Northeast - D.C. Area Cycling?

Next year i am thinking of moving to DC. My girlfriend is in law school at GW and I may be moving there to live with her. I was wondering what cycling is like in the greater DC area. She commutes to and from places, but she hasn't been riding long. What are the commutes like? If i were to live 5-10 miles away from DC, is commuting an option?

Besides commuting, I do road race. What is the racing scene like? Are there many races? Is there any or many cycling or tri clubs in the area?

If anyone has any other relevant information about cycling in and around DC I'd love to hear what you have to say.

Thanks for your input....

Cycling of all kinds is very good here in DC, NoVA and MD.

Next year i am thinking of moving to DC. My girlfriend is in law school at GW and I may be moving there to live with her.

Smart move. Hang on to that meal ticket - great law school. She'll make bank one day.


I was wondering what cycling is like in the greater DC area. She commutes to and from places, but she hasn't been riding long. What are the commutes like? If i were to live 5-10 miles away from DC, is commuting an option?

Cycling is HUGE in this area. Wherever you land, there will be many options. Many people commute in from all over - all year long. Are you planning on living in DC, Virginia or Maryland? This will affect the answer to this particular question a great deal.


Besides commuting, I do road race. What is the racing scene like? Are there many races? Is there any or many cycling or tri clubs in the area?

You're in luck. TONS of racing around here. Bring your A game, or you'll get shelled on a regular basis. A more specific answer will depend of exactly where you end up (VA, DC or MD). You should ask this question in the racing subforum of the road bike section. Lots of DC area guys in there. (also see links below)


If anyone has any other relevant information about cycling in and around DC I'd love to hear what you have to say.

General Stuff:
http://www.waba.org/
http://bikewashington.org/
http://bikepptc.org/

Some racing clubs:
http://www.ncvc.net/
http://www.dcvelo.com/
http://www.evolutioncycling.org/new/
http://www.potomacvelo.com/index.asp
http://www.route1velo.com/

Tri Club:
http://www.dctriclub.org/

MB'ing
http://www.more-mtb.org/

GW is a good, central location. Lot' s of living options for a good commute. Plus it is over a Metro Station.
There are a number of GW students living in Fairfax/Vienna where work, who walk to the Vienna Metro. Biking in on the W&OD to GW is only 14 miles .

You can bike over all of the four bridges into D.C., past monuments and the river. I go six miles each way from Arlington, faster than walking to the Metro.

I have nothing of substance to add to this discussion...other than the fact that DC is a great place to be a lawyer AND a cyclist.

She commutes to and from places, but she hasn't been riding long. What are the commutes like?

Just a bit of a reality check,the streets of DC are a zoo. We have very aggressive,self-important,distracted drivers(I've almost been clipped 3 times in the past 2 days). Also,alot of our roads are in a bad state. Georgetown can be pretty bad during rush hour and on weekends.

I'm not saying don't ride;I and alot of my friends are car-free,and I highly recommend a bike for anyone living in the District,but just be aware of the dynamics. If she hasn't been riding long,and/or hasn't delt with city traffic,I highly recommend enrolling her in one of WABA's Confident City Cycling classes.
http://www.waba.org/events/education.php#ccc