Not quite NOVA, but I frequently find myself heading up to Richmond from Va Beach area...lots of races in and around Richmond, especially compared to down here. I can't help too much with actual specifics of NOVA though, I try to stay away from there at all costs because I'm not a fan of driving 4 mph on the interstate

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IG: idking90

Pretty big tri scene up here. Tri360 and Freshbikes in Arlington, and Bonzai in falls church are all good shops.
Team Z, Team FeXY and DC TriClub are all very large clubs in the area.

The only thing we don't have is good OWS options. There is a summer Thursday night swim series at National Harbor that will run $25 a pop. Otherwise you are looking at a 90 minute or more drive.

$25 to bask yourself in treated sewage? No thank you.

Riding here is kinda boring. Miles after miles of monotonous farmland. You'd be lucky to see a farm house to change things up once every 5 miles.

The Shenandoah National Park will become your friend. I go there about once every 6 weeks.

Welcome to the neighborhood. Lots of races in the summer, check out Tricolumbia.org and Setup events. The old RR track that is the WO&D can get boring, but is convenient. Shenandoah Park to the west or Prince William Park to the south, or Poolesville, Md to the northwest are alternatives, but require driving up to an hour. Poor OWS options, but lots of pools and decent gyms/health clubs.

X2

Stores

tri360.com
http://tribonzai.com/
http://freshbikescycling.com/
http://revolutioncycles.com/

and many others.

Events
Savage Man!!!!!
Columbia Tri (oly)
Reston Oly
Eagleman 70.3

And dont forget about Beach Dr.

OWS

http://www.racinemultisports.com/...st_Fort_Ritchie.html
http://rehabtoracing.com/openwater.php (expensive!)

I lived in Tysons for 18 months and practically did all of my rides on the W&OD Trail. The nice thing about the W&OD, from Tysons, is it only takes a few minutes to hit the trail. I had good success with Spokes Bike Shop in Vienna, which is basically off of the W&OD. They are all good folks. There is a nice 25 meter pool in Tysons at the Sport and Health Club (opens at 5:00 a.m.). The tri scene is strong in NOVA. Best of luck.

Spokes is perhaps the most friendly shop in the area. No pretension, no snobbery. I went to Spokes Vienna for my road bike fits and i'm headed in this weekend for my TT bike fit.

Thanks for all the great information, guys. As for boring riding, I'm coming from northwest Ohio. I am an expert on flat, windy farm land.

I'm a bit further west, out in Manassas. There's some really good riding to be had heading out from Chantilly, out back towards the west. Mountain Road and Ridge Road are two of my favorite sufferfest areas. Found the trail system to be too crowded, personally, to get much more than a recreational spin in.

As for stores...*ahem* not to preview too much, but this is coming: http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...post=4306327#4306327

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Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter

Nice to see Spokes getting some love.....I began my career three many years ago, managing the Alexandria shop.

Lived in McLean and the is good riding out into Great Falls.....but that was 20+ years ago, so dunno how bad traffic may be heading out Old Dominion anymore.

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Chicago Cubs - 2016 WORLD SERIES Champions!!!!

"If ever the time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin." - Samuel Adams

Ah, good to know. I presume this is the shop on Quaker Lane? I also go to the Alexandria shop as it's quite a bit closer to me, usually for mechanical stuff. They also have really friendly staff.

Actually, the riding here is pretty spectacular. Lots of rolling hills and even a few mountains once you get west of Ashburn. Not sure what there isn't to like about riding through the hills and farmlands of Middleburg, The Plains, and Waterford.

Yup, that's the one! Managed it from 90-92.

Damn, I'm old!!

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Chicago Cubs - 2016 WORLD SERIES Champions!!!!

"If ever the time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin." - Samuel Adams

I was hoping to maybe revive this thread a little. I will be moving to Fairfax, Va (near the Vienna metro stop) from Alabama for work. I literally know nobody and nothing about the rides/where to ride other than what I have read on ST. I was hoping some people could help me out to find some group rides and group runs (I think I found a masters group I can swim with). I will be moving up there mid May.

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Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put a tomato in your fruit salad...

A lot of the shops here in NOVA have group rides. Most of them post it on their website.

http://www.tri360.com/...group-rides-pg76.htm
http://www.performancebike.com/...08&storeId=10052 (scroll to bottom)
http://www.dcpaceline.com/nova.html (there's a good list, certainly not all that are out there)

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It's easy to make excuses, but excuses don't make champions.

This is a big help! Thanks!

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Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put a tomato in your fruit salad...