Five Borough Bicycle Club

July 23, 2006: The clouds lifted to reveal a perfect day for circling Staten Island. Join us for the rest of the Perimeter Series: Brooklyn August 13, Manhattan (with pizza!) August 27, and da Bronx in September. Photo by Danny Lieberman.

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We’re going back to Ridgewood but probably won’t have pancakes, since the diner is small and it will be warm enough to eat outdoors. Mark promised me that we would ride the hilly way out and the hillier way back home. Medium pace, no slackers. Bring hydration and snacks. Bring or buy lunch. Leaders: Mark Trainor and Danny Lieberman.

CANCELLED : NEW YORK CITY TO NEW HAVEN CENTURY QUICK SPIN
7:15AM, Eleanor Roosevelt Statue (West 72nd & Riverside Dr), 100+ miles

AROUND AND OVER THE HUDSON
8:45AM, City Hall, 43 miles
9:15AM, South Ferry or
10AM, St George Ferry Terminal (Staten Island)

See NYC from a ferry, the Liberty State Park & Hoboken. Then stretch your legs along a long shoreline stretch from Hoboken to the G.W. Bridge(with the one big hill). Bridge the Hudson back to N.Y.C. Pass Seinfeld's (who?) old haunt and choose your lunch cuisine from italian, asian and eastern Europe. It's all on one Amsterdam Ave. block. Then, we'll follow the Hudson River line (really, ask Ed why.) back down to City Hall. Bring a lock & $ for lunch. Pace 12-15mph. Terrain: Mostly Flat with one !@#$%^&* Hill. Leaders: Ed DeFreitas and others.

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW
9AM, NY Waterway Terminal (West 39th & West Side Bike Path), approx 40 miles

The New Jersey Wheelmen are riding a modified Manhattan Perimeter and we’re going to join them. The Wheelmen (www.thewheelmen.org) are bringing their antique high-wheelers, safety, and Kangaroo high-wheel safety bikes to take on this ride and will demonstrate some simple tricks. If you want to see antique bikes in action this will surely be an excellent opportunity. Our two groups will ride around Manhattan with a foray into Central Park as well as crossing the Brooklyn Bridge. Bring or buy lunch. Please also bring a camera, water and a lock. No cue sheet will be given. (Final route will be chosen by the organizer from the NJW.) This ride will go rain or shine. Leaders Kent Mark and Neal Secher.

If it’s Sunday then this must be the ride to the beach. Which beach? Well, we usually keep the route short so we can sit by the waves for an hour or two before riding back. Our favoite spot is still Neponsit Beach in the Rockaways, an easy jaunt from Prospect Park, and we head out every Sunday until the end of August. Pack your towel and beach garb if you like along with the usual stuff: lock, sunblock, water and lunch, or you can buy it along the way. Leaders: Ed Ravin and Jim Zisfein.

Last year we went to City Island on Independence Day and had a great time. This year we’ll head in a different direction but expect to have fun just the same. With luck we’ll cover over 50 miles. Remember to bring plenty of water and sun block, maybe some snacks along with your cable lock and camera. Leaders: Danny Lieberman and Ira Najowitz.

Join us for this ride to Centre Island Beach in Bayville on the North Shore of Long Island. We'll stay at the beach for a couple of hours, which will leave enough time for those of you who want to do an optional 6 mile loop around scenic Centre Island. We will ride at an easy pace on somewhat hilly terrain. Don't forget your bathing suit and towel. Ride will end at Cunningham Park approx 6PM, with no group return to Manhattan. Terrain is mostly rolling hills. Leaders Brian Hoberman and others.

CUTTING EDGE FACTORY RIDE
9AM, Plaza Hotel, 30 miles
10AM, T-Bone Diner, 71st Ave & Queens Blvd

Hey, techno-junkie, have we got a ride for you! From digitizing, drilling, and water cutting, to bending, beveling and tinting, we'll experience "the cutting edge" of glass technology. Join us for a visit to FJ Gray and Company's Queens Village one heck of a glass factory. Bring lock and money for lunch at a local ethnic restaurant. Easy paced, mostly flat terrain. Rain at start cancels. Important note: Please bring an MTA Metrocard. Because the factory will close early we will need to travel by subway for a portion of our outbound ride. A second start in Forest Hills has been added for the convenience of Queens riders. Leaders Richard Sanford and Phil Goldberg.

This revised version of Queens debuted last year and so we take another lap. We get to pass by two airports, two racetracks, and two guys named Phil. An early start plus a fast paced ride will insure that we finish before it gets too late. Lunch in sunny Floral Park. Bring hydration and snacks. Bring or buy lunch. Leaders Danny Lieberman and Ed DeFreitas. Ride all 5 perimeters this year, including today's Queens Perimeter, and you earn a patch commemorating your accomplishment. If you missed the Bronx Perimeter ride last month, relax, we'll be doing it again in September.

More beach fun continues every Sunday. Don’t forget to bring a towel, along with that sunblock and your lunch or money for it. A cable lock will do just fine. Lunch right on the beach. Leaders Jim Zisfein and Cesar Vasquez.

CONNECTICUT RAMBLINGS/NEWTOWN, Quick Spin
6:40AM Grand Central, 60 hilly miles
8:19AM Greens Farms CT RR station

Enjoy back roads and shorelines of very pretty, verdant, and certainly "tony", parts of the Nutmeg State (Fairfield County) in this loop ride out of Greens Farms. We'll ramble along picturesque beaches - - then split north from Southport to scenic back roads and hamlets, reservoirs/streams/waterfalls. Optional beach stop. No point-drop-sweep. Brisk pace (16+mph). Shorter route options available. Bring MTA bike pass, plenty of water and LUNCH Leaders Susan Rodetis and others. Co-listed with NYCC.

This training ride was rained out last April. It’s back by customer demand! This will not be a quick spin but we will maintain a good pace (15mph). Lunch on the boardwalk. Don’t forget your bathing suit if you want to swim in LI Sound! Terrain: rolling hills. Bring your MTA rail pass in case of early bail out. Leaders Dennis Griffin and Jonathan Friedman.

I have no idea how hot this day will be but the ride will be frozen solid. After years of careful research and testing, I have picked a few favorites for this year’s Ice Cream ride. Pace: Frosty. Terrain: sweet. Fewer stops than last year. Bring $$ for all the goodies. Leaders Danny Lieberman and Beth Katz.

Explore these outer-boroughs with multiple stops among these diverse neighborhoods. We’ll wander through Wards and Randall’s Island and visit Long Island City, Hunters Point, Greenpoint, Williamsburgh and Dumbo. The tour ends with an option to picnic at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Bring a snack, lock and $ for lunch. Leaders Terry Chin and Ed DeFreitas.

CANCELLED : A DAY AT THE BEACH
8:45AM, Grand Central, 35 miles
10AM, Darien, CT Station

Tired of the Rockaways? Looking for a way to get out of the city? Join us for a day at Sherwood Island State Park, in Connecticut. We’ll take Metro North to Darien and then ride to the beach with a fabulous ice cream stop on the way back. Bring $19 Metro North fare, your MTA bike pass (can be purchased same day for $5), and lunch money. Terrain moderately hilly with a couple of steep climbs, but there’s no rush. Leaders Phil “Bike 21” Goldberg and Brian Hoberman.

Follow the scenic Hudson River up to Philipsburg Manor, an 18th century grist mill powered with slave labor. Now a museum, visitors will get an unvarnished appreciation of life on a colonial farm. Return route will use the car-free South County Trailway. Bring $10 musem admission; bring or buy lunch. Terrain: Moderately hilly with a few steep hills. Leaders Ed Ravin and others.

CONNECTICUT RAMBLINGS/HOUSATONIC RIVER VALLEY, Quick Spin
7:50AM, Grand Central, 42 hilly miles
9:29AM, Bridgeport CT train station
9:55AM, Derby/Shelton CT station
Note station and time change

Lovely scenic loop route from Derby/Shelton RR station. Tour the Housatonic River Valley, climbing its hills, skimming the ridgelines, dropping down to river/lakes. Great back roads, quiet towns, historic districts & homes, neat views. Hard ride; 3300 elev. gain with some serious hills and 1very steep (all worth it!). Cue sheet, ride as a group, no point-drop-sweep. Return 3:47 PM Derby/Shelton RR sta. Bring MTA bike pass and water. Leaders Susan Rodetis and Dennis Griffin. Co-listed NYCC.

STATEN ISLAND PERIMETER (Quick Spin and Regular groups)
9AM, South Ferry (taking 9:30AM boat), 40+miles

Mitch Fox, where are you? Never thought I’d be a bike leader, making my mark as a bona fide full leader with this ride, in 1997, with Mitch as co-leader. I was scared but nobody knew. Was first of many great times as a leader. This will be my 10th anniversary ride. We’ll cycle close to the shoreline of this fine borough, going through some nice places. Lunch will be at Conference House Park. Bring sunscreen and sunglasses. Recommend bringing your own lunch and wait on deli line for beverage drink instead. Ride continues to Midland and South Beach and Ft Wadsworth. Check related weblink www.sibike.org/tmap.html for brief outline of route. Terrain includes some rolling hills and busy roads. Leaders Alfredo Garcia and Ed DeFreitas (regular group) and Jesse Brown (Quick Spin).

