Five Borough Bicycle Club

Your membership keeps our day rides free. If you are a 5BBC member, thank you! If you are not a 5BBC member and enjoy our day rides, please give us your support. For only $20 per year, enjoy the benefits of membership in New York's friendliest bike club.

Get the 5BBC Weekly Update! All members are eligible to receive this weekly newsletter that summarizes the upcoming weekend's 5BBC rides and other Club-related or bicycling events. If you are a Club member and would like to subscribe, drop a note to communications@5bbc.org.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Day Ride

TEMPERATURE REGULATORS

9:00 AM, Pelham Parkway & White Plains Road, Bronx (SE corner), 30 miles or so at a 15 mph pace. No Point/Drop/Sweep

Unique and interesting experiences await you throughout the five boroughs and Westchester County on these brisk weather brisk paced rides. Temperatures below 30 degrees or wet weather cancels. Call Jesse at 917-578-2244 for inquiries.
Leaders: Rodney Millard & Jesse Brown

Day Ride

POLAR PANCAKES

9:30 AM Eleanor Roosevelt statue (W.72 St & Riverside Drive), 41 miles 13-14 mph pace, Flat terrain with two bridge crossings

Let's take a ride through Brooklyn to join the Coney Island Polar Bear Club (www.polarbearclub.org) for their traditional New Year's Day celebration benefitting Camp Sunshine for children with serious illnesses. Along the way we'll stop for brunch at a kosher restaurant for scrumptious pancakes and waffles. Then head down to the boardwalk for the polar bear swim at 1 PM. Return to the start at 3:30 PM. Bring lock, money for brunch and dress warmly. Rain or snow cancels.
Leaders: Geoff Cohen and Dana Hudes

Day Ride

FROSTBITE #5 NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN

10:00 AM, Plaza Hotel 5th Ave and 59 St, Manhattan, 30 miles slow to moderate pace

Elly Spangenberg's perennial ride. Smell fresh roses at one of the foremost American public gardens. Take a look at the Holiday Train Show. Go to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory for "A World of Plants" in a warm environment. For more info, see http://nybg.org/ Bring a camera, lock, $ for lunch and $6 admission.
Leaders: Ed DeFreitas & TBA

Day Ride

TRAINING IN BERGEN - #1

10:15 AM, Strictly Bicycles, 2347 Hudson Terrace, Ft. Lee, NJ, 30-35 miles Quick Spin No Point/Drop/Sweep 15 mph Avg

Are you already a strong rider who wants to improve handling and navigational skills? Do you want to see what Bergen County has to offer cyclists besides Route 9W? This series will help maintain a solid base for Spring events. Eateries will be in Ft Lee/Englewood area. Riders must RSVP Diane at 330 414-7472 or dianegoodwin@yahoo.com - by Wednesday prior to ride.
Leaders: Diane Goodwin & TBA

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Day Ride

TEMPERATURE REGULATORS

9:00 AM, Pelham Parkway & White Plains Road, Bronx (SE corner), 30 miles or so at a 15 mph pace, no Point/Drop/Sweep

Day Ride

THE GREATEST GRID - MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK

10 AM, City Hall, Manhattan, Happy Face Ride, 12-14 leisurely miles

Imagine our entire city designed like the West Village, finding yourself in a maze never to see the rest of civilization again (that's probably why people live there). But for the rest of us, we've been saved by the Grid System. Find out what this plan did to make New York City so manageable. We'll see the plans from the past and what might be coming down the road, at the Museum of the City of New York; a museum with some great New York City exhibits! Visit www.mcny.org Bring $6 for admission, as well as money for food at a local eatery. Rain,snow or icy conditions at start cancels.
Leaders: Richard Sanford & Bob Castro

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Day Ride

TEMPERATURE REGULATORS

9:00 AM, Pelham Parkway & White Plains Road, Bronx (SE corner), 30 miles or so at a 15 mph pace. No Point/Drop/Sweep

