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.

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Day Ride

MONTAUK TRAINING RIDE #12: LLOYD NECK

8:15 AM, Cunningham Park, Union Turnpike & 196 Pl, Queens, 85 miles

Not for beginners. This ride is hilly and technical and you must be able to keep a good pace. There is no Point/Drop/Sweep and we ride as a group. No separate Quick Spin. Pack some snacks for the trip, in case you need extra energy, and plenty of water so you avoid the leg cramps. Warning, not for beginners! Bring $ for lunch and MTA Bike permit.
Leader: Wuid Alexandre

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Day Ride

BIKE NEW YORK FIVE BORO BIKE TOUR

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Day Ride

[CANCELED] MONTAUK TRAINING RIDE #13: EATONS NECK

8:00 AM, Cunningham Park, Union Turnpike & 196 Pl, Queens, 90 miles

The scenery of the North Shore expands on this beautiful trip and the main century event is only a week away. If you can handle this 90-miler, you'll have no trouble with the full century coming up. We ride as a group. No point/Drop/Sweep.Check 5BBC Bulletin Board day before ride for possible updates. Bring snacks, money for lunch in Northport and MTA Bike permit
Leaders: Dennis Griffin, Wuid Alexander

Day Ride

[CANCELED] EAST BRONX SHORE BUSTERS

9:00 AM, Union Square North @ Park Ave. 10 AM @ entrance to RFK Bridge Bicycle Path, E. 124 St & 2 Ave, Manhattan, 20 miles

This is a leisurely-paced ride along the easternmost shore of the Bronx and Long Island Sound from Ward's Island, Soundview Park and Pugsley Creek that terminates at Locust Point. There we'll dine Italiano at the world famous Ice House. Unless you want to bike back to Manhattan, we'll return via the #6 train at Westchester Square.
Leaders: Ken Williams and Josh Gosciak

Day Ride

SOUTHERN BROOKLYN LOOP

11:00 AM, Grand Army Plaza entrance to Prospect Park, 30 moderate miles

Stop by the Brooklyn Bicycle Jumble and then join this later starting ride that makes a loop out to southern Brooklyn including Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Coney Island, Manhattan Beach and more. Early food stop at Nino's and Little Cupcake. Bring bike lock and $$ for food. In case of weather issues, check bulletin board the early morning of the ride or follow billm45s on Twitter for an update.
Leaders: Bill Mastro & Holly Campbell

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Day Ride

THE FIX IS IN - FLATS AND LUBES - BACK BY NOON

9:00 AM, Grand Army Plaza entrance to Prospect Park, 15 leisurely miles

Want to learn how to fix a flat or that squeaky noise coming from your chain? Don't want to stay indoors for a class to learn how? Here's another 5BBC repair ride, where we'll ride a little but learn a lot. This ride will cover tire/tube removal, patching a tube, and putting it all back together. We'll also give you some pointers on how to chase that flock of chirping sparrows out of your drivetrain. Visit NYC's first and only bicycle parts vending machine as we ride through that nexus of cycling - Williamsburg!
Leaders: Ed Sobin & Andrea Casertano

Day Ride

RIDE THE OLD PUT AND OLD CROTON AQUEDUCT

9:30 AM, Van Cortlandt Park, 242nd St & Broadway, Bronx

Off-road vistas ride. Take a ride on the Old Put Railroad and see what was. Lunch is at a waterfall spilling from a lake over a dam. After we go far enough north we'll turn around and take the original NYC water supply - the Old Croton Aqueduct - back south. There's nothing like wheeling through the woods. Hybrid or Mountain bikes are strongly recommended.
Leaders: Ed DeFreitas & TBD

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Day Ride

RIDE to EAST ISLAND

9:30 AM, Cunningham Park, Union Turnpike and 196 Place, Queens 48 mostly flat miles at a moderate pace.

