Tens of thousands of cyclists from across the nation and around the globe turned out for this weekend’s Five Boro Bike Tour, pedaling 40 miles on car-free streets to support free bicycle education programming.
The 45th iteration of the bike tour on Sunday drew 32,000 cyclists from all 50 states and 34 different countries, according to the event organizer Bike New York. Participants ranged in age from 3 to 93 years old.
Cyclists jaunted along the route starting in lower Manhattan, up through Harlem and briefly crossing into the Bronx before returning to Manhattan along the East River. Then, they crossed the Queensboro Bridge and rode along the Queens and Brooklyn waterfronts before crossing the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and hitting the finish line on Staten Island.
Aside from thousands of spectators, riders along the route were cheered on by copious entertainment, including jazz, gospel, DJs, Latin music, and even cheerleaders. More entertainment awaited in the annual festival at the finish line.
The tour supports Bike New York’s free bike education programs that are utilized by thousands of Big Apple residents. Adults and kids can learn the basics of riding a bike, maintenance practices, bike tuning, and what they should look for when buying a bicycle.
The Five Boro Bike Tour has taken place since 1977 and has been sponsored by TD Bank since 2007. The tour has gone on every year since except 1991, after losing its original sponsor Citibank, and 2020, when it was canceled at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. With this year’s tour, Bike New York says that more than 1 million cyclists have participated over the years.
