Route/Trail for a newbie

[QuantFail]

I have already gone through suggestions for riding routes, and a lot of them are very scenic and beautiful. Definitely something I will make a point to hit in the future. However, this Saturday I will be picking up my first Road Bike (Trek 1.5, in part thanks to the many helpful posts by you all) and I am looking for a vacant-as-can-be-route where I won’t get run over by a car when I can’t dislodge my feet from the pedal or use a right hand signal when turning left.

I work in DC, but live in Rockville, MD. I would prefer a suggestion close to Rockville, but if it’s closer to DC I can take my bike via subway. Just looking for some semi-deserted roads. Thanks.

Topic

[Greenbelt]

If you don’t mind taking Metro to Greenbelt, I think there’s great road riding to be had in the Beltsville Ag Research Center. This is a ride we do almost every weekend — good roads for testing a new road bike in my opinion! Congrats! -Jeff

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/896301

[KLizotte]

Beach Drive in Rockville Park is closed to traffic on the weekends and is quite long. At this time of the year you won’t see many cyclists and the road is wide. You can also drive there and park in the Park itself. Beach Drive also connects with Rock Creek trail; the part of the trail north of Rock Creek park is much nicer than the southern end in terms of trail maintenance.

[QuantFail]

The store manager at Revolution also recommended Beach Drive. I will definitely check it out this weekend. However, if it connects to Rock Creek, I might just go to Rock Creek and start the trail from that point.

[consularrider]

@QuantFail 14988 wrote:

The store manager at Revolution also recommended Beach Drive. I will definitely check it out this weekend. However, if it connects to Rock Creek, I might just go to Rock Creek and start the trail from that point.

Unfortunately, the Rock Creek Trail isn’t so great for for riding fast (poor surface conditions in many places). Also not so good for clip-in/clip-out practice, narrow and can be busy. Beach Drive from above the Zoo and north is great, even the part that’s open to cars.

[PotomacCyclist]

East Potomac Park (Hains Point) is a good location for shorter rides. While the short loop is only about 3 miles total, there are no intersections other than Buckeye Drive. I like to do bike speed workouts there (unless I’m looking for a hill workout too). Next month when the cherry blossoms are out, Hains Point is a must-do, although there is a lot of (slow-moving) traffic because of all the visitors. Even then, the traffic is not bad at all. There are so many cyclists and runners in the park that most drivers move carefully along Ohio Drive. Just watch out for some of the families with young kids who might wander into the road, and the ninja runners in the evenings. (I’m also a runner but I never run ninja-style.)

[Author]

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