Every year about 32,000 cyclists pedal their way through five boroughs of the City, on a 40-mile (64-km) course. The course also goes across five major bridges. The best thing—an entire route, even including bridges and expressways, which is usually filled with cars and don't allow cyclists, will be closed to traffic. The Five Boro Bike Tour is not a race so no need to be competitive—relax and enjoy your best excursion through New York. The event also includes festivities at Bike Expo held at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal.
The Five Boro Bike Tour occurs on the first Sunday in May. This annual event is produced by Bike New York. It was first held on June 12, 1977, called the Five Boro Challenge. About 250 participants covered an 80-mile course.
The Five Boro Bike Tour route begins in Lower Manhattan. It heads to Central Park via Sixth Avenue and continues into Harlem and the Bronx, crossing the Madison Avenue Bridge. After returning to Manhattan, it goes along the East River, crosses the Queensboro Bridge and into Queens. Then the route goes south across the Pulaski Bridge into Brooklyn and ends up in Staten Island passing the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway via the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. You can rent a bike to participate in this ride—it's a unique chance to see NYC without cars!
