Looking for local intel on the DC/surrounding area riding and racing scene. May get relocated in the coming year and wanted to get the low down. I currently do a bit of road/MTB/CX so open to all disciplines. From what I can tell there is a pretty good CX scene? Also starting to look at real estate and want to make sure we don’t end up somewhere that I can’t get a good ride in without too much hassle.
Any local intel would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.
Bumping this for the Monday “office” crowd. Thanks!
Do you know whereabouts your office will be? Most people will end up moving to minimize their commute due to the traffic in the region. The “DMV” as people call it around here is a pretty big area. I hesitate to say “terrible” public transportation, because although as slow/inconsistent it is, DC at least does HAVE public transportation unlike many US cities - it just ain’t Tokyo.
I’m about 40min east of DC and so am only familiar with my area but…there are tons of bike shops in the region that host week-night/weekend rides, a bunch of local crits, and a mid-atlantic CX/enduro series that I was hoping to try for the first time this year (but everything it cancelled/postponed for now, obviously). Also lots of centuries through the summer and fall, including GCGF.
I’ve found that bikereg generally has the best listing of everything going on.
Edit – can’t forget about the mid-atlantic bike racing association.
This is super helpful, thank you! I am hopeful that I can have my office in whatever town I live in but that is very TBD.
Looks like a robust CX calendar - awesome! May be leaving the MTB behind in Colorado and focus on crits/CX.
I’d you end up living ~30-40 min west of DC in Virginia then I recommend checking out the Green Lizard bike shop rides in Herndon on Wednesday nights. It’s a fast, drop ride for about 22 miles then everyone has beers and burgers after. Also the Reston bike club does a decent amount of 40+ mile group rides. You would definitely meet a lot of pretty serious racers in those two groups who can point you toward the more serious training rides.
As much as I am an MTBer at heart, I have to admit that CX scene is pretty awesome. If you have the time, you could feast on CX races every weekend and you’ll need to go to confession afterwards for your gluttony. For the past several years, there’s been less and less MTB races . . . but this year, it would have been a gigantic comeback year for MTB races . . . . .
As far as the road scene goes, there’s a good amount of racing within an hour or so of the city that takes place in the spring/early summer. Bikereg and/or the USAC event finder are how I’d recommend finding events. I live on the Virginia side, but would say that the better road riding is on the Maryland side - it gets rural quicker, so there’s more open road within riding distance. And I’d second what people have said about finding a good group ride. There are a TON of options for group rides no matter where you live, go to your local bike shop and they’ll have a group for you. From there you’ll find out about plenty of others via word of mouth, and you can bounce around until you find one you like. Welcome to the DMV!
I really hope the mid Atlantic Go Nuts XC series can survive the lockdown. Looked pretty cool.
Agreed with everything here. Potomac region in MD has fantastic riding close to city, and it’s a natural ride to take out of DC.
That said, if you go ways out west in VA, Skyline is as close as you’ll get to the hills out west around these parts.
Big bike club in the area: