2023 Five Boro Bike Tour
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2023 Five Boro Bike Tour
I put a thread in the NE Regional discussion but thought I should post here as well. Registration opened today for NYC's annual ride around the City. After years of saying "I'll do it someday," I finally registered for this May's event.
Anyone else taking the plunge for the first time? Any advice from returnees? This should be fun.
Anyone else taking the plunge for the first time? Any advice from returnees? This should be fun.
#2
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I'm thinking of doing it. It would be my first time. If I do it, i will be taking my time and enjoying the sights. I did the DC bike ride last year and raced through it. It was fun. but i think i would enjoy it more at a moderate pace with others. It would be a social ride
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Do you have a link to the event?
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It's a blast. 40000 of us on closed roads and highways.
The first bridge is the first hill and the crap-outs are legion, causing everyone behind to get out and walk. Good time to snap a photo of the guy in team kit walking his Pinarello Dogma uphill.
Next time, if it's chilly I'll bring some old sweats that I can toss at the start. I'm riding the GFNY this year instead of the 5Boro.
The first bridge is the first hill and the crap-outs are legion, causing everyone behind to get out and walk. Good time to snap a photo of the guy in team kit walking his Pinarello Dogma uphill.
Next time, if it's chilly I'll bring some old sweats that I can toss at the start. I'm riding the GFNY this year instead of the 5Boro.

Last edited by BTinNYC; 01-13-23 at 12:53 PM.
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Are there two threads titled
2023 Five Boro Bike Tour?
#7
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An FYI for anyone considering doing it who hasn't before. If you are expecting your average bike tour, this isn't that. If you get to the front and get a Xcross start, then you can ride in a pack with some quick riders, if not that, then you will be stopping and walking, and dodging "cyclists" of all types and abilities most of the way. Not trying to discourage anyone from doing it, just letting folks know what it will be like.
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Walking your bicycle throughout the 5Boro doesn't sound like fun at all.
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You don't. You tend to ride slowly amongst thousands of folks who have poor to mediocre cycling skills. You go slow. If you are not at the front of the masses at the start, you find yourself walking the bike for many, many blocks before the mass of riders finally gets going. Same thing on the bridges. You do need to be careful as a lot of folks do stupid things. You do not say "Oh, 42 miles, I usually average 12 mph, so 3-1/2 hrs". Doesn't work that way, unless you start in the front, which as BTW is hard go get to, and can get moving quick and soon. It's not my cup of tee, for sure.
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#10
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Sounds like RAGBRAI. If you 're not at the front, it's like being an insect stuck in amber. You go the speed of the morass of people who ride once a year. You can't pass when everyone is shoulder-to-shoulder all the way across the road, and if they're going 8 mph, so are you. With RAGBRAI, the best chance of getting some maneuvering room is to bypass the first two rest stops.