride with rider(s) who knows all the great local climbs and routes.

I have been averaging 350-400km per week this year, so am looking to keep the momentum going whilst travelling! I will be staying at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center in Alexandria.

I have done some research around what local riders do and this is one of the routes I’ve created from it – https://www.strava.com/routes/9004376 – Is this doable on a weekday without too much traffic?

Thank you in advance!
Peter

[gibby]

Welcome to DC and hopefully it’s not too brutally hot while you’re here.
I’m so jealous that you’re going to do this. Before my M-F 9-5 days, I rode those routes several times during the week and it was light traffic– but that was several years ago so I don’t know what kind of development may have sprung up in the meantime.

Another option, if you want to experience the Virginia side also, would be to take the W&OD trail out to Leesburg, Rt 15 up to the Point of Rocks crossing and Rt 28 down to your Strava route.

Enjoy!!

[KLizotte]

I only have a second to respond but you should be aware that August is usually very humid and hot here. I know Australia is hot but I don’t know if Sydney is humid and that makes all the difference.

That said, last year’s August was glorious. Low temps and humidity; it was a very comfortable summer. Last year was an outlier though.

Just be prepared to bring lots of water and riding a little slower than normal if you aren’t used to the humidity. You will probably find that it is a lot greener here than you are used to which may or may not be a nice change depending on preferences.

There are mountains west and north-west of DC.

[creadinger]

@gibby 162188 wrote:

Rt 15 up to the Point of Rocks crossing and Rt 28 down to your Strava route.

I don’t know when the last time you rode around this area was, but Route 15 from Leesburg to Point of Rocks is NOT bikeable. Bike suicide maybe. When you get past White’s Ferry Rd, the shoulder completely disappears and it’s high speed, high traffic, with lots of trucks and other large vehicles in the mix. The only time I’ve heard of people successfully riding it was randonneurs in the middle of the night.

To make it a loop out that way, either take White’s Ferry across ($2) and go to Poolesville. Or for a longer loop you can cross the river on Rt 287/Berlin Turnpike to Brunswick, MD. Rt 287 isn’t great, but you probably won’t die.

[bentbike33]

@creadinger 162193 wrote:

… but Route 15 from Leesburg to Point of Rocks is NOT bikeable. Bike suicide maybe.

Agreed. I was driving down from Maryland on 15 last week Tuesday just after midday, and saw a cyclist get on 15 from MD 28, haul @$$ across the Point-of-Rocks bridge, and immediately get off 15 at Lovettsville Rd on the VA side. Interestingly, no vehicles tried to pass him on the bridge (there were a few cars between us).

A braver, or crazier, man than I.

[creadinger]

@bentbike33 162195 wrote:

Agreed. I was driving down from Maryland on 15 last week Tuesday just after midday, and saw a cyclist get on 15 from MD 28, haul @$$ across the Point-of-Rocks bridge, and immediately get off 15 at Lovettsville Rd on the VA side. Interestingly, no vehicles tried to pass him on the bridge (there were a few cars between us).

A braver, or crazier, man than I.

I’ve done that twice so far. Yeah, you make the left at the light, haul ass over the bridge and the right turn onto Lovettsville Rd cannot come soon enough.

Nice to hear that drivers gave him some space for that short bit.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@creadinger 162193 wrote:

I don’t know when the last time you rode around this area was, but Route 15 from Leesburg to Point of Rocks is NOT bikeable. Bike suicide maybe. When you get past White’s Ferry Rd, the shoulder completely disappears and it’s high speed, high traffic, with lots of trucks and other large vehicles in the mix. The only time I’ve heard of people successfully riding it was randonneurs in the middle of the night.

To make it a loop out that way, either take White’s Ferry across ($2) and go to Poolesville. Or for a longer loop you can cross the river on Rt 287/Berlin Turnpike to Brunswick, MD. Rt 287 isn’t great, but you probably won’t die.

