By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandner.com
Rain did not dampen spirits of the 33,000 riders, who joined the 46th annual TD Five Boro Bike Tour on May 5, thrilling in the freedom of biking 40 miles of city streets and bridges closed to vehicle traffic.
The riders came from all 50 states and 65 countries; 1700 riders were biking for charity, raising $1 million from the day’s event, making the TD Five Boro Bike Tour the largest charity bike ride in the world, Ken Podziba, Bike New York’s President and CEO, declared.
Along the way, riders get a taste of city’s neighborhoods, culture and quirks, with bands to represent each borough. Along the route, bikers encounter the 1,500 cheerful volunteers who keep the route safe and pleasant, direct traffic come to bikers’ aid, man the many rest stops along the way, and cheer the riders on.
The ride is a celebration of biking – the economic, environmental, health, cultural and community benefits – with the cyclists coming together and literally taking over the streets. But is also an expression of advocacy for more protected bike lanes throughout the city.
Ydanis Rodriguez, Commissioner – NYC DOT Commissioner, said New York City is the safest city for cyclists and with 32 miles of protected bike lanes, the city has the largest network of all large cities. “Biking is good for the environment, good for the economy, good for health. We must continue to make New York City the best and safest for biking.”
But Brooklyn Councilman Lincoln Restler said, “We are on record for most bike deaths. Our streets are not safe enough.”
And Councilmember Dale Brewer, former Manhattan Borough President, added, “We will keep fighting for protected lanes.” She also lauded Bike NYC’s mission of teaching children how to bike.
Bike New York offers free bike education programs for children and adults throughout the five boroughs – in 2020 alone, teaching more than 30,000 New Yorkers the skill. Bike New York organizes numerous annual events, of which the TD Five Boro Bike Tour is the largest and most ambitious.
Bike New York basically was created along with the Five Boro Bike Tour, when in 1977, American Youth Hostels and the NYC Board of Education initiated a high school training program that culminated in a challenge: 50 participating students were asked to pedal through all five boroughs in a single day. Known then as the Five Boro Challenge, it began 250 total riders, and developed into the Five Boro Bike Tour that each year on the first Sunday in May attracts 32,000 cyclists to experience the city in a very special way.
Its mission states, “Bike New York empowers New Yorkers to transform their lives and their communities through bicycling. Our vision is to increase ridership, to empower youth to lead healthy, productive lives, to remove barriers to cycling, and to advocate for and expand services to reach more New Yorkers.”
Here are photo highlights from the 2024 TD Five Boro Bike Tour:
More information about programs, events, recycling a bicycle, resources, and volunteering are at Bike New York, 95 E 45th Street, New York NY 10017, [email protected]. [email protected], Bike.nyc.