This ride will take us to the North Shore of Long Island along its very famous Gold Coast. Our destination is East Island also known as Morgan Island, the former home and estate of financier J. P. Morgan. Bring a lock and lunch or money for lunch.
Leaders: Manny Sanudo and Fritz Van Orden

Day Ride

A DELI GOOD RIDE - Pre-Montauk Edition

10:00 AM, Grand Army Plaza entrance to Prospect Park, 25-30 moderate miles.

Come join us for the pre-Montauk Brooklyn version of this ride. The ride will feature some different neighborhoods and sights (not the usual Brooklyn locations). Lunch will be at everyone's favorite the excellent Mill Basin Deli, but save room for dessert, because after we will make a stop heading back to Grand Army. Bring lock and money for lunch. In case of iffy weather check Bulletin Board or follow billm45s on Twitter.
Leaders: Bill Mastro and Andrea Mercado

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Day Ride

5BBC MONTAUK CENTURY

Day Ride

BIKE/HIKE: BRONX RIVER PARKWAY & CRANBERRY LAKE

9:00 AM, Woodlawn (Jerome Ave & Bainbridge Ave) Bronx, 40 miles, rolling terrain with some steep hills

Visit Westchester County's car-free spaces: part of the Bronx River Parkway will be just for bikes today, and we'll also use nearby paths to make the ride 44% car free. Lunch is at a nature preserve in a quiet, forested area, where we take an (optional) walk around the lake. All paths are paved and suitable for road bikes. Bring appropriate walking footwear and a lightweight lock. Bring or buy lunch.
Leaders: Ed Ravin & Leo Cairo

Day Ride

OLD GREENWICH, MAYBE STAMFORD, OR BUST!

10:00 AM, RING Garden (Dyckman St. Broadway, Riverside / 200th St "A" train)

Bring your Metro North pass for this ride. We'll cruise through the manicured burbs of Westchester into Connecticut, where it gets a little hilly, so bring your low gears. The estates get grander as we go eastward. Lunch is at a deli in Cos Cob. If we can get in, we'll "do" the Old Greenwich Point park, which is a peninsula that sticks way out into Long Island Sound. We'll end up either at Old Greenwich or Stamford station for the ride home late in the day. 50% chance of rain cancels. Check weather.com hourly forecast. If in doubt, call Maggie AFTER 8 am.
Leaders: Maggie Clarke (212-567-8272, mclarke@hunter.cuny.edu) and TBD.

When the Munchkins sang to Dorothy "You will be a bust, be a bust, be a bust, in the Hall of Fame", this was the place that they were singing about. Situated high above the Harlem River, this Stanford White masterpiece contains bronze busts of the famous and not so famous. Including those Dayton bike makers, Orville and Wilbur Wright. All this, and a delicious jerk chicken lunch at The Feeding Tree. Bring: Spare Tube, Lock, Money for Lunch and a Great Attitude.
Leaders: David "MEL" Meltzer and Rudy Paulich.

10:00 AM, GWB Bus Terminal, Fort Washington Ave & 178 St, (NE Corner), Manhattan, 30 miles, leisurely pace

We ride to one of the East Coast's wonders of the world, the Paterson Falls, and indulge in labor history at the turn of the century. Plan for several hours out of the saddle as we make stops in town and at a museum or two. Multiple early return options via NJ Transit.
Leaders: Josh Gosciak and Alfredo Garcia

We'll take the PATH from the WTC to the wilds of N.J. Then bike down to and over the Bayonne Bridge to Staten Island, and our destination, Sailors Snug Harbor & the Chinese Scholar Garden, few miles farther. The sprawling, historic, beautiful former retirement home for sailors boasts buildings with truly breathtaking details. To put a cherry on top there is the Chinese Scholars Garden. Visit www.snug-harbor.org for details.
Leaders: Ed DeFreitas & TBD

9:00 AM, City Hall, Manhattan, 3 ride choices, 20-30 miles, easy to moderate pace

