5 Boro Bike Tour (was NYC Riv Ride?)

[velomann]

The 5 Boro Bike Tour in NYC has been on my bucket list for years, and I decided this year is the year. First Sunday of May (5/5 this year).

https://www.bike.nyc/events/td-five-boro-bike-tour/

Registration opened this week, and I signed up.

I've got my lodging and flight booked as well.

This will be my first trip to NYC since I was a kid, 50 years ago. I won't be bringing my Riv (Bringing the Ritchey Breakaway), but I'll be there for a week, staying in midtown not far from ride start. 

I'd love to meet up with others while I'm there, get recommendations on where to ride, cheap food, coffee, bike shops, etc.

Anyone else here doing the ride?

Mike M

[Steven Seelig]

It is amazingly epic and not like anything else, ever.  

I've done it twice with my son on a tandem back when he was 8 and 9 years old.  First year, pouring rain and a sparse crowd.  While freezing, we made it to the 4th borough before bailing and taking the Brooklyn Bridge back to Manhattan.  For that one, we were up near the front when starting, which is key f you can get there to start.  We were never colder in our lives although my then 8 year old son was still not as miserable as he could have been - we were on a bike, after-all.

The second year, we were back in the pack and the experience was still great, but different as we got onto the highways, where traffic did back up as it would with 30K cyclists crammed into a 3 lanes road.  Also, there are all sorts of folks who are riding, some want to go fast at all costs, some are meanderers, others are just not ready to ride 40 miles.  Just smile and look at all the interesting people and bikes as you are queued up.  Meet friends.  Ring your bell.  Count the Rivs you see.

The portion you reach in Brooklyn when you get on the highway ends up being a revelation for a lot of riders, and not in a good way.  The road just opens up and it becomes clear that a long ride is ahead on a highway for the last several miles.  The wind will invariably be in your face then. You see a lot of riders who then are questioning their life choice because the road is really so imposing then.  And at some point, you see the Verrazano Bridge and it seems like the end is near.  It is not.  But once you get to it, and climb to the center and do the downhill ride to the finish, it is a great feeling.

Once done, there will be some time to get back across to Manhattan on the ferry.  Save food for this part of the journey.

[ascpgh]

My wife and I did it a number of years ago (still 30,000 riders). It is an amazing roll through a city you never get to see in this way, even if you've ridden there before because you are able to look around which I couldn't when riding around NYC when I was there by myself with a bike. 

Our approach was to park on Staten Island, take the ferry over  for the start. We were in the back half of the start after securing the rental bike my wife opted for. Rest and refreshment stops were packed with our 29,998 friends each time we stopped. The Gowanus Expressway to Verrazano Park and the bridge was hot and both of use were out of water. By the time we got off the elevated highway and saw a food truck selling Gatorade we were pretty needy and the baseball stadium price for the 12 oz bottles was worth every penny. 

The Verrazano Narrows Bridge on a bike is worth any hardship you endure on this ride. There will be refreshments, entertainment and food at the Staten Island afterparty. Many riders will rest, recharge and socialize before taking the ferries back over to Manhattan. I have no recs for whether to enjoy the music food and community or get on the ferr quickly. We just rode to the rent bike return site, loaded my bike in the car and faced essentially no traffic as we left the island towards Newark, NJ and home. 

Fun ride, take pictures, report back.

Andy Cheatham

Pittsburgh

On Monday, January 8, 2024 at 10:05:33 PM UTC-5 velomann wrote:

[Will M]

Mike, I live a little south of midtown; happy to meet up and ride around the island while you are here.  Happy yo tour guide... some GREAT rides in the area, short or long.  

Ride itself: indeed a rite of passage.  Pedaling up Avenue of the Americas with 32,000 other cyclists... nuthin' like it.  But the bottlenecks created by 32,000 cyclists; oh the bottlenecks!  Check out the crowd on the BQE in 2008: https://www.flickr.com/photos/millhiser/2468043524/in/datetaken-public/

And the backlog in midtown due to the bottleneck/funnel into Central Park: https://www.flickr.com/photos/millhiser/2467209897/in/datetaken-public/ 

Lately, I participate in NYC's advocacy organization Transportation Alternatives who host 50 and 100-mile rides.  Same urban cycling, smaller crowds, better cause.  

Cheers.  --Will  

PS My Ram on a rainy (!) 5-boro tour a few years back: https://www.flickr.com/photos/millhiser/3503640659  

[Joe in the Pay Area]

Andy, Enjoy The Ride !!! You're about to experience one of the greatest cities in the world by pedaling it !!! Forget all the blather about this tire and that chainring and just be a kid again, on a bike, with lots of other bikes, and enjoy it. Go. Out. For. A. Ride. ("Mom? I'm goin' out on my bike.") Maybe even put a baseball card in your spokes to make some noise. Maybe some streamers too?

