Try Reston VA and check out the Tri-RATS club that resides there. Anything within 10mi of Bonzai Sports in Falls Church would be another shot since you'd be close to the area's largest (and only Slowtwitch-rated) tri store.


Carl - not a Reston-ite, and never been to Bonzai...but the press on those two always seems to be good

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Carl Matson

First I'd have to agree with Carl, Reston is a really good area for tri shops and training areas. There's a new Tri-Speed store down there too. If you end up closer to Baltimore, through Tri-Speed in Maryland, we have the Baltimore Area Tri Club (www.tribmore.org) and every Saturday there's a group ride (95% triathletes) of about 20 people that leave from the shop at 9:00 AM and Sunday there's a group run from the North Central Railroad Trail. The club meeting are pretty good too. For example the April guest speaker will be Ken Glah. Joanna Zeiger and Troy Jacobson have also been speakers. Not sure about Reston, but the Baltimore area has tons of hills to ride outside of the city area on roads along side farmland. We also (starting in May) do group training, mini-tris, from Gunpowder State park (1000 yard swim, 15 mile bike, 3 mile run). All are welcome to the workouts, club member or not.

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- Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.
P. J. O'Rourke

Firstly, unless you are moving to DC from a market like SFO or NYC, get prepared fro sticker shock on the housing market. Second, given the geography of your future work, and unless you are close to a convenient Metro stop, I would stick to the Maryland suburbs. The commute accross the potomac is no picnic - either way. For that matter, the commute anywhere in the DC area is not typically an enjoyable experience. I suggest setting up camp close to work as you will be spending a lot of time there. It will take some time to get a feel for the various areas - there is a lot to offer but it's anything but cheap. With few exceptions anything in the District or inside the beltline will be very congested and not conducive for riding. Those excptions will be crowded.

Areas you might look into in no order (since i don't know all your criteria): Inside the beltline: Anything Chevy Chase or west. Outside the Beltline:Rockville (stick mostly west of 270, easy access to the back roads of Potomac where you will feel like you are in the country but fairly close in), Potomac, parts of Gaithersberg (again west of 270, Kentlands is the best neighborhood of all time - check it out) Olney, Kensington, Garrett Park. In the District: stick to west of Rock Creek Park. Rule of thumb in DC & MD: west good... east bad.

Make sure to check out the C&O canal/Great Falls National Park - great for running/mtb/climbing/cayacking. The canal & tow path run along the potomac from. Also check out the Capital Crescent Trail that links Bethesda and the District - to get away from traffic.

Good luck.

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jg

Thanks a lot for all the suggestions. I'll be moving from chicago...where prices are still somewhat reasonable. Previously, I lived in NY and NJ so I am well acquainted with outrageous real estate prices. The upshot is that hopefully I can get my money back when I leave in a few years, rather than continuing to flush it down the rental toilet.

Philbert

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Dr. Philip Skiba
Scientific Training for Endurance Athletes now available on Amazon!

Here are some websites to checkout…

www.bikepptc.org

www.mcrrc.org

www.pvmasters.org

www.triath.com

www.tricolumbia.com

www.lin-mark.com

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I was, now I will tri again!
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Any time is a good time.
God Bless you my friend.

Hi Philbert,

Best of luck on the move. I agree with the stuff posted so far. In addition, there is a great area for weekend getaways across the Chesapeake Bay (called the Eastern Shore to us locals). All will be familiar with the crowded beach areas, but there are some great long-ride possibilities East of the Bay on the way to the resorts. Be prepared for wind and very flat conditions, but most of the roads down here have generous bike lanes. There are also so great destinations for your rides - small waterfront towns with B&Bs, restaurants, etc. The area is quite bike friendly. All that I mention is less than 1 hour from DC - so day trips are a real possibility. Check out Easton, Oxford, Chestertown for starters. Good luck.

CH