Northeast - Hanes Point (Washington DC)

How many pople ride the loop daily or a few times a week or month? before I got my bike I would run the loop, but on a bike its totaly different it feels harder. I like to make the loop but its not easy might be the wind. my best time is 12:09 and folks on road bikes were passing me like nothing.


So who else rides the loop?

If you want to watch or participate in fast times, go at noontime on weekdays. A group does interval rides and anyone can join in. Caution, if you're a novice, learn to ride and develop good handling skills and paceline knowledge. It goes slow down the admin road part, then gradually picks up speed heading south until you are screaming going down the back side. I've hit 35 mph. Then it slows before the turn back on the admin road where you recover and it all starts again.

i ride that loop, but its at the middle of my ride and i'm usually doing 17-22 mph, depending on how windy it is. so when people blow by me i tell myself its okay because i still have to climb my way out of DC to get home.

i haven't timed myself doing just one loop but it gives me some incentive to push it hard on tomorrow morning's ride and find out

I love the Point. I discovered it about 2 years ago, after 10+ years of doing various loops around town, and now it's all I do. I usually go at around 9:00 pm at night, once my son has gone to bed, and do anywhere between 6 laps (total ride: 26 miles) to 10 laps (total: 40 miles). Night time is great because there's usually very little wind. One bummer is that you have to contend with bugs.

I also go almost every Sunday afternoon at around 1:00 when the little guy goes down for a nap.

My boss was out of town for a month in June, so I hit the noon rides regularly. It's funny, sometimes the pack is going 30+ mph and sometimes its significantly slower. Either way, it's a lot of fun and is great to see how you stack up with quality racers.

I'm moving to DC in December. Is this a good place to do 20 minute intervals? 22-25+mph for 20 minutes steady? I'm hunting for places close to the Washington Naval Yard to get 20-30 minute hard intervals in that are uninterrupted.

Change speeds to read: 25+mph... just checked power files for speeds of my last 2x20's on the roads (38-48 kph)

Mostly uninterrupted. The loop is about 3.2 miles long, though you can extend it (though you are more exposed to traffic). There are points where you might have to slow a bit, but not much. If you go at night, you'll be alone. I did 10 laps last night and saw maybe 10 cars the entire time.

i timed myself doing the loop in 8:47 yesterday morning at about 80% effort

i love riding down there because its one of the quietest DC rides. however i am not cool with the park service watering the grass down there for the past 3 weeks, i hate coming home from a ride smelling like the potomac.

Hains Points.

Wow! 8:47. Way to go. 've never timed myself, but it is a great loop and attracts a good number of cyclists, runners, and roller bladers. Tuesday evening, after the afternoon down pour, was great. Few cyclists and fewer cars.

It's funny, sometimes the pack is going 30+ mph and sometimes its significantly slower. Either way, it's a lot of fun and is great to see how you stack up with quality racers.

The lunch group recovers on Mondays (races on Saturday and the 10 o'clock ride, etc. take it out of you over the weekend). Similarly, everybody takes it easy on Friday (saving it up for Saturday).

Tuesday - Wednesday - Thursday are the hard days. First and last laps are still easy, but the others are spirited.

Is there a standard # of laps that the group aims for or does everyone just do however many they want?

Five is typical, six is not unusual.

A few years ago, I started riding it on my way home from work. It was an easy way to get in some miles. I usually rode 3-5 laps. And, yes, the wind can be tough. I'm recently retired, but I'm planning on still riding there for a good workout. I like it because, in my experience, it can handle riders at different speeds without hassles. What I don't like is the buses who insist on using the middle of the road, and the visitors at the Awakening sculpture who wander across the road without looking. But, I'm probably just a grump.

I like it because, in my experience, it can handle riders at different speeds without hassles.

I only found Haines Point a couple weeks ago, and that's what I like about it, too -- plenty wide for everybody and relatively traffic-free. The trail on the other side of the Potomac can be just dangerously busy sometimes between the 14th St bridge and Teddy Roosevelt Island; although it's normally less busy heading down to Mt. Vernon, which is a better ass-kicker of a workout than spinning around Haines.