I have ridden it many, many times, going way back when it was orange vests from AYH, the ride's founder and sole sponsor (until some bank had to get involved). ("AYH" = American Youth Hostels,  a great bike store in its own right, and a go-to outdoor outfitter. R.I.P. AYH.) You'll be on roads that normally won't allow you to enjoy the views you'll now be Inside Of! The only time you can stop On Top Of The Verrazano Narrows Bridge is if a car accident has stopped traffic, so how lucky are you that the span has been closed Just For You?!

It's a ride, Andy. There'll be skinny tire flyers there and also bikes that have last seen daylight during the Truman Administration. But you, Andy, you'll be exactly what you are, a tourist, a Cycling Tourist, with a familiar bike under you and thousands of fellow pedalers surrounding you, so sit back, find a cadence that allows you to see it all, and Enjoy The Ride, kid.

(And if you need a baseball card and a clothespin, lemme know. Alas...I'm all out of streamers.)

(And do your homework. If you spend a week in da Big Apple and don't eat pizza at least 5 times, you've missed out.)

[Doug H.]

This is a ride I want to do in the next few years. I'll be looking forward to your ride report!

Doug

[Michael Morrissey]

Hi,

My wife and I signed up for the tour and will be there! We even payed an extra cost to be in the first wave of riders. I'll be riding my mustard colored Appaloosa (I might even rock my tweed saddlebag) and my wife will be on her extra-small orange Salsa Vaya. I'll be on the lookout for other Rivendell riders other than my main man, Eben Weiss: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as_9Pj_AD3A

Say hi if you see us! 

Michael

On Monday, January 8, 2024 at 10:05:33 PM UTC-5 velomann wrote:

[Brady Smith]

I used to live in Fort Lee, and it was the prospect of commuting across the GWB down to Chelsea and back each day that got me into cycling. 

We moved to Utah mid-pandemic and went back to NYC for the first time last week. I rented a road bike from Bicycle Habitat and did the classic Bear Mountain route. It was all great, but I'd forgotten how much I loved exploring Manhattan on a bike. I never did the Five Boro tour, but it looks like a blast. 

Have fun!

Brady in SLC

[Pam Bikes]

NYC is great to ride.  I just got back from being there 9 days.  Here are my routes.  I flew into LGA and unboxed my bike in baggage claim and rode from there.  Exit Terminal B and turn L down the sidewalk towards the parking deck and then cross the street to 96th.  I rode through Queens across the Queensborogh Bridge to Manhattan.  I didn't go to the Bronx or Staten Island but I rode the other 3 boroughs solo.  Have a blast!   Photo is at Central Park.  

[jeffrey kane]

Apparently, I replied to Pam as "author only" by accident, which, means my high praise and admiration for her absolutely bonkers HERO feat of flying to LGA and unboxing on the spot to tour NYC by bike didn't make it to the larger group here - but it should have (!) 

Amazing, Pam... just amazing!

jsk

[Roy Summer]

Did it once. That was enough. Verrazano was tough at end. Lots of crazies. Right of passage for any rider. Remember, it’s a ride not a race. Bring extra tubes. Be prepared for rain and chilly weather (My daughter and I rode in the wet. Not fun). Ride defensively. Enjoy the sights. As a New Yorker, I can say it’s the fastest I’ve ever gone on the BQE (Brooklyn Queens Expressway). Have fun.

[Ben Cullen]

Pam you made riding from the airport sound so simple, I had to streetview it. Now I have to try it! 

The tour is on my bucket list as well. 

Ben from Guelph

On Thursday, April 11, 2024 at 10:18:47 PM UTC-4 Pam Bikes wrote:

[Michael Morrissey]

Hi Mike!

What did you think of the Five Boro Bike Tour? Did you have fun? 

This was my first time on the ride and I had a great time. For me, I’ve biked a lot in NYC and a lot of the streets are very familiar. But, I would highly recommend it to anyone visiting New York! We did the ride with plenty of stops and at a slow pace, finishing in 5 hours.

I was there on my Appaloosa and saw a few other Rivendells:
Pretty sure I saw a blue Rambouillet first thing in the morning in wave 1.
Pretty sure I saw an Atlantis first thing in the morning in wave 1.
Was passed by a woman on a grey Clem Smith!
Saw a Bleriot at the finish fest!

Unfortunately it was way too crowded and I was too busy hanging out with my wife that I didn’t get to say hi to any Rivendell owners.

I loved that it was a mix of people and bikes. I saw a few people riding department store bikes like Huffys and Nexts but also Moots and Gary Fishers. I didn’t take any pictures because I was too busy enjoying the ride and trying to stay warm (I underestimated how cold and rainy it would be).

Michael

[velomann]

That Was Fun!

