On Sunday April 12th for the fifth year in a row, Transportation Alternatives organized a non competitive ride through the greenest of the five boroughs. Many arrived via the Staten Island Ferry and were given their bib number, cue sheet and were free to be on their way. The 1700 participants had the option of 37 or 54 mile routes which were very well marked with painted arrows. The ride showcased the borough’s waterfront vistas and parks. Highlights included riding through Fresh Kills park, once the site of the world’s largest landfill and the site of the first rest stop and later riding along the boardwalks of South and Midland beaches which offered stunning ocean views of the Verrazano Bridge. Both rides were a bit more challenging than many anticipated because of the hillier nature of Staten Island compared to the rest of the city. Transportation Alternatives is a great organization that promotes cycling, walking and public transit as a way to get around the city. They do organized rides in all the boroughs to promote the virtues of cycling. The ride began and ended at Flagship Brewery which provided a pint of their beer to all participants. In addition, the finish festival had a DJ and picnic tables where riders had barbecue food from Fleisher’s of Brooklyn and Moe’s Southwest Grill. Other sponsors included Nuun energy tablets and Kind Bars.