Going to be staying in Arlington,VA in a couple weeks and would like to get in a long bike ride ~5hrs on a Saturday morning. Any recommendations on places/routes to ride without too many lights/traffic? I will have my car so I could drive a bit (~30min) to a starting point if it makes it easier.
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Re: 4-5hr Long Ride - DC area [TRIspud]
[ In reply to ]
W&OD trail is one of my favorites around here...it does get a little crowded (esp on the weekends). If you leave early enough you can beat most of the crowds and there are less lights/stop signs once you get out around Vienna.
http://www.wodfriends.org/map1.html
It's easy to make excuses, but excuses don't make champions.
http://www.wodfriends.org/map1.html
It's easy to make excuses, but excuses don't make champions.
Re: 4-5hr Long Ride - DC area [TRIspud]
[ In reply to ]
have fun.
completely "out" of traffic use the WO & D trail and is easy enough to find from Arlington. Can go as far as you want West or go East towards Mt Vernon. Mostly flat with a few rollers and gradual climbs.
Otherwise, drive out to Leesburg and ride the roads near Waterford(can likely find a bike group to hook up with). Relatively little traffic out there and biker friendly...although not many bike lanes out there.
completely "out" of traffic use the WO & D trail and is easy enough to find from Arlington. Can go as far as you want West or go East towards Mt Vernon. Mostly flat with a few rollers and gradual climbs.
Otherwise, drive out to Leesburg and ride the roads near Waterford(can likely find a bike group to hook up with). Relatively little traffic out there and biker friendly...although not many bike lanes out there.
Re: 4-5hr Long Ride - DC area [TRIspud]
[ In reply to ]
No need to drive. The most popular route is to start around M and Wisconsin (you can use the paved trails to get there from anywhere in the region) and take MacArthur out of DC all the way until it turns sharply and turns into Falls Rd. From a little up Falls Rd, take any of the main roads (River Rd, Darnestown Rd, Partnership Rd., etc.) to Poolesville, MD. Some people go up Sugarloaf Mtn then back to DC and some people take White's Ferry Rd to the river, take the ferry with their bike across ($2 cash I think?), and then the W&OD trail back to Arlington/DC.
If you pull up the Strava or Garmin heatmaps, you'll see which roads are the most popular.
You'll see a ton of riders out on MacArthur and toward Poolesville/Sugarloaf. It's very easy to get a good 100-120 miles in if you want.
edit: I would highly not recommend W&OD on a tri bike on any good weather day. I've put in thousands of miles on the W&OD and it's terrible for being in the aero bars. You'll be getting up quite a lot to dodge people and casual cyclists and dogs and kids, etc. It's pretty okay on a road bike, but on a tri bike you're fighting to stay aero for 45 seconds at a time before you have to brake again for yet another hobby jogger.
If you pull up the Strava or Garmin heatmaps, you'll see which roads are the most popular.
You'll see a ton of riders out on MacArthur and toward Poolesville/Sugarloaf. It's very easy to get a good 100-120 miles in if you want.
edit: I would highly not recommend W&OD on a tri bike on any good weather day. I've put in thousands of miles on the W&OD and it's terrible for being in the aero bars. You'll be getting up quite a lot to dodge people and casual cyclists and dogs and kids, etc. It's pretty okay on a road bike, but on a tri bike you're fighting to stay aero for 45 seconds at a time before you have to brake again for yet another hobby jogger.
Re: 4-5hr Long Ride - DC area [jjabr]
[ In reply to ]
jjabr wrote:
No need to drive. The most popular route is to start around M and Wisconsin (you can use the paved trails to get there from anywhere in the region) and take MacArthur out of DC all the way until it turns sharply and turns into Falls Rd. From a little up Falls Rd, take any of the main roads (River Rd, Darnestown Rd, Partnership Rd., etc.) to Poolesville, MD. Some people go up Sugarloaf Mtn then back to DC and some people take White's Ferry Rd to the river, take the ferry with their bike across ($2 cash I think?), and then the W&OD trail back to Arlington/DC. If you pull up the Strava or Garmin heatmaps, you'll see which roads are the most popular.
You'll see a ton of riders out on MacArthur and toward Poolesville/Sugarloaf. It's very easy to get a good 100-120 miles in if you want.
edit: I would highly not recommend W&OD on a tri bike on any good weather day. I've put in thousands of miles on the W&OD and it's terrible for being in the aero bars. You'll be getting up quite a lot to dodge people and casual cyclists and dogs and kids, etc. It's pretty okay on a road bike, but on a tri bike you're fighting to stay aero for 45 seconds at a time before you have to brake again for yet another hobby jogger.
