Northeast - Tour de Brooklyn 2011

Pretty early, but it looks like the website has been updated:


Sunday, June 5th 2011 @ 9AM (8AM sign-in)
18mi round trip from Prospect Heights with a rest stop at Canarsie Pier.
Registration to open in May, no firm date yet.
$5.00 for Transportation Alternatives members
$10.00 for non-members
http://tourdebrooklyn.org/about_the_ride

It's roughly about 12 or 13 mi. between the two points, I'm curious how the route will eat up the remaining miles. I guess we won't find out until we get the cue sheet on the day of, right?

This is good news. It is a family -style ride, but I still like it.

on one hand, I'm very interested in doing this, from a cycling point of view, I know brooklyn the least of the boroughs but man, after the debacle that was the tour de bronx, I don't know that I trust to ride another one of these things. Who has ridden them in the past? do they start on time? do they start within an hour and a half of the start time??

It's roughly about 12 or 13 mi. between the two points, I'm curious how the route will eat up the remaining miles. I guess we won't find out until we get the cue sheet on the day of, right?

No cue sheet. It's always been a group ride, out and back, with a rest stop in between. Police escort and volunteers generally hold traffic so there aren't too many stops for red lights.

Ah, okay. I remember getting one for the Tour de Bronx, which has been the only Tour de Boro I've done.

I should've said 12 or 13 mi round trip between the two points. Maybe the extra 5 miles will come from bypassing Brownsville...

Shore Parkway is the BEST route in Brooklyn!

Bump.

I'll be coming from Forest Park and giving myself a 9mi tour of Glendale, Ridgewood, Bushwick, and Bed-Stuy on the way down to the start point @ 883 Classon Ave.

The Tour de Brooklyn site says the route goes through eastern & southeastern Brooklyn. However, unless we come back up through, say, Victorian Flatbush, I have a pretty low expectation for scenery on this trip. At least it shouldn't be too hot outside.

I wonder if Marty Markowitz will be there? :love:

on one hand, I'm very interested in doing this, from a cycling point of view, I know brooklyn the least of the boroughs but man, after the debacle that was the tour de bronx, I don't know that I trust to ride another one of these things. Who has ridden them in the past? do they start on time? do they start within an hour and a half of the start time??

Even though it was a debacle, I really enjoyed that ride, the Bronx is very scenic. You mus admit, the Bronx has some really nice parks. I plan to do that tour this year as well, well I plan to do all of them.
I think it is the longest tour at around 25 or 26 miles.

Shore Parkway is the BEST route in Brooklyn!
I'm only experienced w/the section east of Brighton Beach, but it's def not that great:
- Tons of broken glass (hope you have kevlar lined tires)
- Tons of construction on some of the bridges, one diversion to a temp bridge.
- On one of those bridges west of Canarsie, you're basically on a sidewalk, 4 feet away from 55mph+ traffic, totally exposed.
- On another one, you're going across some rickety, dried-out wooden planking that probably dates from the 60s
- Belt Pkwy fumes
- Has Plumb Beach been fixed yet?

On the plus side, it's usually pretty empty, and the section close to Howard beach has been redone w/proper lanes & markings.

I'm only experienced w/the section east of Brighton Beach, but it's def not that great:
- Tons of broken glass (hope you have kevlar lined tires)
- Tons of construction on some of the bridges, one diversion to a temp bridge.
- On one of those bridges west of Canarsie, you're basically on a sidewalk, 4 feet away from 55mph+ traffic, totally exposed.
- On another one, you're going across some rickety, dried-out wooden planking that probably dates from the 60s
- Belt Pkwy fumes
- Has Plumb Beach been fixed yet?

On the plus side, it's usually pretty empty, and the section close to Howard beach has been redone w/proper lanes & markings.


You've got to be kidding, right? If you have that many problems with the Shore Parkway, I'd hate to see what you think of biking in the REST of the city!

Any construction diversion is temporary. Its cleaner, emptier, and dare I say prettier than the West Side, thats for sure...Ride it down to Coney and then try taking Ocean Parkway back for comparison.

Wow. Hard to believe registration is still open less than 48 hours before the ride begins. I guess charging a fee has really diminished interest.

I'm only experienced w/the section east of Brighton Beach, but it's def not that great:
- Tons of broken glass (hope you have kevlar lined tires)
- Tons of construction on some of the bridges, one diversion to a temp bridge.
- On one of those bridges west of Canarsie, you're basically on a sidewalk, 4 feet away from 55mph+ traffic, totally exposed.
- On another one, you're going across some rickety, dried-out wooden planking that probably dates from the 60s
- Belt Pkwy fumes
- Has Plumb Beach been fixed yet?

On the plus side, it's usually pretty empty, and the section close to Howard beach has been redone w/proper lanes & markings.

I'm not thrilled with the section east of Knapp Street.
Actually the only section that is decent is the one from the 69th Street pier to under the Verranzano.
Plumb Beach is still a bunch of sandbags and the next bridge east is always full of glass.
Once over that bridge I head up Flatbush over to the Rockaway side and take that out to Queens/Long Island.
That is a much more pleasant and safer ride.

Wow. Hard to believe registration is still open less than 48 hours before the ride begins. I guess charging a fee has really diminished interest.

I don't really think it's the money per se.
I think it's the effort required to register.

You've got to be kidding, right? If you have that many problems with the Shore Parkway, I'd hate to see what you think of biking in the REST of the city!

Any construction diversion is temporary. Its cleaner, emptier, and dare I say prettier than the West Side, thats for sure...Ride it down to Coney and then try taking Ocean Parkway back for comparison.
I enjoy riding elsewhere in the city and have run over my share of glass on various pedestrian overpasses or random streets in Qns / Bkln. But I've come across full 20' stretches where the entire path is literally carpeted in bottle shards. Also, I'm pretty sure the current bridge rehab along the belt is a multi-year project.

I agree that it can be scenic, though. It was totally surreal seeing a rider on horseback along the beach once.