Treefox

So I'll be moving to DC in the late spring / early summer (May???) and thus am being so self-centred as to start my own thread so that you all can recommend clubs and/or teams to ride with in the DC area.

I'm not looking for anything terribly serious; I race a fair amount, but would be looking for a team that wouldn't hassle me if I decided I just didn't want to race on any given weekend (especially as my girlfriend won't be joining me in DC until August... She lives in Ontario, so I'll probably be off visiting a fair bit). I'd prefer a more chill group of guys rather than obsessive win-at-all-cost groups. I also suspect that I'll have to start out in Cat 5 as I've never raced in the States - but maybe I'll be able to upgrade before the end of this season. It'd be also nice if there were a variety of calibres of ride put on by a club such for when hungover or wanting to bring the GF along. Also bonus points to any team that puts some effort into TT's - while I'm not a terribly impressive road racer, I've been rather competitive in open-category TT's o'er here lately.

I know there are group rides out of Capitol Hill Bikes and The Bike Rack - do they have casual racing teams too?

Ultimately I'll probably end up just hooking up with whoever starts rides nearest where I end up living - and I don't know where that'll be yet - but not NoVA; probably Green Line Land or the less posh bits of Montgomery County (heh.). But I'd like to have a sense of what's out there and any gossip about which teams and clubs have a good scene and which are full of the cocky *******s who can plague some road cycling clubs.

Thanks for any help!

FatguyRacer

I'd naturally recommend my team, ABRT, but were based in Annapolis. However we do have riders in DC and NoVA too. Just most of us live in Anne Arundel and Prince Georges counties.

NCVC (National Capitol Velo Club) or Squadra Coppi would probably suit you better geographically and philoshopically. They're both pretty laid back teams, but they also some seriously good folk too.

Treefox

Ack! White kit! Why do people do this!?!?! I can't even keep the white letters bright on my kit...

FatguyRacer

Then dont bother with Capitol Hill Bikes/RT-1 Velo either.

BTW - White kit is much cooler in the summer time. I dunno how those Battley HD guys do it with the all black kit.