This past Sunday, a few friends and I kicked off National Bike Month by participating in New York’s Five Boro Bike Tour. We rode for 40 miles with 32,000 of our closest friends, passing through Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and finally Staten Island. It is the largest cycling event in America and people come from all over to ride. It has been on my to-do list for a few years now, but usually I remember it only after seeing posters advertising it’s arrival, well after registration has closed. Previously I have ridden in the Tour de Brooklyn, and the inaugural year of the Tour de Queens, but this ride would be my longest ever!
We arrived at the starting point in downtown Manhattan around 8:30 am. Skies were overcast, but spirits were bright. Nothing like getting a few thousand bodies on bikes together in anticipation of a fun and active day to get the excitement mounting! I looked around and noticed that many groups had funny items attached to their helmets, an easy way to spot your fellow team members. Among these were a group with fluorescent origami cranes, one with balloons, and yet another with beer flags. My friends and I were super boring, oh well, maybe next year! As we slowly crawled towards the actual starting line, we passed the freedom tower and surrounding buildings, an apt place to start a New York ride. Finally, the start was in sight and with literal bursts of flames and Bon Jovi’s “Living on a Prayer” blasting, we were on our way!
The roads we took on the tour were all closed to traffic, so it afforded us a unique and safe experience of the city. We rode up Church St. to 6th ave, passing through the West Village, Chelsea and Midtown. The marquee at Radio City Music Hall had a welcome message for us, and it was so nice to ride through this part of town sans traffic and the usual swarm of tourists! Along the way, various stations were set up where volunteers would cheer us on or inform us of an upcoming sharp turn or place to slow down. We soon entered Central Park for one of my favorite parts of the ride. I do this loop frequently, but haven’t spent too much time here yet this spring. It was lovely to absorb all of the greenery, a stark contrast to the building choked downtown area. Upon exiting the park, we ran into one of my least favorite parts of the trip….a back up in Harlem. We must have spent half an hour or so completely stopped around 135th street. My guess is that we had to wait for some Bronx bound traffic to pass, but we were never informed of the reason. Finally though, we crossed the Madison Avenue bridge and entered the Bronx!
The Bronx was little more then a detour. We basically entered, used a port a potty at the first rest station, and then exited via the Third Avenue Bridge. Sorry Bronx, would have loved to see more of you! This brought us back into Manhattan where we had the once in a lifetime opportunity to ride our bikes on the FDR highway without getting killed. Here we were able to pick up some speed and enjoy views of the East River, Roosevelt Island, and the Queens Waterfront. I loved the view of the Queensboro Bridge in the distance with bikers zipping across. Soon it was our turn and we huffed and puffed on the upper level of the bridge, another treat since the official bike path is actually much steeper then the road that we took. One of the most challenging parts of the tour for me was not necessarily riding up the inclines, but navigating the other bikers while doing so. Some people were riding slower then I like to go when ascending, causing their balance to be a bit off, and their trajectory unpredictable. We made it through unscathed (for the most part).
Queens! My home Borough! I’m extremely familiar with riding around here, but even still, Celia managed to point out a bar/restaurant that I had never heard of before, Club 21. Apparently they have a delicious Eastern European menu, and some killer drink specials. Can’t wait to try it! We also rode past a newish restaurant called Bear, which I’ve been dying to try, even more so now that I’ve seen it…it looks super cute! Finally, because apparently all I noticed in Queens were restaurants that I want to try, was Breadbox Café. People were literally making U-turns off of the route to go have breakfast there! Other highlights in Queens included the two rest stops, one in Astoria park where we fuelled up and chatted with some Canadians, and another that we chose to ride right past. My most favorite part, however, was the line of kids on the side of the road giving us high fives as we passed. That and the random guy hooting, hollering, and hula hooping for us in his front yard. Oh Queens!
A smooth ride over the Pulaski Bridge and we were into Brooklyn, the unofficial hipster bike riding capital of the North East! (I love you Brooklyn) Also familiar territory for me, I enjoyed the sights as we rode through Greenpoint, Williamsburg, and DUMBO. We stuck close to the water front and had some gorgeous views of the Williamsburg, Manhattan, and Brooklyn Bridges as well as the Manhattan skyline. In no time at all we were at the next and last rest stop at Brooklyn Bridge Park. A random jam band played as we ate Lara Bars and fruit, enjoying the sun that had just recently come out! Not long after, we set off onto what I perceived as the most challenging part of the tour! We rode for a few miles on another highway, the BQE. There was a moderate incline and my quads were definitely beginning to feel the burn. I also got into sort of a meditative state, I think because there was really nothing to see but highway, cars, and the color grey. It was also wide enough that everyone could spread out and go at their own pace. It seemed to be the most purposeful and straight- forward way to get us to the Verrazano Bridge and the Finish Line.
The Verrazano Bridge was certainly challenging, and as it is not usually open to non-motorized traffic,afforded us another unique opportunity. As I rode along, I counted the number of major bridges that I have biked over since living in New York. There is the Queensboro, Manhattan, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and now the Verrazano. Next on the list is the Triboro followed by the George Washington (maybe. these bridges seem daunting to me). I also realized that I had never been to Staten Island before! I mean, I had done the classic “ride the ferry over and then turn around and ride right back” thing, but had never spent any quality time in the Borough. What a welcome to Staten Island !
Directly after crossing the bridge we entered Fort Wadsworth, and the finish festival! We high fived, grabbed some food, and chilled out in the sun for awhile, basking in our recent accomplishment. The ride wasn’t quite over yet however, as we had about 5 miles or so to the Staten Island Ferry. This stretch (minus the lengthy amount of time we had to spend waiting in line for the ferry) was actually my favorite part of the whole ride. It was a very flat, relaxing stretch right along the water. The sky was blue, it smelled like the sea, and to me, it was the perfect way to come down from the rest of the ride. The Coronas we drank on the ferry ride back to Manhattan weren’t a bad touch either. 
Why yes, that is Lady Liberty that you see out the ferry window, way in the background.
I really enjoyed the entirety of the bike tour. For me, it wasn’t that physically challenging, but rather a great way to see New York in all it’s glory. As a local it was fun to discover new places, ride past old familiar haunts, and do something a little bit different with friends. I can imagine as a visitor, what an amazing treat it would be to see the city the way that many never get to see it. It was fabulous to get some of the cars off the road, and to celebrate alternative ways of transportation. It is a ride that can be done by the whole family, as there are shortcut options, medical and bike repair support throughout the ride, and many places to rest and regroup. I would enjoy doing this tour again, or perhaps one like it in another city. There are always so many places to explore!