Imagine visiting dozens of war monuments throughout New York City on Memorial Day, paying our club's respects to fallen heroes from the American Revolution to Vietnam to Iraq. Many of the monuments are large and familiar; several are easily overlooked. Trippers will have a choice of 3 rides - Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens/Brooklyn. All three groups will visit memorials in lower Manhattan and then separate. The Manhattan ride (25 miles, easy pace) will visit numerous memorials in Central Park and along Riverside Drive, including the USS Maine Memorial at Columbus Circle, dedicated 100 years ago on Memorial Day, 1913. The Brooklyn ride (30 miles, moderate pace) will visit Cadman Plaza, Ft. Greene Park, Grand Army Plaza, Prospect Park and Cannonball Park. The Queens/Brooklyn ride (30 miles, quicker pace) will include visits to Astoria Park, Calvary Cemetery and Cypress Hills National Cemetery.
Leaders: Manhattan: Steven Taylor, Ed DeFreitas; Brooklyn: Manny Sanudo, Richard Sanford; Queens/Brooklyn: Dennis Griffin, Wuid Alexandre

Ya gotta love Jersey! It's got some really great stuff, including a fabulous view of the harbor. We'll enjoy the Hudson Fiord at the waterline, then from the GWB and finally from the majestic heights of the Palisades. Cruise through Hoboken, maybe imbibe after the ride. Cross the Hudson one more time and watch the sun go down on the most magnificent city that God ever allowed humans to create.
Leaders: Ed DeFreitas & TBD

9:30 AM, Grand Army Plaza (Entrance to Prospect Park), Brooklyn, 30-35 miles, moderate pace

More Brooklyn neighborhoods, more excellent Brooklyn food, as we make our way through a variety of Brooklyn neighborhoods, including the centers of three of the original six towns of Brooklyn, and eventually stop by the excellent Mediterranean food store in Bay Ridge known as THE FAMILY STORE to pick up lunch, which we'll eat in Owl's Head Park. Possible weather issues check the bulletin board early morning of the ride or follow billm45s on Twitter for an update.
Leaders: Bill Mastro and Kathryn Baur

9:00 AM, NY AYH Hostel, 103rd St. & Amsterdam Ave, Manhattan, 30 miles, leisurely pace

Tour the Bronx on the edge. Pass Yankee Stadium. Climb through Riverdale. Take bike paths through the woods. See a fort. And more. Bring lock and money for lunch.
Leaders: Ed DeFreitas & TBA

10:00 AM, 72nd & Riverside; 10:45, 177th & Ft. Washington, 30 miles round trip, easy pace.

Today is King George's birthday, and if you are at all sad, as we are, about merry England and America parting ways in '76, you'll want to join us and other die-hard loyalists for a jaunt out to New Bridge Landing in Bergen County, NJ, where the old mad king will be given his long overdues. There will be minuets, demonstrations of 18th century beer brewing (was the old king into his cups?), and an enactment of the life and times of the lowly common Crown soldier, performed by the 4th Battalion of the New Jersey Volunteers. There's also the restored 18th century Black Horse Pub nearby where we'll raise our cups and hail sweet Britannia! Lunch is at Sanzari's New Bridge Inn, so bring $$$ and a donation to Bergen County Historical Society, which is running the event; optional train back from New Bridge.
Leaders: Ken Williams, Josh Gosciak.

9:00 AM, Woodlawn (Jerome Ave & Bainbridge Ave) Bronx, 40 miles, rolling terrain with some steep hills

We'll ride through Central Park and up the center spine of Manhattan. We'll cross the Harlem River into the Bronx, follow Broadway through Yonkers and spend a little time on the Old Croton Aqueduct till we reach the Hudson River Museum. This is not just a museum. It's also a mansion and a planetarium. So bring your inquisitiveness, $6.00 (?) for admission, lunch or money to buy it, lock and MTA Bike permit (for Metro North) in case you have to bag it. Some hills, road bikes OK (?). Maybe a bonus additional museum.
Leaders: Ed DeFreitas & TBA

7:30 AM, Grand Central Terminal, for 7:44 train to Cold Spring. 60 mile Quick Spin and 40-mile Regular rides. Email Dennis Griffin at nyc2dag@yahoo.com to confirm.