Day Ride

FROSTBITE SERIES #6 - RIDE TO GARABALDI/ALICE AUSTEN

9:45 AM, City Hall/ 10:15 AM, South Ferry 20-30 miles 12-13 mph pace

Get transported again on the SI Ferry for scenic riding. You can get anything you want at Alice's restaurant - oops Cargo's. Visit the home of famed photographer Alice Austen, with gleaming views of New York Bay. She's not at home but appreciates your visiting. Check the website www.aliceausten.org. Don't worry about Guisseppe Garibaldi, baby. Bring $ for lunch at CARGO'S, lock & digital camera.
Leaders: Ed Defreitas & TBA

Day Ride

TRAINING IN BERGEN - #2

10:00 AM, Strictly Bicycles, 2347 Hudson Terrace, Ft.Lee, NJ, 30-50 miles, Quick Spin No Point/Drop/Sweep. 15 mph avg

Are you already a strong rider who wants to improve handling and navigational skills? Do you want to see what Bergen County offers besides Route 9W? This series will help maintain a solid base for Spring events.Eateries will be in the Ft. Lee/Englewood area. Riders must RSVP Diane at 330 414-7472 or dianegoodwin@yahoo.com - by the Wednesday prior to ride.
Leaders: Diane Goodwin & TBA

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Day Ride

[CANCELED] CELEBRATE MLK WEEKEND IN BERGEN COUNTY

9:00 AM, Eleanor Roosevelt Statue (W. 72nd and Riverside Drive), Manhattan, 45 miles with a few steep hills. Moderate pace.

Shake the winter blahs and enjoy the company of your bike friends for lunch in Bergen County to celebrate MLK weekend. We will do a touring pace through residential areas with lots of pretty houses and trees. There will be some straight stretches where you can spin if you want to. Lunch at one of the nicer diners in Emerson or thereabouts. Rain, snow, or temperatures below 30 F at start cancels. Bring money for lunch.
Leaders: Julie Blackburn & Leo Cairo

Day Ride

[CANCELED] TEMPERATURE REGULATORS

9:00 AM, Pelham Parkway & White Plains Road, Bronx (SE corner), 30 miles or so at a 15 mph pace. No Point/Drop/Sweep

Day Ride

[CANCELED] WINTER JOURNEY TO FILLMORE'S

10:00 AM, Kew Gardens, Statue of Civic Virtue (Union Turnpike & Queens Boulevard), Queens. 25-30 easy flat miles.

Take an easy, flat ride through the borough of Queens, circle the globe, and settle down for a great lunch at Fillmore's Tavern, a bike-friendly restaurant with a pub-like atmosphere. Bring $10 lunch money and a bike lock for this warm winter journey.
Leaders: Ed Pino & Liz Baum

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Day Ride

TEMPERATURE REGULATORS

9:00 AM, Pelham Parkway & White Plains Road, Bronx (SE corner), 30 miles or so at a 15 mph pace. No Point/Drop/Sweep

Day Ride

FROSTBITE RIDE #7- UNCLE GEORGE'S GREEK TAVERN

10:00 AM, City Hall, 30 miles, slow to moderate pace

Ride Into Queens, the borough that brought to the 5BBC Phil Goldberg, Brian Hoberman, Ira Najowitz, Manny Sanudo and David Seto. Feast on Greek cuisine in Astoria. We'll have excursions to Socrates Sculpture Park and other waterfront delights on the East River. Maybe an aerial ride back to Manhattan. Bring lock, $ for lunch and a disposable camera.
Leaders: Ed Defreitas & TBA

Day Ride

[CANCELED] TRAINING IN BERGEN - #3

10:00 AM, Strictly Bicycles, 2347 Hudson Terrace, Ft.Lee, NJ, 30-50 miles Quick Spin No Point/Drop/Sweep 15 mph Avg

Are you already a strong rider who wants to improve handling and navigational skills? Do you want to see what Bergen County has to offer besides Route 9W? This series will help maintain a solid base for Spring events. Eateries will be in Ft. Lee/Englewood area. Riders must RSVP Diane @ 330 414-7472 or dianegoodwin@yahoo.com - by Wednesday prior to ride.
Leaders: Diane Goodwin & TBA

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Day Ride

[CANCELED] TEMPERATURE REGULATORS

9:00 AM, Pelham Parkway & White Plains Road, Bronx (SE corner), 30 miles or so at a 15 mph pace. No Point/Drop/Sweep

