The 5 Boro Bike Tour is back on Sunday, May 3.
Photo courtesy of Bike New York
More than 30,000 persistent pedalers will take to the streets on Sunday, May 3, for the 48th annual Five Boro Bike Tour.
The massive communal ride spans 40 miles, starting in lower Manhattan and ending on Staten Island. Along the way, cyclists swing through Central Park, cross the Queensboro and Pulaski bridges, and see a huge cross-section of Brooklyn — from Greenpoint to Park Slope and all the way down to Bay Ridge — before making their final push onto the Verrazzano Bridge.
Here’s everything you need to know about the tour, road closures in Brooklyn, and more.
When does it start, what’s available on the route, and where can I watch?
The Five Boro Bike Tour kicks off in lower Manhattan at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 3. Participants will start in five waves, with the fifth wave leaving at 10:30 a.m. The tour is not a race, and it will likely take each wave several hours to move all the way through the route.
In Brooklyn, cyclists will cross into Greenpoint on the Pulaski Bridge, head south through Williamsburg, Clinton Hill and Fort Greene, loop through Brooklyn Heights and Dumbo, then enter the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway to speed down to the Verrazzano Bridge.
The 5 Boro Bike Tour route spans 40 miles. Image courtesy of Bike New York
For riders, the tour offers rest stops, fluid stations, bathrooms and bike repair services.
In Brooklyn, there will be a rest station at Commodore Barry Park and water stations at Brooklyn Bridge Park and on the BQE in Gowanus, according to the tour program. Repair services are available at both the Brooklyn Bridge Park and Gowanus water stations, and bathrooms are available at all rest and water stops.
There will be official cheer zones and live entertainment along the route, but you can also watch and encourage riders from anywhere along the route!
What streets are closed, and when?
A number of local streets will be closed on Sunday to make way for the tour. Closures are likely to begin at midnight on May 3 and continue through 7 p.m., though exact timing will vary – keep an eye on signs posted on your local streets to determine when and if your route will be impacted.
A number of roads will be closed to make way for cyclists. Photo courtesy of Bike New York
Here are the streets that will be closed, according to the Department of Transportation:
McGuiness Boulevard between Pulaski Bridge and Greenpoint Avenue
Java Street between McGuinness Boulevard and Franklin Street
Greenpoint Avenue between McGuinness Boulevard and Franklin Street
Franklin Street between Java Street and North 14th Street
Kent Avenue between North 14th Street and Williamsburg Street West
Williamsburg Street West between Kent Avenue and Flushing Avenue
Flushing Avenue between Williamsburg Street West and Navy Street
North Elliot Place between Flushing Avenue and Park Avenue
Navy Street between Flushing Avenue and York Street
York Street between Navy Street and Gold Street
Cadman Plaza West between Prospect Street and Tillary Street
Tillary Street between Cadman Plaza West and Adams Street
Brooklyn Bridge Promenade between Tillary Street and Centre Street
Gold Street between York Street and Front Street
Front Street between Gold Street and Old Fulton Street
Old Fulton between Furman Street and Front Street
Old Fulton between Front Street and Cadman Plaza West/Prospect Street
Furman Street between Old Fulton Street and Atlantic Avenue
Atlantic Avenue between Furman Street and Columbia Street
Columbia Street between Atlantic Avenue and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway West entrance at Columbia Street
Brooklyn-Queens Expressway/Gowanus Expressway between BQE West entrance Columbia Street and the Verrazano Bridge
Verrazano Bridge Lower Level (Staten Island-bound)