One year ago today, Paul Anthony Bernhardt (trail name Parkside), son of long-time 5BBC member Mark Bernhardt, was tragically lost as he attempted to complete a solo hike of the entire Appalachian Trail. For this reason it would be a good thing for us to bike along a section of that trail which is closest to us for good cycling and expressing sincere condolances. There will be a Quick Spin and a Moderate Pace ride. At the end of the ride, the groups will meet up for food and drink, which will be provided by the club. All riders who want post-ride food or drink must confirm with nyc2dag@yahoo.com. Bring $26.50 round trip train fare to/from Cold Spring and MTA Bike Permit.
Leaders: Wuid Alexandre, Dennis Griffin (Quick); Shawn Carney and Fritz Van Orden (Moderate)

Come celebrate our 25th annual (and probably last) day-long retreat to this classic folk music festival! We'll board Metro North for the 8:45 am train to White Plains, then cycle to Croton Park, with return trip to NYC via train. Enjoy 5 stages of music, non-stop dancing, crafts, activists, stories, souvenirs, and of course, food. Scheduled performers include Hot Tuna, David Bromberg, Judy Collins, Mavis Staples and Tom Chapin. Limited discount tickets (price TBD) will be available, but ride participants should consider purchasing their own tickets in advance. See www.clearwaterfestival.org or www.mta.info/mnr/html/getaways/outbound_clearwater.htm for info. Festival and bike ride are rain or shine; free valet bike parking available via our friends at Times Up (http://times-up.org/)! And who will be the recipient(s) of this year's special ride dedication ceremony? Bring $20 for train fare, Metro North permit, sunscreen.
Leaders: Ted Kushner, Susan Levine

As part of the celebration of 125 years since the creation of the Bronx Parks system, we will be riding to several historic Bronx sites via The Greenways. We will have lunch at City Island.
Leaders: Ms. Sharon Behnke, Mr. Rodney D. Millard, and Jesse Brown.

9:30 AM, Cunningham Park, Union Turnpike and 196 Place, Queens, 48 mostly flat miles at a moderate pace.

To avoid heavy traffic, we will cycle the back roads of Nassau County to the Welwyn Preserve on Long Island Sound. Along the way we will see some of the mansions of the North Shore and survey the damage done by Hurricane Sandy over six months ago. Bring a lock and lunch or money for lunch.
Leaders: Manny Sanudo and TBA

9:00 AM, City Hall (foot of Brooklyn Bridge), Manhattan, 35 miles, moderate pace, mostly flat

Sorry S.I., we promise to dedicate an entire ride to you, but first we need enough time to give justice to Arthur Avenue, deep in the heart of the Bronx. Pass through Brooklyn and Queens, cross the Triborough Bridge, and then lunch in the Italian enclave of Arthur Avenue. Then there's Belmont Ave., the origin of the "Dion and the Belmonts" name. Look around for others. Back to Manhattan alongside the East River. Bring a lock and lunch money.
Leaders: Ed DeFreitas & TBD

9:30 AM, Grand Army Plaza (entrance to Prospect Park), Brooklyn, 35 mostly flat miles, moderate pace

Don't just sit in the bleachers! Take a ride with a number of short stops, as we explore a small slice of Brooklyn's baseball history. where prospects grew and players lived. For the non-baseball fan, we will have interesting Brooklyn streets and sights and as always a. Good food stop. Bring or buy lunch & snacks. Possible weather issues, check the bulletin board early morning of the ride or follow billm45s on Twitter for an update.
Leaders: Bill Mastro and Phil Goldberg

