The Annual TD Bank Five Boro Bike Tour Arrives In NYC

Is there a better way to see the neighborhoods, streets, parks and bridges of New York City then from a bicycle seat? That thought would certainly be the consensus from the 32,000 cyclists from every state and dozens of countries who participated in the annual TD Bank Five Boro Bike Tour presented by REI on May 3rd. The 40 mile route takes riders through all five boroughs and over five major bridges and has four staggered start times which alleviates overcrowding.

The route begins in Lower Manhattan and goes up 6th avenue, through Central Park, continues through Harlem and briefly enters the Bronx. Upon reentering Manhattan via the FDR Drive one cannot deny a sense of empowerment and thrill resulting from riding a bike on such a major urban highway. The route continues over the Queensborough Bridge through neighborhoods in Queens and Brooklyn before riders enter the elevated Brooklyn Queens Expressway and ride to the Staten Island  finish via the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in the country. The Staten Island end of the Verrazano Narrows bridge is famous for being the starting point for the New York City Marathon.

The tour is produced by Bike New York and the New York City Department of Transportation with proceeds funding Bike New York’s educational programs throughout the year. Bike New York along with its marshals and various other volunteers did a phenomenal job of organizing the ride. There were four well stocked rest areas through the route which included Del Monte apples and bananas, Utz pretzels, KIND Bars, hydration drinks from nuun, and tacos from Chipolte. Each rest area had live music entertainment and there were bands performing throughout the tour. In addition, a finish festival in Fort Wadsworth had live music entertainment, food trucks, product samples, and a photo booth. Other sponsors included Con Edison, Manhattan Portage, Bike and Roll, Bloomberg, Primal Wear Cycling Apparel and Spinlister.