I'll be visiting family in Glen Allen in early May. I'm looking for routes and a fast group ride to hang with while I'm there. Recommendations? RABA https://www.raba.org/?

I live a little more south than the Glenn Allen/Richmond area but I can say other than knowing someone that rides that area RABA is your best resource. One of the guy's at my LBS goes up there for MTB rides and road riding and he says there are some good A and A+ groups. You have a little time before you will arrive so I will ask him for specifics or a good shop I can provide you with to schedule some rides.

If you don't mind driving another half hour , Williamsburg has some good riding. https://www.wabonline.org/
I will note that Williamsburg is a historic area and some like to do more site seeing than riding so you may want to verify that with ride leaders if you choose to ride in that area. It's easy for a fast ride to end up a "C" pace ride when people want to look at the vinyards and start popping out cameras.

You'll probably have better luck in the regional forums. Moving this there.

Here's a local club that might let you tag along: https://www.spinmafia.com/

Your best bet is to contact RABA.

The 804 or the whole state for that matter is great for cycling. You have just about every type of terrain except for desert. And all of it is within 1-3 hours driving distance if you live in the middle of the state. Lots of rural roads, and the towns are not that far apart. History is everywhere as well as beautiful scenery.

If it was mid May, here are 2 organized rides you could go on. One is on the flat coast. The other is in the mountains. I am doing SOTR this year.

https://tourdechesapeake.org/

https://www.stormingofthunderridge.com/

seymour1910,

I was in VA Beach last weekend for the Shamrock Marathon Festival. We did the 8k on Saturday then cheered the other 2 runs on Sunday. The Sunday runners had a tough day of it!

Yes that is a great event, if you are close enough there are some great events coming up in the next few months.
April 20 = Tour de cure https://www.tbarides.org/events?event...e=EventDetails
May 18= Knotts island century https://www.tbarides.org/events?event...e=EventDetails
Oct 5= Martins Tour of Richmond https://www.sportsbackers.org/events/tour-richmond

seymour1910,

I live in Richmond. My last name is Seymore by the way.

I was thinking about doing the Tour de cure. I have to run in the Monument 10k the week before. If you are looking for something different in May, try this one:

https://www.stormingofthunderridge.com/ I did it last year. Doing it again this year. Tough but scenic ride. Best organized ride I have ever been on. In late September, I always do this one:

https://www.riverride.org/ Nice laid back ride! My inlaws live in Morattico where the halfway lunch is served.

To the OP,

I live in Richmond on the south side of the river. Unfortunately, I am a distance/endurance type rider. I ride old steel lugged bikes with downtube shifters, box clinchers, gumwall tires, the whole nine yards. Not really the type of rider/ride you are looking for.

Give me about a week. I will talk to some people and have some names and contacts for you. There is a member on this forum that goes by the name of Whooooosh. I think he lives in the RVA. He might be the person you need to contact.

OP,
There is a thread in the 41, right now about the climb to Wintergreen. Wintergreen is in the 804. There are some Richmond cyclists responding to that thread. Go and send some of them PMs.