Where to ride my ‘cross bike

[Jason B]

By gravelly point in Arlington there is an open park that has a CX route. Just ride down to the Airport and sit watching the planes for a minute, and someone will be zooming by on a cross doing the route. Just follow him and the route will become apparent. They have a practice on Thursday nights at 6:00ish.
i think there is also a practice run in dc in the northwest on Wednesdays. Can’t remember where, sorry.
Also get hooked up with local CX stuff here: https://sites.google.com/site/dcmtbdccx/

Btw, I’m not a CXer, just a poser who is getting into it as I fall over every hurdle.

[ShawnoftheDread]

@Jason B 65968 wrote:

By gravelly point in Arlington there is an open park that has a CX route. Just ride down to the Airport and sit watching the planes for a minute, and someone will be zooming by on a cross doing the route. Just follow him and the route will become apparent. They have a practice on Thursday nights at 6:00ish.

Really? I had no idea.

[Jason B]

Neither did I, until someone showed me. You know that metal gate in the grass that blocks the dirt road that goes nowhere. That is the start. It starts wide like a fire trail, then it thins to a single track that zooms around trees and climbs up and down to the overpass hill. It kind of a weird route, but a lung buster.

[ShawnoftheDread]

I guess the long way home just got longer.

[KayakCyndi]

@Jason B 65974 wrote:

Neither did I, until someone showed me. You know that metal gate in the grass that blocks the dirt road that goes nowhere. That is the start. It starts wide like a fire trail, then it thins to a single track that zooms around trees and climbs up and down to the overpass hill. It kind of a weird route, but a lung buster.

Oh my …. definitely going to have to check that out one day on my way to or from work!

[kcb203]

I’ll have to try this:

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[hozn]

That is awesome! I had no idea that was there either. Gonna have to check it out this week!

For OP, I like riding my cx bike in Lake Fairfax Park in Reston. It is single track, so it is more like mountain biking, but not too technical and quite a blast. It is just ~45min out west from Arlington.

[PotomacCyclist]

I had no idea about this either. Wow!

I don’t have a CX bike, but I could use my MTB.

[vvill]

I was gonna go this week but they moved the official practice further down to Alexandria because of the shutdown-closed parking lots. (I think they bring barriers?)

[Greenbelt]

Riding between races is usually allowed I think. See you Sunday?

Hyattsville CX – 2013 Race #2 in the BikeReg.com Super 8 Series
Presented by
Route 1 Velo/Arrow Bicycle & Crosshairs Cycling/Spy/Bike Dr. Waldorf

3911 Hamilton Street
Hyattsville, MD
Sunday, October 06, 2013

Online Registration Closes
Friday, October 04, 2013 at 12:01 AM, Eastern Standard Time

USA Cycling Event USA Cycling Permit # 2013-3257

Online Registration is closed.
Thanks for registering for HCX 2013! Directions: 3911 Hamilton St., Hyattsville, MD 20781 Watch those one-way streets! Parking (free) available next door in large lot and in neighborhood streets Google Maps: http://tinyurl.com/pscfxj Lil’ Belgians Please check in plenty of time before you event at the Lil’ Belgian area near the basketball courts. Pick up a map at the pavilion, and to access the Lil’ Belgian area, you will cross the course at the designated point of entry. Please listen to course marshals’ directions and watch for racers. Pre-race Sign-In 1. Pre-race sign-in and bib number pickup is located at Arrow Bicycle in Hyattsville from 2-5PM on Saturday afternoon. Save time waiting in line! http://www.arrowbicycle.com 2. Pint glasses purchased on BikeReg will be available for pickup, along with a ticket redeemable for a free pint on race day. Race Day Sign-In 1. There is no parking in the park. Free race parking is in the large parking lot across Hamilton St. from the old WSSC building: http://tinyurl.com/pscfxj 2. Be aware that when coming from US 1 in Hyattsville you will have to negotiate literally a maze of one-way streets to get to Magruder Park. Pay careful attention to those little arrows on Google Maps. 3. As you enter the Park from race parking through the gate in the fence Registration will be in the pavilion directly in front of you. Sign-in and bib number pickup will be at the table directly facing the parking lot with A-K on the left and L-Z on the right. If you purchased a pint glass on BikeReg we will have those available for pickup at sign-in. 4. In order to sign in and pick up your bib number you must present a current USA Cycling racing license, an Authorization to Ride (printed or available online from your USAC account), or a yellow receipt for a 1-Day or Annual license purchased at the race. No exceptions! 5. Sign-in and day-of registration close 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start of each race. Did you know? Throughout the City of Hyattsville, there are over 60 restaurants, bars, and take-outs with places to sit and dine. We encourage you to take a walk, hop on a bus, or drive down to our many destinations, including the Route One Restaurant Cluster, Queens Chapel Town Center, the shopping centers of Prince George’s Plaza, and the shops leading to Magruder Park. http://www.hyattsvillecdc.org/community-building/guides/dining-guide#.Uk74mRbpaMN Sponsors and Supporters City of Hyattsville Arrow Bicycle Spy Optics BikeReg.com Nuts About Granola Pro Gold Lubricants CXHairs.com Be sure to check out Skills, Drills, and Bellyaches: A Cyclocross Primer. Find out more at http://www.cyclocrossbook.com today! See you Sunday! Hyattsville CX race staff HyattsvilleCX@route1velo.com

