Best Century Bike Rides in Washington DC & Arlington

UPDATE: This page has been updated (Sept/Oct 2009) to reflect addition of what I'm calling the Patuxent River century (#2, below) and improvements to the White's Ferry route.

In the course of training for my recent iron-distance triathlon (as well as an upcoming one in May 2010 in St. George Utah) I did a fair number of 100+ mile training rides -- around one a month starting roughly 7 or 8 months before my race (as well as a few before that).  Since a century ride takes a big enough chunk of time without an hour or more in the car on either end, I was determined to find good rides that started at my house.  One thing is that I really enjoy pouring over maps and satellite images trying to create exciting new rides through unknown territory.  Considering how close to the center of the metro area I live, I think I found some pretty decent rides. 

For the Common Good I list below some of the rides I've done, in rough descending order of quality.  Although these maps all show a starting location near Clarendon where I live, any can easily be modified for someone who lives in DC or, often, elsewhere in the greater metro area.  (Drop me a comment if you try any of these and like them.)

1. BYOB century.  This ride is awesome!  I've done it 4 times (report on the first) and loved it each time (and made improvements as well).  It starts with the well-known Rock Creek ride and then keeps going north up along a bike path through the creek watershed to Lake Needwood, north through Patuxent River State Park, westward across roads north of Damascus and Clarksburg, under Interstate  270, down to the Potomac river through the gorgeous roads near Poolesville, and back to DC through Potomac and MacArthur Blvd.  Warning; in some ways I did almost too good a job of finding a route  that avoids congested areas; the first real place to buy more drinks is at mile 60 (store on right along Route 355 before turn onto Old Hundred Rd).  The only other fault some people have found with the ride is that it has a 7-mile stretch on a beautiful but sometimes runner-packed bike path after Viers Mill park at mile 20. Personally I don't mind it.  Map of BYOB Century (note: this map shows a right turn on Avery road just after mile 25, but that is a narrow shoulderless road so if there is any traffic I recommend remaining on the bike path to Lake Needwood, as indicated on the BYOB version 1.0 map.  The maps also show alternate paths around mile 63.5; either Slidell Rd or remaining on Peach Tree is good).  103 miles (a few less from DC) BYOB Century cue sheet.

2. Patuxent River Area Century. Since the opening of the bike path along the Wilson Bridge between Alexandria and Maryland, I have explored a number of rides in Prince George's County with mixed results. With this ride (which actually extends south into Charles County) I finally found a  great route. Map of Patuxent River Century.   Cue sheet. This route travels through mile upon mile of remote country roads, extending south of Hughesville, MD (near a little-known Amish community that resides there).  Other than a few stretches of pavement that are a bit on the rough side, it is a really great ride, with the only busy portions being the first and last 5-10 miles from the starting point on the Maryland side of the Wilson bridge.  You will also need to get yourself to that point, and add that distance (and of course the return) to the 92-mile loop shown here.  (From Clarendon, it is exactly 10 miles, making it a 112 mile route for my group).  An alternate route is to go through Anacostia following the route shown on ride #5, below, which is fun but includes some very rough pavement.  This ride has numerous excellent shortcut options; simply pinch off the loop by following one of the many available roads.  To cut 12 miles from this route, for example, simply turn left on Charles St (Rt. 6) at mile 33 and rejoin the route by turning left on Keech Rd.  The ride has only one or two hills in the first 60 miles, then becomes rolling around mile 60.  Overall it may be the flattest century listed here.  For refueling I highly recommend a stop at the Ice Cream Factory and Cafe at the intersection of Brandywine and Route 5 - we happened upon this place and found a big menu of good food and ice cream, a charming store and a warm reception from the owner-operator.

3. White's Ferry and Point of Rocks Centuries.  When my riding group discovered that Old Dominion Road from Arlington to Great Falls is nearly deserted on Sunday Mornings, it was a revelation.  It opened up a precious new quality route out of the metro area for us (joining Rock Creek, MacArthur Blvd, and Mt. Vernon -- and now the Wilson Bridge).  This route uses Old Dominion to get to some nice roads in Great Falls, then through Sterling to the W&OD to Leesburg. From there you can take a trafficky but short route to White's Ferry.  There you take a barge across the Potomac ($1 fare for bicycles), stop at the store at the other side to fuel up if you wish, and then pedal through gorgeous, rolling roads around Sugarloaf Mountain (take a right on Sugarloaf Mountain Road at mile 65 if you want to go up to the top of the mountain, then follow Comus to rejoin the route), back to MacArthur Blvd and home.  If you are training the delays involved at the ferry (around 15-20 minutes max each time I've done it) might be a problem, though the ferry is great fun!  Map of White's Ferry century cue sheet.  This route can easily be shortened by taking a more direct route home after crossing the Potomac instead of going around Sugarloaf. About 107 miles.