Just now getting around to responding - I was in NYC for a week and just flew back into PDX late Thursday night. My only electronics while there was my phone, so I'm just now able to reply to this thread.

As I think I said before, I've only been to NYC once before, on a whirlwind 8th grade east coast trip in 1973. I think the Twin Towers were still under construction then. So everything was essentially new to me, and I tried to make the best use of my time and my bike while I was there. I wore myself out, in the best possible way.

As Michael Morrissey indicated, the weather for the 5 Boros Ride day was...unsettled. Fortunately, we started dry, so waiting with the thousands of other riders for my wave to start (wave 3 of 7, released at 8:40) didn't involve hanging out in the rain. I was wearing a light Shakedry jacket and shorts, and while I packed rain pants and booties, I never put them on and didn't get wet. I was on the course about 5 hours and I think it rained lightly about 1/2 that time. That said, it was cool enough that I didn't linger at the finish line or socialize as much as I would have if the weather had been drier and warmer (as it was the rest of my stay.)

I've done big group rides before here in Portland (Bridge pedal, Sunday Parkways), but this was a whole other level. Waiting to start on Church street, all I could see for blocks ahead and blocks behind me was other riders. And that was just my wave, one-seventh of the total participation. But once we got rolling north, and especially once we got into and through Central Park, it was remarkably smooth and delay-free. Honestly, from stories I'd heard, I was expecting more of a cluster****, and maybe riders behind me experienced more delays, but I was pretty much able to ride the whole course at whatever pace I wanted. I passed A LOT of riders (many walking) on every climb (usually bridges) and A LOT of riders on every descent (usually  bridges.) 

Highlights (just a sampling) Curb-to-curb bike takeover of 6th Avenue through midtown, Central Park, the street corner gospel and jazz and R&B musicians serenading us through Harlem, the cobblestones of Williamsburg, miles of smooth rolling on the BQE, the excitement of the other riders climbing and descending the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge; for many of them they were on the final stretch of the longest ride they had ever done, the surprisingly scenic final 3 miles from the finish to the Staten Island Ferry, and of course the ferry ride back to Manhattan with all the thousands of bikes and riders, passing by the Statue of Liberty.

This was also the maiden travel voyage for my Ritchey Outback Breakaway, and it proved the perfect bike for this ride, and the week. I was able to check it through as regular luggage, and the 650b x 47 tires were perfect for the sometimes rough pavement & cobblestones I encountered during the week.

I'd definitely do the ride again. I'd love to experience it in better weather - I regret kind of rushing through the course and not lingering at the finish, but the weather was deteriorating and I didn't want to stand around in the rain waiting for the ferry (I got right on). But I'd gladly ride it in similar conditions.

I rode around Manhattan and Brooklyn a lot the two days before the ride, trying to get my bearings and a feel for the...unique quality of biking in NYC. I found it absolutely intoxicating. But I can also see how it would be really intimidating to riders not comfortable with the special chaos involved in navigating the dance of cars, trucks, busses, pedestrians, and bikes. I was absolutely fascinated by the bike delivery culture that is ubiquitous in the city now. I saw delivery riders with a backpack for orders, as well as 3 or 4 bags draped on the bars. So Many Meals just flying around the city. And it seems like every restaurant I went into had a counter absolutely stacked with orders waiting to be picked up. I know not everyone is a fan, but that economy must be generating a lot of money, without cars. And the delivery drivers are definitely doing their part training everyone else in the city how to share the space with bikes.

On Tuesday (great sunny weather) I rode across the Brooklyn bridge, through Brooklyn to Prospect Park, and South on the Ocean Perkway bike path (which I heard is the first designated bike path in the U.S.) to Coney Island. Had a hotdog at Nathan's and dipped my feet in the Atlantic, then back through Prospect Park, across the Manhattan Bridge, and back to Midtown. A good, long, satisfying ride.

A few more experiences:

St Patrick's Cathedral

MoMA - I spent hours just going through the 5th floor galleries

Walking the paths around the perimeter of Central Park

I got lost every time I rode south of Canal Street. It would take more than the week I was there to gain the spatial memory necessary to get from Point A to Point B in South Manhattan. 

I got a ticket for running a red light on Christie St. in The Bowery. If you've ever ridden in Manhattan, you know how ironic that is. My first traffic ticket of any kind in over 30 years.

On that note, I really appreciate the role the NYPD played in making the 5 Boros tour so successful. They protected pretty much every intersection of the route for 40 miles, a long with all the volunteers, and even the municipal garbage trucks which were frequently parked to block the side streets adjoining the route. It's a supremely impressive logistical feat pulling off this ride every year, and I tip my cap to everyone involved.

Flickr album here - currently unorganized and uncaptioned: https://www.flickr.com/gp/8199310@N04/37mW4v2AkB

Michael Mann