I second the MacArthur and toward Poolesville/Sugarloaf then back through Rock Creek Park. That was one of my favorite rides when I lived in DC.
Re: 4-5hr Long Ride - DC area [TRIspud]
[ In reply to ]
TRIspud wrote:
Going to be staying in Arlington,VA in a couple weeks and would like to get in a long bike ride ~5hrs on a Saturday morning. Any recommendations on places/routes to ride without too many lights/traffic? I will have my car so I could drive a bit (~30min) to a starting point if it makes it easier.If you're willing to drive head out to Middleburg. Take 50 west, take a left on Atoka Rd, take a left on Rectortown Rd, take a left on Frogtown Rd, take a left on Zulla Rd, repeat if necessary. Stop at The Upper Crust Bakery for treats after. You'll be in farm country so you won't see many cars but if there are any out there they won't be looking for you so wear something bright.
Re: 4-5hr Long Ride - DC area [jzmichigan]
[ In reply to ]
jzmichigan wrote:
jjabr wrote:
No need to drive. The most popular route is to start around M and Wisconsin (you can use the paved trails to get there from anywhere in the region) and take MacArthur out of DC all the way until it turns sharply and turns into Falls Rd. From a little up Falls Rd, take any of the main roads (River Rd, Darnestown Rd, Partnership Rd., etc.) to Poolesville, MD. Some people go up Sugarloaf Mtn then back to DC and some people take White's Ferry Rd to the river, take the ferry with their bike across ($2 cash I think?), and then the W&OD trail back to Arlington/DC. If you pull up the Strava or Garmin heatmaps, you'll see which roads are the most popular.
You'll see a ton of riders out on MacArthur and toward Poolesville/Sugarloaf. It's very easy to get a good 100-120 miles in if you want.
edit: I would highly not recommend W&OD on a tri bike on any good weather day. I've put in thousands of miles on the W&OD and it's terrible for being in the aero bars. You'll be getting up quite a lot to dodge people and casual cyclists and dogs and kids, etc. It's pretty okay on a road bike, but on a tri bike you're fighting to stay aero for 45 seconds at a time before you have to brake again for yet another hobby jogger.
I second the MacArthur and toward Poolesville/Sugarloaf then back through Rock Creek Park. That was one of my favorite rides when I lived in DC.
I third this. As mentioned, many riders will be out doing these routes. I wouldn't come back on the W&OD though. Avoid it like the plague!
Formerly TriBrad02
Re: 4-5hr Long Ride - DC area [TriBrad02]
[ In reply to ]
Head into DC over Key Bridge, head out the Maryland side of the river as described, cross at White's Ferry, come back the Va side. 80 miles +/-
Re: 4-5hr Long Ride - DC area [TRIspud]
[ In reply to ]
W&OD as mentioned before is pretty straight forward but you will need to stop every so often. If you have a gravel bike you might want to consider the C&O canal. Yes, its dead flat but its 184 miles with zero stops. In addition, its far less crowded than the W&OD.
Re: 4-5hr Long Ride - DC area [TRIspud]
[ In reply to ]
If you're willing to drive for an hour, Skyline Drive is one of the best cycling roads in the country. 100 miles with a 35 mph speed limit and no lights or stop signs through gorgeous mountain scenery. A fall weekend might not be the best time, though, as the distracted leaf peepers will be out in force. If you could do it on a weekday, it would be fantastic.
This would be a great ride, too:
http://bikewashington.org/routes/bluerdg/
It's a 56 mile loop, but if you do it as an out and back, you could probably turn around in Paris, VA, and make it 5 hours, depending on your speed.
This would be a great ride, too:
http://bikewashington.org/routes/bluerdg/
It's a 56 mile loop, but if you do it as an out and back, you could probably turn around in Paris, VA, and make it 5 hours, depending on your speed.
Re: 4-5hr Long Ride - DC area [kcb203]
[ In reply to ]
Other than using them to get to Gtown to head for Poolesville, stay off the bike trails, incl W and OD. They are very, very crowded and it's pretty risky to get going much over 18 MPH. The folks that use them are out there for recreation, and many are very unpredictable. The trails are a good way to get to Gtown from Arlington without dodging traffic, but that's it. Be careful out there.
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owner: world's tightest psoas (TM)
thanks to everyone for the suggestions. the ride out to sugarloaf looks promising and will probably follow the macarthur/falls/river rd route.