
06/17/2023
Good news for those going on the Wheels for the World September 22-24, 2023 C&O Canal ride...we have set the starting (pick-up) location to be near Dulles Airport (IAD), which solves the problem of out-of-reach pre-ride and post-ride lodging cost near DC.
You will have a choice of brands (at various prices under, and a little over, $100/night), that include Holiday Inn (best rate), TownPlace suites (a Marriott Brand), and Hampton Inn (a Hilton brand), so you can pick your hotel based on brand affiliation for points, reserve your stay with points, or pick for price.
All three hotels are within a block of each other.
We will plan to have a pre-ride Happy Hour at the O'Malley's Pub (at Holiday Inn), Thursday evening [I am looking for a sponsor for this event], and each of the hotels offers breakfast in the morning for those who stay.
I will have the proposal and contract for a block of rooms across the three hotels, with pricing and registration links on Tuesday, so you can reserve.
You will only be about 10 minutes from Dulles airport, and flying in to there is simplest logistics -- these hotels each have an airport shuttle for easy transport.
If you are driving to the hotel and staying, that will be easy too, as we have worked out an arrangement for your car to remain at the hotel during the ride, which if not free, will be near so, eliminating the high parking cost near DC.
For those driving to the hotel and parking, but not staying, we anticipate a reasonable rate parking, to accommodate our trips success.
Finally, if you are flying to Reagan Airport (DCA) because it's cheaper, that's OK too. The Metro Silver Line now connects Dulles and Reagan airports, and you can ride it out. Even those staying at the Dulles area hotels can Metro in to DC for the day before the ride, or after, to sightsee.
My recommendation for an early arrival or late stay activity, is to visit the National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Annex just south of Dulles Airport, to see early aircraft to the England Gay, U2, Concorde, and space shuttle Discovery, as well as watch an I-MAX movie.
You could also bike on the nearby W&OD trail, to one of the trailside micro-breweries (8, 20, or 26 miles round-trip), or restaurants in Herndon (8), Ashburn (16), Leesburg (28), DC (44), or Purcellville (54)
At the end of the trip, we will return riders and bikes to the Dulles hotels. Note: If we have a huge group, some riders may need to Metro to Dulles for pick-up.
We do not expect an after party/dinner this year. The happy hour to acquaint, and the last night's dinner (also looking for a sponsor) will be the main events.
Message me any questions.
Links, prices, and details will be added this week.
If you haven't registered yet, the link is:
Wheels for the World is taking place July 31- October 1, 2022. Join us on NEHA Day, for a weekend ride or from wherever you are with a virtual ride.