Peddle power in the Big Apple
Whether you are an accomplished rider or a keen enthusiast, you could take part in the biggest recreational cycling event in the US. This spring’s Bike New York’s Five Boro Bike Tour on May 6 is a 42-mile of tour of New York’s famous five boroughs. The gruelling bike ride provides the perfect challenge for sporting travellers eager to take a bigger bite out of the Big Apple.
This 30th annual bike ride is expected to welcome more than 30,000 eager cyclists from all over the world. As its name suggests, the circuit takes in the five boroughs of the city, beginning in downtown Manhattan and finishing on Staten Island with a celebratory festival for tour participants.
The route passes some of the most well-known landmarks in New York, including Central Park and the spectacular the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge leading to Staten Island. The tour is the only time amateur cyclists get the chance to ride the streets of New York without the risk of being run down by cranky yellow cab drivers.
The ride starts in downtown Manhattan as riders join the tour route from Battery Park. Riders travel up the Avenue of the Americas through the midtown skyscraper canyons of Manhattan and into Central Park. The route then goes through Harlem, over to the Bronx and back to Manhattan where you’ll experience a ride down the FDR Drive, a highway where cycles are usually banned.
The Queensborough Bridge takes riders to Queens, along the River Hudson, on to Greenpoint in Brooklyn and along the South Brooklyn waterfront. The route nears its end at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge to Staten Island. A final long climb, then long downhill on the bridge, brings you to Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island and a chance to relax at the festival. Treat yourself to lunch, have a free massage and chill for a while on the grass while you enjoy the live music.
Then it’s off to the Staten Island Ferry for the ride across the harbour to downtown Manhattan. Wave at Lady Liberty as you pass by celebrating your victory.
For full details of the tour’s route and to register for this year’s ride, visit Bike New York’s website, http://www.bikenewyork.org/. The website features special room rates for tour participants in both luxury accommodation and a budget hostel.
Report by Chitra Mogul
Chitra Mogul
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt