HISTORY OF THE TOUR

JANUARY 1978: HISTORIC MAYORAL SUPPORT

SUMMER OF 1978: 3,000 CYCLISTS, 0 CARS

1999: RIDE CAPPED AT 32,000

FEBRUARY 1977: THE TOUR IS BORN

Two Board of Education members organized the first Five Boro Challenge: Eric Prager, who had been commissioned to develop a bike safety program, and Sal Cirami, a leader of the American Youth Hostel’s Bicycle Committee. They developed a bike safety and repair program culminating in a five boro day trip for students to practice what they learned.

JUNE 10, 1977: OUR FIRST ROUTE

About 50 high school students from five schools and 200 members of bike clubs participated. The 50-mile ride would begin and end in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens, and wind south through Brooklyn, over the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge into Staten Island, and then, after a quick ferry trip, up through Manhattan, into the Bronx, and over the Throgs Neck Bridge back into Queens.

There was no entry fee, and only one sponsor: Nathan’s. They gave out hot dogs and soda in the Bronx at the ride’s one and only rest stop. Unlike today, the route was not closed to traffic. We relied on police escorts in the front and back to get us through the streets safely.

When Ed Koch became mayor, his administration sought ways to promote bicycling. Charlie McCorkle of Bicycle Habitat and Transportation Alternatives, along with the group and leaders of other New York cycling organizations, took the Five Boro Challenge idea to City Hall. To make the ride more accessible and family-friendly, they adjusted the route to 40 miles and renamed the Challenge the Five Boro Bike Tour.

With official city support, the ride grew from 250 to 3,000 participants! We also had support from Emergency Medical Services and the New York City Fire Department to make the ride safer. For the first time ever, we worked with the Department of Transportation and NYPD to create a traffic-free route. The new route took riders on highways for the first time in New York’s history, making it an unforgettable spectacle.

Families and bike enthusiasts of all levels signed up for the ride. So many, in fact, that we had to cap the registration at 32,000, which we still follow to this day.

APRIL 1980: A SUBWAY STRIKE TURNED NYC INTO A CITY OF CYCLISTS

When subway workers went on strike in the spring, New Yorkers were in need of new ways to get around the city. Cycling was a clear solution. American Youth Hostel and Transportation Alternatives worked together to set up cones and bike route signs on NYC streets. Mayor Ed Koch held a press conference supporting cycling during the strike, and bike sales soared! That year, 12,000 signed up for the Tour.

1979: OUR FIRST SPONSOR

The vice president of community services for Citibank turned out to watch the spectacle of the 1978 Tour and resolved right then and there that Citibank needed to be involved. That Monday, he met with his colleagues, and Citibank became the title sponsor of the Tour.

1991: TOUR CANCELLED

1982: THE WORLD’S BIGGEST BIKE TOUR

With a bike boom in NYC that sustained much longer than the subway strike in 1980, the Five Boro Bike Tour ballooned to 32,000 riders. The Five Boro Bike Tour earned the title of “World’s Biggest Bike Tour.”

With the loss of our title sponsor, we unfortunately had to cancel the Tour. We made a triumphant return in the following year!

2000: BIKE NEW YORK IS BORN

American Youth Hostel concluded that the Tour needed more attention and spun itself off as two independent non-profit entities: Bike New York, to run the Tour, and the Five Borough Bike Club, which provides volunteers and technical expertise. Bike New York has since developed other rides and a robust, free bike education program.

2007: TD BANK SPONSORS THE TOUR

In 2007 we kicked off our relationship with TD Bank as the title sponsor, who has supported the Tour for 16 years!

2021: A TRIUMPHANT RETURN, AGAINST ALL ODDS!

2005: BIKE NEW YORK STARTED ITS FREE BIKE EDUCATION PROGRAM

Bike New York operates the largest free bicycle education program of its kind in the world, and it all started in 2005. Since its inception, Bike New York has taught cycling skills to over 212,000 kids and adults. Your ride in the Tour today helps us continue this important work.

2014: THE TOUR IS RECOGNIZED FOR ITS SUSTAINABILITY

The TD Five Boro Bike Tour became the first event in New York City to be certified sustainable by the Council for Responsible Sport by earning the silverlevel certification. In 2016, we secured the Council’s Gold Level and have maintained it in subsequent years.

The following year, with vaccines and more information about how to keep riders safe during the pandemic, we reopened the Tour! After all that NYC had endured, we owed it to this city and to each other to bring the cycling community together again. Despite operating at limited capacity with space for only 20,000 riders, and Hurricane Henri postponing the Tour’s return by one week, we were determined to get out and ride!

2022: MORE TIME TO RIDE

In 2022 the Tour went back to operating at full, pre-pandemic capacity. With approval from the city, we even added an extra hour to the Tour in 2022, marking the Tour’s first significant change in decades.

2020: A HISTORIC PAUSE

The spring of 2020 was very turbulent as NYC became the first domestic epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. With no treatments or vaccines yet available, for the second time in the Tour’s history, we made the call to cancel the ride to prioritize rider safety.

2023: 45TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY, 1 MILLION RIDERS!

You are riding in Tour history today! This year marks our 45th year of the Tour, and our historic milestone of reaching a total of 1 million riders registered since our inception. Thank you for riding with us and supporting Bike New York, the city’s biggest cycling champion. We hope to see you with us next year!