Five Boro Bike Tour 2014 – Sunday May 4th

2015 update: for info on the 2015 Five Boro Bike Tour

The 2014 Five Boro Bike Tour is this Sunday, May 4th.

New York’s Five Boro Bike Tour is the largest recreational cycling event in the United States. Every year on the first Sunday of May, over 30,000 riders participate in the 42 mile ride around New York City. The route, closed to automobile traffic, takes riders through all five boroughs of New York City, across five major bridges, and finally across New York Harbor on the Staten Island Ferry. It is a lot of fun for cyclists of all skill sets and highly recommended.

When?
The first Sunday in May: May 4, 2014

STAGGERED STARTS & SCHEDULE

In order to minimize congestion along the Tour, riders will begin the Tour in three separate waves. Start times are organized according to the color of your bib and bike plate. See below for details.

Start #1 (BLUE) – 7:45AM
Recommended arrival time: 6:00AM – 7:30AM
Enter at Park Place

Note: The route will begin to close to vehicular traffic at 7:30AM; be sure to take this into account when planning your arrival. We highly recommend that you do not drive to the start area if you are scheduled to depart in the second or third waves.

Start #2 (RED)– 8:30AM
Recommended arrival time: 7:30AM – 8:15AM
Enter at Rector Street

Start #3 (SILVER) – 9:15AM
Recommended arrival time: 8:15AM – 9:00AM
Enter at Battery Place and Greenwich Street
Prior to 8:15AM, Start #3 riders will wait at Battery Park

*In the event that members of a group are assigned different start times, please leave together in a later start time.

*Once the ride starts, the front of the Tour travels at an average of 18 mph, the tail at 6 mph. Cyclists who fall behind will either be SAG’d to the Finish Festival or re-routed to a shortcut to rejoin the pack (see below). Cyclists also have the option of exiting the Tour as the route permits (see below).

*The Finish Festival at Fort Wadsworth, Staten Island, will be open from 10AM to 4PM.

What?
The TD Five Boro Bike Tour Presented by REI is the world’s biggest charity bike ride. Co-produced by Bike New York and the New York City Department of Transportation, this unforgettable event offers 32,000 cyclists the opportunity to bike through all five boroughs–Manhattan, The Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island–on streets totally free of traffic.

Why?
Proceeds from the TD Five Boro Bike Tour fund Bike New York’s free bike education classes. Plus, there’s no better way to experience the Big Apple than by bike. For one day, the roads are yours, the bridges are yours, the city is yours.

How?
Registration for the 2014 TD Five Boro Bike Tour Presented by REI opens at 12PM (noon) EST on January 14, 2014. Standard Registration is $90; VIP Registration is $325. Register at BikeNewYork.org

Where?
New York City (route map)ATTENTION 2014 RIDERS: See below for important information and dates.

Bag restrictions: Backpacks, hydration packs, panniers and bags larger than 420 cubic inches are prohibited at this year’s Tour. You are allowed to bring water bottles, saddle bags, fanny packs, baskets, and bags smaller than 420 cubic inches. Click here for more info.

Rider Number & Start Wave Assignments: Your rider number and start wave assignment will be emailed to you sometime between March 28, 12PM noon EST, and April 11, 12PM noon EST. Print this email (including the barcode) in order to pick up your packet at Bike Expo New York on May 2 & 3.

Finish Festival: The Finish Festival at Fort Wadsworth in Staten Island is closed to the public.

ATTENTION NEW JERSEY CYCLISTS

The Bayonne Bridge will be closed beginning at 9 p.m. Friday, May 2, and continuing through 5 a.m. Monday, May 5, to allow work to proceed on the “Raise the Roadway” project, which will allow larger, more efficient ships to access the region’s port terminals. The scheduled weekend work will allow for the safe removal of portions of the structure of the bridge and for the lifting of large steel and concrete sections onto the bridge. Motorists should consider using the Goethals Bridge as an alternatives. Port Authority has also announced the return of the free weekend Bayonne Bridge shuttle for bicyclists and pedestrians.

Due to the weekend closure of the World Trade Center PATH Station for the duration of 2014, and to accommodate our many fellow TD Five Boro Bike Tour cyclists from New Jersey, NY Waterway has graciously offered to run seven additional early-morning ferries on May 4th from Paulus Hook in Jersey City to the World Financial Center Ferry Terminal in Lower Manhattan, beginning at 6:00 AM and departing thereafter every 15 minutes.