Day Ride

[CANCELED] CONEY ISLAND WATERFRONT

10:00 AM Prospect Park (Grand Army Plaza). 30-40 miles Pace: Moderate. Flat terrain

We'll stop for a square or two (pizza, that is) Heading to Coney Island and the waterfront our trip will take us through some of the tree-lined streets of Bklyn that boast Victorian homes of an era long gone by. Bring lock, camera and money for lunch.
Leaders: Rudy Paulich and Kathryn Baur

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Day Ride

TEMPERATURE REGULATORS

9:00 AM, Pelham Parkway & White Plains Road, Bronx (SE corner), 30 miles or so at a 15 mph pace. No Point/Drop/Sweep

Day Ride

FROSTBITE RIDE #8- SNUG HARBOR & THE NEW YORK CHINESE SCHOLAR'S GARDEN

10:00 AM, City Hall, 20 miles, slow-moderate pace

New Frostbite Ride! We'll take the Path train to the wilds of New Jersey. Then we'll bike down to and over the Bayonne bridge into Staten Island. From there the Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden is only a few miles more. This historic, beautiful and former haven for retired sailors is a pleasing sight. To put a cherry on top, there's the New York Chinese Scholar's Garden, where you can pre-celebrate Chinese New Year's a day earlier. See www.snug-harbor.org
Leaders: Ed Defreitas & TBA

Day Ride

[CANCELED] TRAINING IN BERGEN- #4

10:00 AM, Strictly Bicycles, 2347 Hudson Terrace, Ft.Lee,NJ 30-50 miles Quick Spin No Point/Drop/Sweep. 15mph Avg

Are you already a strong rider who wants to improve handling and navigational skills? Do you want to see what Bergen County has to offer besides Route 9W? This series will help maintain a solid base for Spring events. Eateries will be in the Ft. Lee/Englewood area. Riders must RSVP Diane at 330 414-7472 or dianegoodwin@yahoo.com - by Wednesday prior to ride.
Leaders: Diane Goodwin & TBA

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Day Ride

ALPINE TO HOBOKEN

9:00 AM, George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal, W 178th St & Ft. Washington Ave, Manhattan, 35 miles at 15 mph pace, flat with a few hills

Good pace ride up Rt 9W to Alpine Police Station. Return directly back to Path train in Hoboken. Dress warmly, bring water bottle(s), two spare tubes, $ for possible lunch in Hoboken and $2.50 PATH train fare.
Leaders: Dennis Griffin and Julie Blackburn

Day Ride

TEMPERATURE REGULATORS

9:00 AM, Pelham Parkway & White Plains Road, Bronx (SE corner), 30 miles or so at a 15 mph pace. No Point/Drop/Sweep.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Day Ride

TEMPERATURE REGULATORS

9:00 AM, Pelham Parkway & White Plains Road, Bronx (SE corner), 30 miles or so at a 15 mph pace. No Point/Drop/Sweep.

Day Ride

FROSTBITE RIDE #9 - CONEY ISLAND DREAMIN' ON SUCH A WINTER'S DAY

10:00 AM, City Hall, Manhattan, 30 miles, moderate pace

To Brooklyn, the borough of churches, we will go. Ride to the serene waterfronts of Verrazano and Coney Island. Have lunch at Totonno's renowned for prized pizza since 1924. Read about the place on Wikipedia: http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Totonno's Some facts: pizza was first developed by the ancient Greeks and was brought over to America by Italian and Greek immigrants. Get that mozzarella! Bring lock, $ for food and a camera.
Leaders: Ed Defreitas & TBA

Day Ride

TRAINING IN BERGEN - #5

10:00 AM, Strictly Bicycles, 2347 Hudson Terrace, Ft Lee, NJ 30-50 miles Quick Spin No Point/Drop/Sweep 15 mph Avg

Are you already a strong rider who wants to improve handling and navigational skills? Do you want to see what Bergen County has to offer besides Route 9W? This series will help maintain a solid base for Spring events. Eateries will be in the Ft. Lee/Englewood area. Riders must RSVP Diane @ 330 414-7472 or dianegoodwin@yahoo.com - by Wednesday prior to ride.
Leaders: Diane Goodwin & TBA