Had a great ride last night. I live at 13th and North Carolina NE (on Lincoln Park), and left the house at 9:35. Got to the Point at 9:45, first lap done by 9:55, second lap by 10:05, third by 10:15 and so on, keeping the 10-minute lap going through 10 laps. I was timing myself with a standard digital watch, and could not see the seconds hand, but I kept every lap on the '5'. Was pleased to finish lap #10 at 11:25, and then busted ass to make it home by 11:35, which I did, on the dot. So 40 miles in 2 hours, and pretty damn consistent. I was happy with that.

Anyone planning on doing any evening laps this week? Haven't had a good friendly head-to-head in awhile and would be into it. I tend to go at around 8/9 pm, but *might* be able to do an earlier one with some preparation. (Depends on what my wife and son are doing).

There used to be a group, I think it was the subset of Potomac Pedalers that later became the independent randonneurs' club, that used to advertise "The Most Boring Century in the World" (or something to that effect) -- a 100-miler on New Year's Day at Hains Point . . . 33 laps around a 3-mile loop. :eek: I went down there with to meet up with some friends a few New Year's Days back, but we only did about 30, as I recall.

That's interesting. Are you sure it's 33 laps? Because I've always clocked the loop at around 3.18 miles, so that would be about 105 miles.
Don't mean to split hairs, I just get excited any time the subject of Hains Point comes up.
I'd do this ride. The most laps I've done is 13, which makes 50 miles when I take into account the 4+ mile ride to and from. Doing between 26 and 30 would be boring unless people were being semi-competitive. Otherwise, it's just around and around and around and around and around. No way I could do this ride without music/headphones.

Went down for a mere three laps tonight.

Sometimes I feel like I want a real road bike, especially when I feel like I'm pushing a wall of wind. But then again, I can't even sustain 23 mph for very long, either.. ;)

That's interesting. Are you sure it's 33 laps? Because I've always clocked the loop at around 3.18 miles, so that would be about 105 miles.
Don't mean to split hairs, I just get excited any time the subject of Hains Point comes up.
I'd do this ride. The most laps I've done is 13, which makes 50 miles when I take into account the 4+ mile ride to and from. Doing between 26 and 30 would be boring unless people were being semi-competitive. Otherwise, it's just around and around and around and around and around. No way I could do this ride without music/headphones.

Oh, I don't remember for sure if it was 33 or 32 or what. :) It could well have been 33, though. Be warned, young grasshopper: many organized "century" rides are, in fact, a smidge more than 100 miles. (Just teasing! You wouldn't happen to be an engineer, would you? ;))

Oh, I don't remember for sure if it was 33 or 32 or what. :) It could well have been 33, though. Be warned, young grasshopper: many organized "century" rides are, in fact, a smidge more than 100 miles. (Just teasing! You wouldn't happen to be an engineer, would you? ;))

It's funny you would ask (if I'm an engineer). I spend all day at my job battling engineers, trying desperately to get them to think a little more creatively and to realize that our constituents/customers are real, living, breathing people.

And yes, you're absolutely right, few centuries are right-on-the-dot 100 miles. I just know that any time I'm doing a ride of an alloted mileage, once I've hit the benchmark, all I'm thinking about is, Where's the goddamn finish line!

That's interesting. Are you sure it's 33 laps? Because I've always clocked the loop at around 3.18 miles, so that would be about 105 miles.
Don't mean to split hairs, I just get excited any time the subject of Hains Point comes up.
I'd do this ride. The most laps I've done is 13, which makes 50 miles when I take into account the 4+ mile ride to and from. Doing between 26 and 30 would be boring unless people were being semi-competitive. Otherwise, it's just around and around and around and around and around. No way I could do this ride without music/headphones.

That's the distance precisely. A lot of running races used to be held there and it was measured many times just for potential records. You might still see some of the start/finish paint lines. They were for 10K's where we ran two laps with about half of the administration roaf cut on the second lap cut out for the finsih.

That's the distance precisely. A lot of running races used to be held there and it was measured many times just for potential records. You might still see some of the start/finish paint lines. They were for 10K's where we ran two laps with about half of the administration roaf cut on the second lap cut out for the finsih.

Sorry, not understanding what you're saying. Are you saying the loop distance is precisely 3 miles or 3.18 miles?