Tour de Brooklyn

May is Bike Month NYC. On Sunday, May 25th I participated in the 4th Annual Tour de Brooklyn, a free 18-mile non-competitive bike ride through Brooklyn. It was my second day as a bike-owner and a great way to break in my new ride. Here I am sporting my spiffy new bike helmet.The ride began under the Brooklyn Bridge, which just turned 125 years old! Here's a picture of the pre-race crowd. You can see the Manhattan Bridge in the background.
The ride had just over 2,000 participants. It was exciting to be a part of something with that many people all excited about the same activity. We stopped from time-to-time on the road, which was a little annoying at times. I don't know if the stops were meant to keep the bikers closer together or to wait for traffic to be blocked. Some of the motorists along the way were not happy to wait at intersections for 2,000 bikers to pass by. Neither were some of the pedestrians. But there were many people cheering and having a good time as they watched. Many of them wanted to know why we were biking. We also had a mandatory food and water stop along the way. We also rode through the Brooklyn Navy Yards. The picture below was taken during one of our stops. If this picture were bigger, you would be able to see the crowd of bikers stretching over the hill in the background.
Transportation Alternatives sponsored the Tour. I mentioned this organization in a previous post as a group that I am excited about. TA's mission is "to reclaim New York City's streets from the automobile, and to advocate for bicycling, walking and public transit as the best transportation alternatives." Unlike many (or most) other cities, New York is ideal for these alternate forms of transit and I am happy to be able to participate in them. However, as a new biker on the streets, I am beginning to more fully understand some of the obstacles bikers and walkers are faced with. (I'll mention some of these in a future post.) I am glad to have TA as an advocate.

If you're planning to be in Brooklyn on June 7th of next year, let me know and I'll find a rental bike for you! The Tour de Brooklyn is a great way to see different areas of the borough and I'd be glad for new fellow riders!