9:00 AM, Eleanor Roosevelt Statue, 72 St and Riverside Dr., Manhattan 50 miles,moderate pace, a few steep hills

Shake the winter blahs & enjoy the company of bike friends for lunch in Bergen county. We will do a touring pace through residential areas in a route with lots of twists and turns. Pretty houses and trees. There will be some straight stretches for those who want to spin. Lunch in Westwood. Rain,snow or temperatures below 30 degrees at start cancels. Bring money for lunch.
Leaders: Julie Blackburn & Leo Cairo

Hills without leaving the East river. First ride over the Brooklyn bridge. Then the Manhattan bridge. Go through the lower East Side. No Katz's please, maybe a pickle! Now the Williamsburg bridge. Ok now north along Bedford, STAY AWAY FROM THE RESTAURANTS!. We'll eat later. Hop over Newtown Creek via the Pulaski bridge. Pass Long Island City, maybe a museum or an island hop. Now that you've rested, the Queenborough brige looms on the horizon. So, up we go. We'll follow the east River south to a bike-friendly pizzeria. Yeah, but I'm not buying! Bring money for lunch and bike lock.
Leaders: Ed Defreitas & TBA

10:00 AM, Strictly Bicycles, 2347 Hudson Terrace, Ft. Lee, NJ, 30-50 miles Quick Spin No Point/Drop/Sweep 15 mph Avg

Are you already a strong rider who wants to improve handling and navigational skills? Do you want to see what Bergen County has to offer besides Route 9W? This series will help maintain a solid base for Spring events. Eateries will be in the Ft Lee/Englewood area. Riders must RSVP Diane at 330 414-7472 or dianegoodwin@yahoo.com - by Wednesday before ride.
Leaders: Diane Goodwin & TBA

It's winter. It's cold. It's time to give ourselves a rich, sweet treat, as we make our way to Brooklyn for a choice of cupcakes, cheesecake or Italian pasteries (sandwiches and Brooklyn pizza also are available). We'll climb over a bridge and work up an appetite for a winter's delight. Bring lock and money for food. Rain, snow or extremely cold temperatures will cancel-check bulletin board the early morning of the ride or follow billm45s on Twitter for an update.
Leaders: Bill Mastro & Susan Levine

Another excursion to the borough of churches, Brooklyn. We'll check out the Shore Parkway greenway that is cycled on Bicycle Beach Bum rides with a glimpse of the Atlantic ocean. Plus check out the Sheepshead Bay footbridge (info:www.placematters.net/node/1478) Bring lock,$ for lunch and a camera.
Leaders: Ed DeFreitas & TBA

10:00 AM, Strictly Bicycles, 2347 Hudson Terrace, Ft.Lee, NJ 30-50 miles Quick Spin No Point/Drop/Sweep 15 mph Avg

Are you already a strong rider who wants to improve handling and navigational skills? Do you want to see what Bergen County has to offer besides Route 9W? This series will help maintaiin a solid base for Spring events. Eateries will be in Ft. Lee/Englewood area. Riders must RSVP Diane at 330 414-7472 or dianegoodwin@yahoo.com - by Wednesday before ride.
Leaders: Diane Goodwin & TBA

Never rode with the 5BBC? What better way to break the winter doldrums than a fun ride to Coney Island ? We'll make our way to Coney Island via the Shore Parkway Bike Path and enjoy the views of the Brooklyn waterfront. Once we arrive at our destination we can sit down to the best pizza in Brooklyn at Totonno's (http://www.zagat.com/r/totonnos-pizzeria-napolitano-brooklyn). Bring locks and money for lunch. Rain, snow or temperatures below 32 degrees at the start cancels the ride.
Leaders: Andrea Casertano and Rudy Paulich

10:00 AM, Kew Gardens, Statue of Civic Virtue (Union Turnpike & Queens Boulevard), Queens. 25-30 easy flat miles

Designed by Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux after their success with Central Park, Prospect Park, with 562 acres of woodland, meadows and ponds is considered by many to be their masterpiece and Piece de Resistance of a true hometown, Brooklyn. See the Wikipedia page for Prospect Park-http://tinyurl.com/6fsgit.
Leaders: Ed DeFreitas & TBA

