There will not be Point/Drop/Sweep as we head non-stop to Syosset. After a short break we'll head out to the Sunken Meadow Park boardwalk. On the way back we'll top off along the highest point in Long Island. Bring $ for lunch and MTA Bike permit. Please check 5BBC Bulletin Board day before ride for possible updates.
Day Rides
Sat, Apr 19, 2014
Spring Training: Sunken Meadow Quick Spin
8:15am
Leaders: TBD
75 miles /
Quick Spin /
Starting at Cunningham Park
Peace Through Understanding
10:30am
Leaders: TBD
20 miles /
Happy Face /
Starting at Cunningham Park
Remember 1964? Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the New York World's Fair as we explore Flushing Meadows Corona Park. 20 very easy miles. Bring lock, $ for lunch, capacity for nostalgia. Rain at start cancels.
Sun, Apr 20, 2014
Ride to Garibaldi/Alice Austin
9:00am
Leaders: TBD
20 to 30 m (weather depend) miles /
Moderate /
Starting at City Hall
Start: City Hall, South Ferry & St. George.
Time: 9:00 AM, CITY HALL, 9:15 South Ferry & 10:00 St. George.
Get transported again on the Staten Island Ferry for scenic riding. You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant--oops wrong song!--it's Cargo's. Visit the home of famed photographer Alice Austen, with gleaming views of New York Bay. She won't be home, but appreciates you coming. Check the trip-related site www.aliceausten.8m.com. Don't worry about Guiseppe Garibaldi, baby. Bring $ for lunch at Cargo's, a lock and a camera.
Croton Reservoir Triple-Cross
9:00am
Leaders: TBD
40 miles /
Moderate /
Starting at Van Cortlandt Park
Find out why this ride is one of the Club's perennial favorites. Have your water and drink it too. Get your fill of Westchester's Croton Reservoir with three lake crossings: the "Old Put" Railroad Bridge, Old Croton Dam (Gate House) Bridge, and the New Croton Dam. We'll ride the Westchester County Trailway, then on a splendiferous (although slightly bumpy) unpaved road along the lake shore. Finally, a visit to the best ice cream north of the Croton River. Ride ends at Croton-Harmon Metro-North station. Bring $ for lunch, $9.75 train fare for return ride, MTA Bike permit. Fat tires recommended but NOT required.
Bungalow Beach Bar Ride
10:00am
Leaders: TBD
50 Miles miles /
Moderate /
Starting at Grand Army Plaza, Prospect Park
A ride down to the Rockaway's stopping at the Bungalow Beach Bar for lunch. We will be on bike paths under the Verranzano to the Rockaways and riding through the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge on the way back. Depending on the group size etc. we may defer lunch until we reach Sheepshead Bay on Emmons Ave. Bring $$ for lunch, snacks, 2 water bottles, a lock, rain gear, spare tubes, and your metro card. Rain at the start cancels the ride. Shooting for 12-15 mph but it's my first ride of the season so it may be closer to 12 than 15. .
Sat, Apr 26, 2014
Spring Training: Stony Point Quick Spin
8:15am
Leaders: TBD
85 miles /
Quick Spin /
Starting at George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal
80 mile ride not hard enough? If you're in serious training for the longest of our Montauk rides try this hilly route at a fast pace. No point/drop/sweep. Rte 9W will be our primary route with some hill-climbing north-west of Haverstraw. Excellent lunch overlooking the Hudson! Check 5BBC Bulletin Board the day before for possible ride updates. Bring $ for lunch.
Spring Training: Sunken Meadow
8:15am
Leaders: TBD
75 miles /
Advanced Moderate /
Starting at Cunningham Park
Now this is a truly great ride! Never mind the training aspect; it's just fun, fun, fun. Bring lock, $ for lunch, your MTA Bike Permit just in case.