You can avoid the worst parts of 15 by riding the W&OD to Clark’s Gap, then taking 665 across, which dumps you out on 15 just across from Point of Rocks. Riding across the bridge at Point of Rocks really isn’t bad outside rush hour.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Washington+and+Old+Dominion+Trail,+Paeonian+Springs,+VA+20129/Point+of+Rocks,+MD/@39.2039022,-77.6486645,12z/data=!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x89b61777211659af:0x67d22e384957b886!2m2!1d-77.6124011!2d39.1417916!1m5!1m1!1s0x89b620360e8b4e4f:0xf3204a997a640407!2m2!1d-77.5391815!2d39.2758979!3e1!5m1!1e1?hl=en

[hozn]

@gibby 162188 wrote:

Welcome to DC and hopefully it’s not too brutally hot while you’re here.
I’m so jealous that you’re going to do this. Before my M-F 9-5 days, I rode those routes several times during the week and it was light traffic– but that was several years ago so I don’t know what kind of development may have sprung up in the meantime.

Another option, if you want to experience the Virginia side also, would be to take the W&OD trail out to Leesburg, Rt 15 up to the Point of Rocks crossing and Rt 28 down to your Strava route.

Enjoy!!

I haven’t ridden that route on a regular workday, but I’ve ridden those roads — at least much of it — on a not-observed-by-many Federal holiday (Veterans day, I think?) and it was fine.

There are definitely route options that work with the W&OD on the VA side, though honestly, MacAurthur, River Rd, etc. are maybe nicer than riding on the W&OD if you’re comfortable being passed by cars. Generally they’re used to cyclists out there and they give space. I’m not sure how it compares to Australia, but since both of our countries have killed cyclists in our respective cross-continental races this past year, I suspect you’re familiar with the risks etc. of riding on the open roads.

I would highly recommend including Berryville Rd in your route. It’s a pretty stretch of road.

Here are a few route variations that do include the W&OD and avoid the most unpleasant parts of Rt. 15.

These cross on the Ferry (I think it’s $2 for a bicycle):
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/6723087 (includes Berryville Rd)
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/6722589 (more direct)
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/2774024 (this one goes up to Sugarloaf mountain — a great destination)

These cross at Point of Rocks bridge and do include some gravel (Furnace Mtn Rd), but perfectly rideable on 25mm tires. Some nice climbs out there in VA.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/6209823 (includes Berryville Rd)
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/6209774 (a little more direct)

If you had significant time, go down to Mt. Weather. That’s a great ride.

Here’s a route that goes down there from Reston — you could ride the W&OD out to Reston:

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/4552672

That’d be a long ride, though, it’s around 120 miles round trip from Reston and then obviously getting out there is a bit involved. So maybe not the best option if you have anything else you need to do during the day.

Finally, shoot me a PM and I can get you added to a Facebook group that coordinates rides (usually 6am rides) throughout the week. There’s also the 6am/7a NCVC club ride on Saturday if you’re looking for a good & fast ride — I think they probably average around 20mph, so you get a good 60 miles or so by 9am.

[KLizotte]

Also, are you comfortable riding on the right hand side of the road? I presume Australians drive on the left.

[Steve O]

If you want to start your ride after a fine cup of coffee and socializing with a fine group of cyclists, there are several options on that Friday morning.

If you were thinking of getting an early start, you could ride out to the Green Lizard at milepost 20 on the W&OD and stop there for FCC III partway into your ride. I believe it’s a small group, and I think they meet about 7:30am.
Otherwise you could start later and meet in downtown DC or close-in Arlington. The downtown one generally attracts some people who belong to DC Randonneurs, and they know all the roads. Click on link above for the whole coffee club list.

[petefromaus]

Man, I love the cycling community. Thank you all so much for the great tips, recommendations and concerns!

@gibby 162188 wrote:

Welcome to DC and hopefully it’s not too brutally hot while you’re here.
I’m so jealous that you’re going to do this. Before my M-F 9-5 days, I rode those routes several times during the week and it was light traffic– but that was several years ago so I don’t know what kind of development may have sprung up in the meantime.

Another option, if you want to experience the Virginia side also, would be to take the W&OD trail out to Leesburg, Rt 15 up to the Point of Rocks crossing and Rt 28 down to your Strava route.

Enjoy!!

Thanks! Just did a quick google on the W&OD trail – such a gem you guys have here! Will definitely ride this.

@KLizotte 162191 wrote:

Just be prepared to bring lots of water and riding a little slower than normal if you aren’t used to the humidity. You will probably find that it is a lot greener here than you are used to which may or may not be a nice change depending on preferences.