10:00 AM, Strictly Bicycles, 2347 Hudson Terrace, Ft.Lee, NJ, 30-50 miles Quick Spin No Point/Drop/Sweep - 15 mph Avg

Are you already a strong rider who wants to improve handling and navigational skills? Do you want to see what Bergen County has to offer besides Route 9W? This series will help maintain a solid base for Spring events. Eateries will be in Ft Lee/Englewood area. Riders must RSVP Diane at 330 414-7472 or dianegoodwin@yahoo.com - by the Wednesday prior to ride
Leaders: Diane Goodwin & TBA

Before there was Piermont, there was a pier. Built in 1839 by the Erie Railroad to facilitate rail-boat transfers, the pier in Piermont extends an awesome one mile into the Hudson River. Today we treat ourselves to the luscious views from the pier while we thank the rail barons of the 19th century for their inadvertant gift to cyclists of the 21st.
Leaders: Jim Zisfein and Howard Hall

That's eastern Brooklyn and Western Queens, as we make our way out from Grand Army Plaza through some less-seen neighborhoods and then continue to skirt our way back anf forth between the boroughs. Lunch in Glendale offers a few simple choices and if we are on the border you know I am riding to Grimaldi's bakery in Ridgewood on the way back to Grand Army Plaza. Bring lock and money for food. Rain, snow or extremely cold temperatures will cancel - check the bulletin board early morning of the ride or follow billm45s on Twitter for an update.
Leaders: Bill Mastro and Fritz Van Orden

9:30 AM, Cunningham Park, Union Turnpike & 196 PL, Queens 40 miles, moderate pace, hills

Join us for a ride through the scenic North Shore towns of Great Neck, Kings Point and Sands Point. The goal is to shake off the winter blahs, stretch our legs and get some fresh air. There will be a stop for lunch at a local Italian eatery. If time and weather permit we may stop to take in a few of the local points of interest. Otherwise we keep on rolling. Less than 32 degrees one hour prior to start, rain, snow or icy conditions cancel the ride. Bring money for lunch, lock and spare tubes.
Leaders: Claire Mordas & Kathryn Baur

Kull-ing all bikes! Join us for an encore presentation to conclude our fabled series. Lunch will be extremely warm and delicious at Bayonne's Broadway Diner. Journey further to Liberty State Park and pay tribute to the Liberation Monument. We'll be cycling on parts of the Hudson River walkway. See www.hudsonriverwaterfront.org. Bring lock, ample $ for lunch and a film, digital or disposable camera.
Leaders: Ed DeFreitas & TBA

10:00 AM, Strictly Bicycles, 2347 Hudson Terrace, Ft Lee, NJ 30-50 miles Quick Spin No Point/Drop/Sweep 15mph Avg

Are you already a strong rider who wants to improve handling and navigational skills? Do you want to see what Bergen County has to cyclists besides Route 9W? This series will help maintain a solid base for Spring events. Eateries will be in Ft. Lee/Englewood area. Riders must RSVP Diane at 330 414-7472 or dianegoodwin@yahoo.com - by Wednesday prior to ride.
Leaders: Diane Goodwin & TBA

Three Museums/Mansions/Homes. All in Manhattan. All here before the Civil War, except for one in a different place from where it was built. Two before there was a United States. Two wrapped up deeply in American history. Minor to zero entrance fees. Our city is 400 years old. You think it doesn't have history? In one place a Founding Father fulfills his dream for a family. While in another, his son revenges his death. In another nature shows us how to really live, simply and beautifully. Come find out what astounding things we Americans can do when we decide to. Bring lock, $ for food.
Leaders: Ed DeFreitas & TBA

Blog Links
StreetsBlog
Benepe's Bike Blog
Cyclists International

These were rides in January-February 2012. Click here for upcoming rides.

These are upcoming rides. You can also visit the rides archive or see the full November-December 2011 listings.

Blog Links StreetsBlog Benepe's Bike Blog Cyclists International

These were rides in January-February 2012. Click here for upcoming rides.

These are upcoming rides. You can also visit the rides archive or see the full November-December 2011 listings.

Blog Links
StreetsBlog
Benepe's Bike Blog
Cyclists International