The Official Five Boro Monument Bicycle Tour
9:00am
Leaders: TBD
40 miles /
Quick Spin /
Start Location TBD
Meet up: Pelham Bay Park. (just over the walkway, outside of the Pelham Bay subway #6 station) 40 miles, 13-15 NO DAWDLE mph
Yes, there are over 800 monuments – and stories – in the Gotham City. But we'll be visiting only nine of those, scattered in all five of the boroughs. We begin in Pelham Bay Park, in the far northeastern corner of the Bronx, and cycle down through Harlem, then over to Calvary Cemetery in the Queens rustbelt, then over Newton Creek to Fort Greene and back into Manhattan and the Battery. As this is a Five Borough Monument Tour, we paddle over to Staten Island for one last monument. Lunch is at Sisters Caribbean Cuisine in Harlem, halfway through the ride, and Victory brews at the Battery Beer Garden after. Stops include: The Bronx Victory Memorial (Pelhan Bay Park), The Chief Nimham Memorial (Indian Field, Van Cortlandt), The Bill "Bojangles" Robinson Mural (Harlem), The Delacorte Clock (Central Park Zoo), The Calvary Monument (Newton Creek, Queens), The Prison Ship Martyr's Memorial (Fort Greene, Brooklyn), Titanic Park and the American Merchant Marine Memorial in Lower Manhattan. Leaders: Rodney Millard, Jesse Brown. Josh Gosciak
Annual Cherry Blossom Ride
9:45am
Leaders: TBD
30 miles /
Happy Face /
Starting at Greeley Square
This scenic highlight of the spring season takes us through Cherry Blossomland outside Newark not once, but twice. We’ll also go through the Montclairs and depending on weather and our conditions, we’ll lunch in either Upper Montclair. This year, we get a bonus -- the route goes very close to the site of the controversial senior center in Belleville which received $ Millions in Hurricane Sandy money meant for reparations, even though the area is high and dry. Helmets are required; there will be strict observance of Club riding etiquette. Bring money for PATH. We will leave from Greeley Square, just upstairs from the 33rd St terminus of PATH (open space triangle 32nd St and 6th ave). Alternate pickup location is at Newark Penn Station between the bathrooms. Cancellation: 50% predicted chance of precipitation. Call Maggie after 8 am if in doubt
Sun, Apr 27, 2014
Sakura Matsuri, annual Brooklyn Botanic Garden Cherry Blossom Festival
9:00am
Leaders: TBD
20 miles /
Happy Face /
Starting at City Hall
This ride is a resurrection of a popular ride from the Eighties and Nineties. Perhaps not the route, but the destination: the Sakura Matsuri, the annual cherry blossom festival. Fortunately for us, the whole Garden is a gift to the soul. Strange and impossible to visualize but, this was a 39-acre ash heap converted to this Brooklyn treasure. Admission is $10 for Adults & $5 for seniors. http://www.bbg.org/discover/cherries
Steve Faust Memorial Ride
10:00am
Leaders: TBD
25 miles /
Moderate /
Starting at Grand Army Plaza, Prospect Park
Longtime 5BBC member and bicycling advocate Steve Faust passed away last month. We'll talk about Steve's life and accomplishments, and ride by the Verrazano Bridge, the site of Steve's nearly lifelong campaign to get a bicycling and walking access over the bridge. Bring a pencil or pen and some righteous indignation.
NOTE: this ride will take place on Sunday, April 27, 2014 at 10 AM (not Saturday)
Sat, May 3, 2014
Spring Training: Eatons Neck Quick Spin
8:00am
Leaders: TBD
90 miles /
Quick Spin /
Starting at Cunningham Park
The scenery of the North Shore expands on this beautiful trip. If you can handle this 90-miler, you'll have no trouble with the full century coming up. We ride as a group. No point/Drop/Sweep. Check 5BBC website the day before ride for possible updates. Bring snacks, money for lunch in Northport and MTA Bike permit
Bronx Shore Busters
9:00am
Leaders: TBD
15-20 miles /
Moderate /
Starting at Union Square North (17th St) and Park Avenue South
Tomorrow is BNY/5bbt and what better way to prepare the day before than a meander along desolate Bronx streets and parklands with a lunch al fresco at the end? We travel the easternmost shore of the Bronx on Long Island Sound, from Ward's Island, Soundview Park, Pugsley Creek, Throgs Neck Bridge and Locust Point, where we'll dine Italiano at the world famous Ice House, and return to Manhattan via the #6 train at Westchester Square. Note: The views from the Ice House as well as along the way are incredible, so bring a camera. Also Note: In some parts we'll be traveling on newly opened parkland and will need to occasionally portage over a few muddy fields and traverse a gravel bike path; we'll also ride through a cemetery, but on an asphalt roadway. (No railroad crossings, we promise!) 20 miles in all, unless you want to bike back to Manhattan.