There are mountains west and north-west of DC.

We tend to have scorching heat(up to 104 ℉) but no humidity at all. Thanks for the tip RE:water, I’ll make sure I have 2x bottles. I also love green scenery, we do get beautiful trees and bush as soon as you’re 30-40km out of the city. You can see some shots here – https://www.instagram.com/p/BTV7aiqlir0/

@KLizotte 162200 wrote:

Also, are you comfortable riding on the right hand side of the road? I presume Australians drive on the left.

Yep, this is one of my concerns however, my US friends have advised me that it may take a couple of hours to adjust to, so I think it may help even more if I ride with a few experienced folks at first!

@hozn 162198 wrote:

Here are a few route variations that do include the W&OD and avoid the most unpleasant parts of Rt. 15.

Finally, shoot me a PM and I can get you added to a Facebook group that coordinates rides (usually 6am rides) throughout the week. There’s also the 6am/7a NCVC club ride on Saturday if you’re looking for a good & fast ride — I think they probably average around 20mph, so you get a good 60 miles or so by 9am.

Brilliant, thank you so much for the list of routes. I will also PM you as I much prefer to ride with a bunch at the start.

@Steve O 162205 wrote:

If you want to start your ride after a fine cup of coffee and socializing with a fine group of cyclists, there are several options on that Friday morning.

If you were thinking of getting an early start, you could ride out to the Green Lizard at milepost 20 on the W&OD and stop there for FCC III partway into your ride. I believe it’s a small group, and I think they meet about 7:30am.
Otherwise you could start later and meet in downtown DC or close-in Arlington. The downtown one generally attracts some people who belong to DC Randonneurs, and they know all the roads. Click on link above for the whole coffee club list.

Pre-ride coffee sounds amazing. Will look these up now.

The full story is that I will have these 4 days all to myself while my wife attends a conference and I can’t think of a better way to spend my time other than being on a bike exploring DC, so if any of you are free for any long or even short rides i would love to tag along .

[Steve O]

@petefromaus 162214 wrote:

The full story is that I will have these 4 days all to myself while my wife attends a conference and I can’t think of a better way to spend my time other than being on a bike exploring DC, so if any of you are free for any long or even short rides i would love to tag along .

Friday you have coffee clubs and Bikenetic often has a hooky ride–sometimes road; sometimes gravel. Check their Facebook page
Saturday there are a couple of morning shop rides I know of: Conte’s in Falls Church does an Arlington/McLean hills ride and the Mighty Hills of Anacostia in DC. Good people on both these rides. Also the Beach Drive ride (see below)

Potomac Pedalers has a pretty full calendar of rides, and I’m sure they would be pleased to have a guest.

DC Paceline has a number of rides posted, including the Saturday morning Rock Creek/Beach Drive and some DC exploring rides at more relaxed pace.

Bikenetic also often does a Sunday coffee ride, usually posted just a few days ahead of time.

Your problem won’t be finding a ride; it will be choosing among all your options. Hope to meet you while you’re here.

[creadinger]

@petefromaus 162214 wrote:

The full story is that I will have these 4 days all to myself while my wife attends a conference and I can’t think of a better way to spend my time other than being on a bike exploring DC, so if any of you are free for any long or even short rides i would love to tag along .

Wow! I think I will be doing the exact opposite of you in a couple of months. I’ll be going to a conference in Hobart and my wife wants to tag along to make it a vacation. I hear there’s organized tourist rides to do near Mt. Wellington, but I need to look into it still. I don’t plan on going through the hassle of packing a bike so we’ll hopefully rent something. Have you been to Tasmania? Anything you consider a must do whether it’s in or outside of Hobart?

[Steve O]

@petefromaus 162214 wrote:

Man, I love the cycling community.

Hey, one of us is now one of you (again). vvill (real name Will Lynn) is just now arriving back in Sydney after several years here infiltrating (and improving) our community. I don’t remember his exact schedule: either he’s already there or he will be in the next week or two.
You should look him up.
Here’s his Strava identity:
https://www.strava.com/athletes/120192

[hozn]

Vvill is already there. I don’t think he’s riding much yet, though. Soon, I am sure!

[Author]

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