Another version of this route is to cross the Potomac 10 miles to the north at the Point of Rocks bridge.  This ride follows the same route as the White's Ferry ride to Leesburg at mile 37.5 on the above map.  Eschewing the busy Route 15 in Leesburg, it follows a gorgeous inland route (same as the Reston Century route) to the bridge.  When I led a group on this ride I missed the left turn at Farmer's Mountain Rd just past mile 56 and we ended up doing a lot of time on Rt. 15 and extra miles.  I'm not certain that it isn't a dirt road.  You can try it, or to be safe turn left at mile 56 on Taylorstown Rd, and then Right on Lovettsville Rd to the Point of Rocks bridge.  Also, despite what this map shows I suggest doing this route clockwise so that you hit Old Dominion early when there is little traffic.  If you are doing it at a busier time, you can follow the route of the final part of the Bull Run Century, below.   Partial map of Point of Rocks Century.  Complete ride is an estimated 107 miles. 

4. Bull Run Century.  This is the only ride on this list that I did not draw up myself (credit belongs to  my riding buddy Rodolfo Luzio).  It features a lot of really gorgeous roads, especially between approx. miles 20-60.  It starts with a ride out to Mt. Vernon, briefly follows Route 1 through Fort Belvoir, then picks up some really sweet roads through the Occoquan river valley, cuts just north of Manassas, then runs north just west of Dulles Airport, and into Leesburg.  From there it is 10 miles along the W&OD trail, through Great Falls and McLean, and finishing up with the two humps of Military Road in Arlington.  Although I had to give a ranking, this route is pretty much the equal of the Point of Rocks loop and I actually prefer it because it features roads that are newer to me.  Map of Bull Run Century. 116 miles, a few more from DC. 

5. General Smallwood Century.  So-named because it brings you down to General Smallwood State Park (where there is a triathlon some friends have done), this ride features some very nice roads between approximately miles 20 and 80.  From the DC Mall, it heads south through Anacostia (a few busy roads and some patches of rough pavement but otherwise fine) to an ill-maintained bike path that leads to Oxon Hill Farm just north of the beltway.  When the bike path across the Wilson Bridge opens that will open an alternate route to this point.  Then this ride runs south towards Indian Head, past the Smallwood park, and then back north along other nice roads.  Partial map of Gen. Smallwood Century (Complete ride is ~110 miles; less from DC).  UPDATE: I recommend the superior Patuxent River Area century above over this ride.  However, the Anacostia route shown on this map offers a fun alternate route to the Wilson Bridge from DC/VA that can be used for either ride (and may be shorter if you're coming from DC).

By the time I finished doing these rides, I gained 1) an amazing view and knowledge of our metro area and its surrounding countryside and 2) a renewed appreciation for just how great DC is for biking.  Overall, there is nothing better than "fresh pavement," and if you are training for an ironman or just looking for lots of long rides, and live in DC/Arlington, you'll want to do all of these rides!

Comments

[anon]

Rode your white's ferry century on a friday afternoon with a friend who does an iron distance a year. The route through maryland/macarthur is just fantastic, and finishing at the ferry is great. We then rode 15 into leesburg, and headed north on w and od, and since it was a weekend (and by then well into rush hour) we passed on the NOVA roads. I used to ride that trail a lot in law school; to put it mildly the views have changed. It was a bit of the bataan death march coming back; one trades a lack of traffic for monotony. (It was also the longest ride I've ever completed). I'm going to try to put together a 50-60 miler out in poolesville, though; those roads look like they are from postcards.

Many thanks for posting it.

[Jay Stanley]

Dear anon, thanks for letting me know you tried the ride & congrats on completing your first century. That route is much better done clockwise. The BYOB Century route finishes in the Poolesville area so you & your friend might try that one next.

For a 50/60-miler near Poolesville, this is a great route:

http://www.mapmytri.com/workout/united-states/md/potomac/669850656

Happy riding!

[anon]

Many thanks. I just finished my first olympic, and I think I might be hooked. Next year, perhaps a half. Definitely another olympic. And I'm glad you posted a new route. I haven't been over the Wilson bridge, and this would be a good way to explore (without going the whole hundred--by the time we got to white's ferry we both felt like we had the s--t kicked out of us by the hills coming out of potomac. Better in the beginning than the end, but still).

[Dan Blah]

Thanks for putting these together! Looking forward to trying them out.