NoVa to Richmond – good routes?

[Subby]

I was thinking of cycling down to Richmond (northside) and was looking at routes on ridewithgps. A few of the maps have you take a lot of route 1. That sounds crazy.

Has anyone made that trip or know of a reasonable route? I am up for east or west of I-95, although east passage seems a little shorter.

Thanks!

Topic

[consularrider]

Road Trip!

I really want to do this too so that I can go harass and embarrass my son. I rode the US Bicycle Route One from Ashland into Richmond, but haven’t researched it the rest of the way north.

[cyclingfool]

If you go into the OSM Cycling map layer on ridewithgps, you will see US Bike Route 1 mapped out. It avoids US Cager Route #1.

With proper planning, another option might be to go through southern MD to the Henry Nice Bridge on 301 over the Potomac closer to Fredericksburg. I’ve been playing around with some options to do that on the map and then rejoin the established US bike route somewhere south of F’burg. To do this option you have to rely on MD Hwy. staff to be able to transport you and your bike across the bridge as there are no bike facilities on the bridge itself. You also have to call at least 24 hrs. ahead to make this arrangement. Disclaimer: I’ve never ridden any this apart from MD from National Harbor down to the National Colonial Farm.

[culimerc]

I’d also check out the strava heat map for safe routes and sections.

http://labs.strava.com/heatmap/#3/0.00000/20.00000/gray/bike

[americancyclo]

The three I’ve found seem to follow either US Bike 1 or the East Coast Greenway

http://ridewithgps.com/trips/109099
http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1521418
http://ridewithgps.com/routes/2621951

[Terpfan]

Did you go? I’m quite interested to hear about it. I’ve toyed with this and riding to some in-laws down in Orange County before. Having driven the entirety of Rt 1 from Rosslyn to Richmond, I can say south of Fairfax it gets dicey quickly. I know a lot of the actual Bike 1 takes you off of the main road with plenty of turns.

[Subby]

@Terpfan 95198 wrote:

Did you go? I’m quite interested to hear about it. I’ve toyed with this and riding to some in-laws down in Orange County before. Having driven the entirety of Rt 1 from Rosslyn to Richmond, I can say south of Fairfax it gets dicey quickly. I know a lot of the actual Bike 1 takes you off of the main road with plenty of turns.

I did not but I absolutely plan on doing it in the near future. I am a terrible navigator, so I am saving up for a garmin before I try doing the ride solo.

[ctankcycles]

I’m planning on riding to Richmond for the 2015 UCI Road World Championships next September and considered taking a route through southern Maryland but the 301 bridge typically carries a lot of traffic and has no shoulder. Not a deal breaker but take a look at the Street View, it doesn’t look fun. So, I put together a route west 95 that you can check out here… http://app.strava.com/routes/1017211

[TwoWheelsDC]

@ctankcycles 95839 wrote:

I’m planning on riding to Richmond for the 2015 UCI Road World Championships next September and considered taking a route through southern Maryland but the 301 bridge typically carries a lot of traffic and has no shoulder. Not a deal breaker but take a look at the Street View, it doesn’t look fun. So, I put together a route west 95 that you can check out here… http://app.strava.com/routes/1017211

Cyclists aren’t actually allowed on the Nice Bridge (Rt. 301 across the Potomac). You have to pay a fee and maybe they’ll get you across via shuttle…so yeah, the western route is probably a better option

BRIDGES
The following bridges were not designed to accommodate bicycle or pedestrian traffic.
Thomas J. Hatem Memorial Bridge – US 40 over the Susquehanna River
Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge – US 301 over the Potomac River

Thomas J. Hatem Memorial Bridge and Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge:
The MdTA may, if manpower and time are available, transport cyclists and their bicycles across the bridge for a fee. This service is provided as a courtesy only when circumstances permit. It is not an official operating policy of the MdTA. Again you should contact MdTA at least 24 hours prior to arrival. The telephone numbers are 410-575-7162 for the Hatem Bridge, and 301-259-4444 for the Nice Bridge.
For more information about the Maryland Transportation Authority, or its facilities, please contact: http://www.mdtransportationauthority.com

[ShawnoftheDread]

@TwoWheelsDC 95859 wrote:

Cyclists aren’t actually allowed on the Nice Bridge (Rt. 301 across the Potomac). You have to pay a fee and maybe they’ll get you across via shuttle…so yeah, the western route is probably a better option

Well that doesn’t sound Nice at all.

[Author]

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