Tell me about the Arlington Loop

[lordofthemark]

@rcannon100 43988 wrote:

I am not getting why you need to take a bus. Where are you coming from.

annandale.

I dislike all the routes east from Annandale. Taking them back west, when Im tired, and its getting late (Im slower than most of you seem to think) is very unpleasant.

[lordofthemark]

@dasgeh 43991 wrote:

Don’t sell yourself short — if you’ve done Cherrydale – Rosslyn on the Custis, you’ve done most of the Custis.

I agree with everyone else comments. If I were you and had the option, I’d start Barcroft Park-ish, to get a warm up before the climb up the Custis. I’d stop at Lee Heights (at the bottom of the S curve of Doom — did I see someone call it the Custis Chute?) at have a burger (BGR) or yummy Italian (Italian Store) or Mediterranean (Tarbouch) depending on what you’re up for. I’d also stop for a beer in Shirlington when you get there.

I did cherrydale down quincy to Fairfax (or was it wilson) to a stop at Clarendon (to eat brunch and watch the speech at Whitlows) then back on the bike lane to Rosslyn. It was more of a day for urban semi-transportation biking

ive done falls church to Ballston the WOD-Custis on a previous occasion. I dont think Ive ever done the Custis east of ballston.

[mstone]

@acl 44001 wrote:

The first time I decided to check out the W&OD (heading west from MVT), I was getting really frustrated; I could not understand why I was moving so slow for the level of effort I was putting in. Am I tireder than I thought I was? Coming down with something? Just flat out lazy today? Then I turned around to head back home. ahhhhh….. that’s better….

It’s worse when you’re cruising along thinking “man, I’m really fast today” and then you turn around and go “oh, never mind”.

[ShawnoftheDread]

@Steve 43998 wrote:

If my memory serves me correct, I believe that is what the strava segment there is called.

The Custis Chute Strava segment is the straightaway along 66 just west/at the top of the S-turn of Doom.

[ShawnoftheDread]

@lordofthemark 44006 wrote:

annandale.

I dislike all the routes east from Annandale. Taking them back west, when Im tired, and its getting late (Im slower than most of you seem to think) is very unpleasant.

The ride up Hummer/Annandale Rd to Falls Church is pretty decent for a major road. The wide shoulder and wide traffic lane help a lot. At Arlington Blvd I take the service road over to Cherry St. and then up to the trail by the EFC metro. And the ride is faster than the 3A.

[lordofthemark]

@ShawnoftheDread 44016 wrote:

The ride up Hummer/Annandale Rd to Falls Church is pretty decent for a major road. The wide shoulder and wide traffic lane help a lot. At Arlington Blvd I take the service road over to Cherry St. and then up to the trail by the EFC metro. And the ride is faster than the 3A.

A. The one time I tried that I found extensive sections where the shoulder was taken up by parked cars. The travel lane was not wide enough for me to feel comfortable, given the speed and volume of traffic.

B. Its not just time, but energy. I’ve only done a couple of rides quite this long since I took up riding again last spring. And was bushed at the end of each. Yes, Im not in the best shape. It probably doesnt help that even in the spring summer fall I was not riding more than twice a month – and I have not ridden more than 5 miles on one day since early December. And I am over 20 lbs overweight. And my bike is a heavy wide tired MTB. And Im still getting the hang of this whole cadence thing.

C. Im not sure I could beat the 3A. See B.

D. thanks for the cherry street idea if I ever try that again. I tried to go through Seven corners to the ped bridge to john marshal-mckinley, and had to deal with one nasty hill south of Seven Corners.

[Amalitza]

@baiskeli 44004 wrote:

Yes, did you notice that the water in Four Mile Run was flowing the other way on your way west? That’s always a sign. Water is smart like that.

Yes, I am stupider than water. :rolleyes:

[baiskeli]

@acl 44077 wrote:

Yes, I am stupider than water. :rolleyes:

But like I said, water is really smart, so that’s not such a bad thing, relatively speaking.

[bobco85]

Well, if you ever choose to go counter-clockwise around the Arlington Loop, I hope you can enjoy it like I did last Sunday: http://youtu.be/l0tONLAbVUw

I meant to upload it earlier in the week, but got sidetracked, and then there was the coincidence of this thread popping up!

[lordofthemark]

l rode the loop today. Clockwise, starting and finishing at W&OD and Columbia Pike. I took a picnic lunch along, not realizing at first how cold it would be – so I ate that at Rosslyn Metro Mall.

Some thoughts:

1. I definitely felt the uphill on the W&OD, but still a good warmup I guess.

2. Even eastbound, I found Custis challenging in spots.

3. The geese on the MVT were uninterested in my bell.

4. The last few miles, from the intersection of MVT and 4MRT to the end of my ride, there were some pretty strong winds, which somehow seemed always to be in my face.

5. I’m glad I used the 16B bus to get between Annandale and Arlington, as I was bushed at the end of my ride.

I felt pretty good about having done it, especially on a day like today.

[Arlingtonrider]

If you could do it on a brutally windy and cold day like today, you’ll have no problem on a normal day!

[ShawnoftheDread]

Nice work.

[Arlingtonrider]

I forgot to add a congratulations to my note for your first time doing the Loop! It’s a good ride, and a great introduction to the Arlington trails.

[Vicegrip]

@Arlingtonrider 44155 wrote:

If you could do it on a brutally windy and cold day like today, you’ll have no problem on a normal day!

This.

Today was cold and the wind on the Potomac was impressive. I was down 2 or 3 gears while leaning into today’s wind. A lot of the charm of the Arl loop is not there in a day like today was.

[lordofthemark]

Is it fair to say that riding east on the Custis its very good to be able to shift gears quickly and smoothly? I did the Arlington Loop again today (the wind wasn’t nearly as bad as two weeks ago so just finishing is much less an accomplishment – I was faster of course, but not fast enough to want to talk about it) I got the strong impression that I went slower on the Custis and worked harder than I should have, even given my level of fitness, weight, bike, etc because I was not shifting smoothly or quickly enough to take advantage of downhills, get into the right gear for uphills, etc.

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