CATEGORY DISTANCE START TIME FEE PRIZES
8:15am Race [Field Limit: 125]
Men Cat 4/5 (Beginner) 35 minutes 8:16 AM $27 Prizes/3 places
9:00am Race [Combined Field Limit: 125]
Men 35+/45+ Cat 3/4/5 40 minutes 9:00 AM $27 Prizes/5 places
10:00am Race Lil’ Belgians 1
Lil’ Belgians 1 5 minutes 10:00 AM $0 Medals/ALL
10:00am Race [Field Limit: 125]
Women 45+ Cat 1/2/3/4 35 minutes 10:00 AM $27
Women Cat 4 Beginner 35 minutes 10:01 AM $27 Prizes/3 places
Girls U19 2 laps 10:02 AM $10 Medals/5 places
Girls U15 2 laps 10:02 AM $10 Medals/5 places
Boys U15 2 laps 10:02 AM $10 Medals/5 places
11:00am Race [Combined Field Limit: 125]
Men 45+ Cat 1/2/3 45 minutes 11:00 AM $27 Prizes/5 places
Boys U19 45 minutes 11:01 AM $10 Medals/5 places
12:00pm Lil’ Belgians 2
Lil’ Belgians 2 5 minutes 12:00 PM $0 Medals/ALL
12:00pm Race [Combined Field Limit: 125]
Women Cat 1/2/3 40 minutes 12:00 PM $27 $600/7 places
Women Cat 3/4 40 minutes 12:01 PM $27 Prizes/5 places
1:00pm [Field Limit: 125]
Masters Men 35+ Cat 1/2/3 45 minutes 1:00 PM $27 Prizes/5 places
Single Speed Open Cat 1/2/3/4/5 45 minutes 1:01 PM $27 Prizes/3 places
2:00pm [Field Limit: 125]
Men Cat 3/4 45 minutes 2:00 PM $27 Prizes/7 places
Men 55+ Cat 1/2/3/4/5 45 minutes 2:01 PM $27 Prizes/5 places
3:00pm Race [Field Limit: 125]
Men Cat 1/2/3 60 minutes 3:00 PM $27 $900/10 places
4:15 p.m. Special Olympians Lap
Special Olympics Parade Lap 1 laps 4:15 PM $0 Medals/ALL

[Tim Kelley]

There is also this: http://www.strava.com/segments/2461921

[Adam J.]

Thanks everyone! Hope to get out to one or two of these later this week when it dries out.

[MattAune]

The Gravelly point ride has a face book group. They are planning on riding on Wednesday night this week. They are a very nice group, as is most everyone in ‘cross, and they are fast.

‘DC & NoVA Cyclocross Practice’ is the title of the group.

[Brcire]

You can also ride your CX bike on the CCT. Best is from Oak Marr Park north. It will also connect to Lake Fairfax. Be warned that the trail isn’t always well marked and there are many spurs off it that can send you into a cul de sac or someone’s backyard.

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/cct/cctoverview.htm

I would also recommend checking out the gravel roads in Loudoun or Frederick. http://grindinggravel.blogspot.com/

Still a few CX races left if you are up for that.

http://www.super8cx.org/
http://www.sportifcrosscup.com/
http://vacyclocross.com/?page_id=11

Enjoy!

[PotomacCyclist]

Someone posted a video of the Gravelly Point loop on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151720405126644&set=o.162748097090623&type=2&theater

[Author]

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