My wife and I are considering moving from upstate NY to warmer weather and are considering the Williamsburg VA area. Can anyone give input as to what the triathlon/ cycling culture is like down there? We’re heading down this weekend to spend a few days and explore. Are there good bike shops? Are the roads over congested or good to ride on? Anywhere else in that general area one would recommend? We’re definitely not urbanites but assuming we’ll be working near Richmond.
Try riding the Colonial Parkway, too. You’re coming down at the perfect time of year.
I’m a senior at William and Mary down here in the 'Burg and I’ve got to say it’s not all that bad of a place. Our shops are essentially limited to two that are close-by: Bikes Unlimited, which is run by an abrasive ex-marine who’s not all that bad once you get to know him - he knows his stuff, though; Bikebeat, which has a hit-or-miss employee-base - a friend’s Reba fork was “rebuilt” there, but ceased to function upon return… Regardless, either shops will get the job done.
As far as riding goes - you’ve got some good options. For the most part, Willie’sburg is as flat as can be, especially if you’re used to the Adirondacks and the generally hilly terrain of your current location. What will most likely end up happening is that you’ll ride the 7-8 different routes around here, interconnect them for some slight variation in your riding, and be sick of them within a few years. I’ve been here a few years now, and while I can say that I definitely love one route in particular, I’m sick of riding the same roads over and over and over.
Traffic - not that bad. Just watch out for times of the day when kids are going to/leaving. The high schoolers drive like maniacs and the parents of the little ones are worse. This tends to only be a problem to the immediate northwest of the City of Williamsburg. When it comes to the City of Williamsburg itself, however, watch out for tourist season. It starts to get awful right around late March to early April and gets progressively worse. You’ll frequently see out-of-staters violently changing lanes without looking, stopping in the middle of the road because they’re lost, and wrongfully stopping at the weird intersections in the area because they don’t understand how to interpret the signage that hangs around. All of these issues are on top of the ridiculously terrible driving skills of the students on campus. We have a lot of students from New Jersey. They suck at driving. I’m pretty sure that the driver who sideswiped me two months ago was from Jersey. Off campus and out in the woods - it’s not so bad. Just your typical spread of drivers that do one of the following: pass you at extremely inopportune moments on the road (blind turns, crests of hills, etc) and almost hit you; drivers that ride behind you for several minutes despite having ample space to pass; and high-schoolers with compensatory large/lifted trucks that call you a faggot because of your spandex or throw random shit like cups at you. The last of these things I’ve gotten used to because of the area of Virginia I grew up in. It happens on the side of the Mason-Dixon line
What I’m saying is - you can easily ride here and get your training in. You’ll have days that you’ll enjoy the area and think “Wow. It’s really pretty here.” And it is. But because of the beauty, the history, and the climate, Williamsburg has almost becoome a miniature Florida. It’s full of retirees that are bitter towards students and unappreciative of cyclists’ presence on THEIR roadways. Since I fall in both of these categories, they really don’t like me. I’m sure you’ll hear different things from different people, but I wouldn’t really suggest Williamsburg if you could avoid it. If you’re dead set on Virginia and you want a college town with awesome terrain, a community that fosters athleticism, and easy access to the BEAUTIFUL Blue Ridge Parkway, then I would highly suggest Charlottesville. I hope to eventually end up there myself because of the aforestated reasons.
As far as triathloon communities go around here - I guess it’s a pretty strong crew. I see TT bikes on the Colonial Parkway with race wheels and tear drop helmets on occasion. It’s weird… But really - we have a pretty decent community that essentially functions as a subgroup of the cycling community around the area. If you get in touch with either of the shops I mentioned above, you’d be set on getting in touch with other Triathletes.
I apologize for the bitterness I’ve injected into the above description of the area. I may be confusing my bitterness caused by my academic woes while here and the issues I’ve had with training in the area. It really is a great place, and there’s certainly something for everyone here - as long as that person isn’t interested in a nightlife scene whatsoever.
Please - ask me tons and tons of questions and I’ll tone down the cynicism in my future responses. I think I’m grumpy because of my thesis…
If you are looking for more positive feedback, I would be more than happy to talk to you. I, too, graduated from William and Mary and have lived in Williamsburg for over 10 years. I have started a family here and am currently racing as a professional triathlete. There are training and racing groups of all levels available.
Otstot? My guess is yes. If so - ridden with you on a few Bikebeat rides. You’re just… so good. I aspire to have your Half-Iron time some day. Which will be never.
You’re definitely more suited to talk about the area. I’m just bitter about it right now. I definitely love this place more than anything else, but I absolutely hate it right now.
If Notstot (get it? heh.), then, forget all of the above. There just aren’t that many professional triathletes in the area that graduated 10 years and have their name plastered all over Adair for awards and shit.
I live in Chesapeake about 45 minutes or so east of Williamsburg. I ride to Williamsburg several times a year though to vist my mother. The tri scene is good there is an international in the spring and a him in the fall on the outskirts of Williamsburg with a bunch of other races within a couple hours throughout the year. There is a tri shop in Richmond 3 sport and va beach Final Kick. Both are decent shops. I like riding in the country out there but I don’t do it often. Good Luck.
I appreciate the feedback both good and bad. Want to hear it all. We’re not specifically sold on williamsburg in particular but probably something around there. Between new kent and Hampton perhaps. I would love to be out by Charlottesville but my wife wants to be closer to the sea rather than mountains.
Thanks Adam. I’ll shoot you an email with more questions
New Kent has been turning into a really good place in the last 10 years. My parents live out their and are both pretty avid cyclists in their mid-fifties. The location sets you up perfectly for being halfway between Williamsburg and Richmond, which can afford you some really awesome riding opportunities. The terrain ends up being more rolling than to the east, and there are plenty of cyclists from the Richmond area that drive out to New Kent just to go for a nice, long ride. Depending upon where in New Kent, you’d end up about 20-30 minutes from either Richmond or Williamsburg. Richmond’s Tri Scene is extremely active and you can easily find the urban sprawl of its member base all the way out into areas like New Kent. The public schools in the area aren’t super awesome, however, but because it’s remoteness has become increasingly more popular (retirees, urban sprawl, etc), a lot more infrastructure has been added and/or updated within the past 5-10 years. Personal note - I love riding from Williamsburg to my parent’s place in New Kent in back. It’s a great ride and I get food halfway into centuries.
Yeah thats what I’ve been reading about New Kent. Good to hear there’s some rolling terrain too. Not that I’m a pure climber by any means but I was afraid it would be pan flat that close to the water. Did you grow up in that area?
Go to Rev3 and check it out
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Yep. I grew up in the far east end of Hanover right on the edge of New Kent (technically the house is in New Kent, but my mailbox is in Hanover). Super quiet out there and great for raising kids because the schools in Hanover are a bit better than New Kent. I didn’t even have a key to the house until about a year and a half ago because we never locked our doors and still rarely do.