MEET UP: 9:00 am, Union Sq North (17 St) at Park Ave South; 10:00 am entrance to the RFK Bridge Bike Path
From Blessings to Expo
9:00am
Leaders: TBD
10 miles miles /
Happy Face /
Starting at Cathedral of St. John the Divine
Saturday May 3, 2014 -- This is the day before BIKE NEW YORK/ The Five Boro Bike Tour
9:00 a.m. SHARP! For Blessing of the Bike St John the Divine 110th and Amsterdam Ave.
We have just had our bikes blessed. Now lets go to the BIKE NEW YORK EXPO!
Do you have your ride packet? Do you need anything for the BNY ride?
Want to learn more about the newest bike-related equipment?
Ed and Liz will lead you from the Church to Basketball City.
Meet in front of the Church right after the Blessing of the Bikes.
Sun, May 4, 2014
Spaghetti & Meatballs
9:30am
Leaders: TBD
28 miles /
Moderate /
Starting at Eleanor Roosevelt Statue
Ever look at a map of the Jersey side of the GWB? So many controlled-access highways, it looks like a plate of spaghetti. Learn some inventive ways to navigate those noodles while taking a roll/stroll through the lovely green "meatballs" amidst the highways: Flat Rock Nature Preserve, Overpeck County Park, and Teaneck Creek Conservancy. Find out what mysteries lurk behind Strictly Bicycles, and discover one of the easiest climbs up the Palisades. There are two brief (~1/2 mile) stretches where we will dismount and walk through nature trails--be prepared! For folks not planning on marshaling or riding in the Five Borough Bike Tour, which is happening the same day.
Thu, May 8, 2014
Zen and the Art of Bicycle Touring (Class and Rides)
6:30pm
Leaders: TBD
40 miles /
Moderate /
Starting at Please contact Ride Leader
If you've been wanting to do a self-contained multi-day bike tour but didn't know where to start or weren't comfortable about just giving it a try, then this is the class for you. This mini-SIG will start with a 2-hour indoor class during the week. A few days later there will be a typical 5BBC day trip but with discussions at various points about bike touring. The following week we will do a loaded trip (with the weight and bags that would be used on a tour, and with more teaching during the trip) to the same place to see the difference carrying gear makes (Hint: it's not as hard as some may think, just a bit slower). The optional graduation the following weekend will be a loaded weekend trip.
The SIG will cover the details of bike touring (what to bring, how to pack it, etc.) as well as some mental attitudes (this is very loosely the Zen part) that can help you enjoy the ride. Since we will be riding with our touring gear on the 2nd ride and actually using what we brought on the weekend, when you are done with this SIG you'll have the experience of actually having done a multi-day bike tour.
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The rides will be members only and registration is required. Limited to 12 members. Day rides on Saturday 5/10 and 5/17 at 9:00 AM starting in Manhattan. Weekend trip will be over Memorial Day weekend starting 5/24.
Pages
Ride Type Descriptions
Happy Face Rides: Just starting to get into cycling or perhaps you're nervous about riding in the city? These rides are low mileage and go at a leisurely, slow pace under 10 mph. They may or may not have point, drop, sweep but everyone rides together in a group. Great for beginners!
Moderate Rides: Do you like to cycle and still see the sights? These rides range from 12-15 mph with point, drop, sweep. Suitable for intermediate riders as well as advanced riders who want more of a tour.
Advanced Moderate Rides: Like to challenge yourself without getting so out of breath that you can't carry on a conversation with the cyclists near you? These rides are 15-17 mph with point, drop, sweep. Suitable for intermediate and advanced riders looking to see the scenery, but not dawdle.
Quick Spin Light Rides: Feel like you're ready to start really pushing faster? These rides range from 16-19 mph with minimal stops and limited point, drop, sweep. Suitable for intermediate and advanced riders who can keep a steady, fast pace for extended periods of time. If this is your first time trying one of these rides, check in with the leader for details and make sure you have a Metro Card, MetroNorth or LIRR pass and bike permit in case you need to drop out.
Quick Spin Rides: Not for the faint of heart! These rides are 17-20+ mph with minimal stops and no point, drop, sweep. Advanced cyclists only need apply.
