Under a gleaming blue and cloudless sky and near-perfect weather, 32,000 riders of all skills and from all walks of life and from across the globe rode 40 miles of car-free streets through every borough of New York City in early May in the 45th annual TD Five Boro Bike Tour. The Tour is produced by Bike New York, the leading bicycling advocacy and education non-profit in the NYC area, and the NYC Department of Transportation, and is the most charitable bike ride in the country as well as one of the world’s largest urban bike rides.
The TD Five Boro Bike Tour is the premier fundraising event for Bike New York, a New York City-based nonprofit committed to empowering New Yorkers to transform their lives and their communities through cycling. Proceeds from the event directly fund free public bike education and access programs for more than 30,000 adults and kids throughout the five boroughs.
"We're thrilled to have brought together 32,000 riders from around the globe to experience the greatest city in the world on two wheels totally free of cars at the 45th annual TD Five Boro Bike Tour,” said Bike New York President and CEO Ken Podziba. “Thanks to the continued support of the City of New York, our riders, and the incredible generosity of our partners, including title sponsor TD Bank, we raised funds to support our free bike education and safety programs that benefit New Yorkers, most of whom are from underserved communities. This year's Tour exemplified the power of cycling to bring people together and transform communities, and we look forward to continuing to make cycling accessible and safe for all New Yorkers."
Bike New York President and CEO Ken Podziba was joined by Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez, NYC Department of Transportation; Andy Bregenzer, Regional President of Metro New York, TD Bank; New York State Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani; and Su Hwei Lin, CEO, Manhattan Portage, at the starting line, where they welcomed all the riders and celebrated cycling in New York City.
"The TD Five Boro Bike Tour is one of the annual marquis events in New York City. What a great day we had supporting and cheering on the tens of thousands of cyclists who converged on the 40 miles of car-free streets riding throughout the five Boros in one of the greatest cities in the world," said Andy Bregenzer, Regional President of Metro NY, TD Bank. "As the proud title sponsor of the Five Boro Bike Tour and supporter of Bike New York for more than 15 years, TD is pleased to have helped raise funds for Bike New York's free bike education and safety programs that help empower New York children and adults to lead better lives. In addition to our title sponsorship, TD recently was able to donate and assemble 100 bikes for children to learn how to safely and properly ride."
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Among this year’s more than 30,000 cyclists were New York Giants legends Tiki Barber and Amani Toomer, and New York Jets legends Boomer Esiason and Marty Lyons, as well as visually impaired cyclists with the Lighthouse Guild. In addition, this year’s Tour welcomed riders from all 50 states, Washington D.C., and 34 different countries. The Tour also welcomed its 1 millionth rider, New York-native Adaline Suwana, at the starting line.
Each year, Bike New York partners with a number of charities for the Five Boro Bike Tour, allowing riders to raise vital funding for their favorite organizations – all while getting to experience the sights and sounds of New York City free of cars on two wheels. This year, Bike New York partnered with 54 official charity partners, with approximately 1,000 total individuals riding in the TD Five Boro Bike Tour on behalf of charities near to their hearts. In total, Bike New York’s charity partners were able to collectively raise over $1 million at this year’s Tour.