Originally Posted by
Phatman
Cool, good to know. How's the racing scene? There used to be a Wednesday night series in Greenbelt, is that still a thing? Where is the nearest mountain biking to DC, is it Patapsco/Avalon?.
I pretty fresh in the cycling scene myself so that is a caveat. I have dome some research on racing and there appears to be a very robust scene. I've heard of the Greenbelt series. One of the biggest is Trade Zone in Upper Marlboro, MD as well as the Sally Ride. You can rest assured, you can get your racing fix here.
I don't do XC but you can check out Prince William Forest Park (great road circuit plus XC trails), Burke Lake Park, etc. Again, I stick to VA.
If you use a car, you can get to some great riding in both VA or MD, such as Shenandoah, or closer to VA in Marshall/The Plains, VA area or SugarLoaf Mountain area in MD. Tons of gravel here too.
The commute is not as bad post-COVID as most allow WFH at least some days. Plus, if you can split your travels between car and train/bus, it helps.