Along the watery fringe of Brooklyn, new parkland has sprouted. Where industry once thrived, children now play. We go coastal and visit Valentino Pier, Brooklyn Bridge Park (where we will take a ride on Jane's Carousel), Grand Ferry Park, Bushwick Inlet Park, Newtown Creek Park and the curiously named "Nature Walk." Lunch after the ride, so bring snacks if you are a nosher. Bring lock, $$ for lunch, spare tube, a smile, and bring a friend.
Leaders: David Meltzer and Kathryn Baur

Join us for a scenic summer ride to the beach. The pace will be leisurely and the views fantastic as we make our way along quiet streets and bike lanes from Brooklyn to Neponsit. Although we won't be swimming on this ride, we will make stops along the board walk so don't forget the sun block!. Our destination for brunch is The Wharf with fabulous views of Jamaica Bay and the City. Bring money for lunch and a lock.
Leaders: Andrea Casertano & Bob Castro

We all know that Washington slept here but, where? Where did his VP sleep and the first Secretary of State? How did a Brooklyn Community honor a fallen President(not JFK, Lincoln or one of those famous ones)? We know that Grant is buried here but, what other President was? Have something historical to say at dinner tonight.
Leaders: Ed DeFreitas & TBA

Niagara it's not, but Bash Bish Falls -- the highest waterfall in Massachusetts -- is a true gem in a magnificent and unspoiled setting. With an assist from Metro North, we'll make it there and back in 1 day (albeit a long one). Meet at the clock in GCT, 7:30 for a 7:48 departure to Wassaic. Most of our ride will be on the car-free (and nearly level) Harlem Valley Rail Trail. Wear or bring comfortable walking shoes for the 1-mile hike across the state line to the falls. Cool off at the Ore Pit Pond, a swimming hole formed from an abandoned iron ore mine. Bring $35.50 for RT train fare, MTA Bike Permit (you can purchase for $5 at GCT), $ for lunch and dinner, swimwear for the Ore Pit, sunscreen for the expected glorious day, and bike lights if you're planning on riding once we get back to the city (could be as late as 10:41 PM).
Leaders: Jim Zisfein and Susan Levine

We had so much fun we had to do it again, and she won't be blowin' nary as much. Meet up at GCT for the 8:07 am New Haven train and breakfast at 10AM at Claire's Cornercopia Restaurant, a vegetarian, kosher, sustainable eatery in downtown New Haven. Wheels down at 11am when we roll out to Thimble Islands and a shipboard visit to an exotic grotto of islands, unique to the east coast. Along the way, we ride a defunct trolley rail trail and indulge in assorted coastal scenery. We should be back in the city by 7pm (depending on our pace). Bring lots of $$ for train ($41.00), breakfast, lunch, and cruise ($15.00). RSVP to joshgo@email.com before 5pm Thursday, 6/27 so we can make accurate cruise reservations.
Leaders: Jesse Brown, Rodney Millard and Josh Gosciak

See the city from a new perspective! A tour of graffiti spots in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens showcasing various graffiti artists and styles. Bring lock, plus $ for lunch.
Leaders: Shawn Carney and Eliz Peters.

Aah Naturale in Joisey! This privately owned natural preserve lets us bike to their Nature Center but only hike their trails. Lunch at a pond teeming with life in the beautiful outdoors. It's Spring. Clear the Winter cobwebs and come for a ride. Clothing is not optional.
Leaders: Ed DeFreitas & TBA.

Blog Links
StreetsBlog
Benepe's Bike Blog
Cyclists International

These are upcoming rides. You can also visit the rides archive or see the full May-June 2013 listings.

Blog Links StreetsBlog Benepe's Bike Blog Cyclists International

These are upcoming rides. You can also visit the rides archive or see the full May-June 2013 listings.

Blog Links
StreetsBlog
Benepe's Bike Blog
Cyclists International