Though we won’t use point/drop/sweep (cue sheet only) we will leave noone behind. We’ll ride as a group through backroads of Queens, through Nassau county with a lunch break in King’s Park. Return via LIRR on the 4:10PM to Penn (arrives 6:10PM). Numerous LIRR stations serve as bailouts along the way. Bring MTA rail pass, hydration, sunscreen, light clothing, $ for lunch and a smile. Flat to rolling terrain. 15+mph pace. Leaders Dennis Griffin and Susan Rodetis

If you’re looking to work on that Long tan, catch the Long surf, dig your heels in the Long sand, or possibly catch some crafts and flea market action on the Long boardwalk, the you Be-Long in Long Beach. From Queens to the South Shore, our route dovetails thru the Five Towns area amid suburbia at it’s best, with a return via the Rockaways and an ice cream stop. Note: round trip crossing of the Atlantic Beach Bridge requires walking, not biking. Beach pass access is about $6. Bring bike lock and lunch money. Moderate pace, mostly flat. Leaders Ted Kusher and Danny Lieberman.

Rescheduled due to a wash-out in April. City Island is a destination too lovely to miss. One of the city’s jewels, City Island is a small fishing village within the Bronx, connected to Pelham Bay Park and overlooking LI Sound. Lunch right on the water! We take greenways whenever possible. Bring lunch money and your camera. Leaders Danny Lieberman and Lee Ann Van Wyck.

The Lottery Ride returns this summer with a blockbuster of a route. You’ll ride across all three states to purchase your tickets. This fast and fun ride is sure to be hilly. Pack lunch or buy it along the way. A quick spin pace is assured, so please expect a 15+mph trip, including hills. Be ready to do some climbing. Leaders: Jesse Brown and others.

I’ve led trips to this Jersey Shore destination since 1998, inspired by TA & a broken thumb on the Montauk Century. Lets take the Seastreak ferry for a nice day of riding and hanging out on the beach. We’ll ride busy/quiet roads, greenways. Bring $ for fare ($37 due to high price of oil), lunch and souvenirs. Bring lock, beachwear, camera, sunscreen and sunglasses. Check related web link en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_Hook_(New_Jersey). Leaders: Alfredo Garcia and Phil Goldberg and others.

Note: Meet at the Christopher Columbus Monument, near floodlights and waterfalls. In my life, time flies: the 9th year leading people to the Lincoln Tunnel, toll free, taking the torch from Brad Marshall and Paul Sullivan (may he rest in peace), in 1998. No sunscreen & sunglasses required. This edition will ride through Times Square before heading up the West Side Greenway and to Jersey. Make sure your bike is in good working order with BOTH STEADY front and rear lights no blinking lights, please. IMPORTANT NOTE: Please do not bring back packs or panniers. Optional post-ride breakfast at the Moonstruck Diner. Check web related link en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Tunnel. Leaders: Alfredo Garcia, Ed Pino, Liz Baum and others.

HUDSON VALLEY RAPTOR CENTER, Quick Spin
7:30AM, Grand Central, 50+ very hilly miles
10:04AM, Wassaic station

Very pretty Dutchess County loop ride from RR station to visit the Hudson Valley Raptor Center (www.hvraptors.com $10 admission), a wildcare private sanctuary for birds of prey including eagles, hawks, & falcons. Challenging route; B17 or stronger on the flats and ability to do hills, including some steeps (OK slower on the hills!). Cue sheet, ride as group, no point-drop-sweep. Bring hydration and MTA bike pass. Return 4:21PM or 6:15PM from Wassaic station. Leaders Susan Rodetis and Steven Taylor. Co-listed NYCC.

Electric cars aren't new. Beautiful brownstones not the expected neighborhoods (smell a bargain). Nothing weak about Weeksville. And, oh yeah, a piece of Brooklyn Dodger history. And, maybe more are the points in a Brooklyn sojourn. Bring a lock & $ for lunch. Moderate pace. Leaders: Ed DeFreitas and others.

NEW YORK CITY TO NEW HAVEN CENTURY QUICK SPIN
7:15AM, Eleanor Roosevelt Statue (West 72nd & Riverside Dr), 100+ miles

This hilly ride takes a straight shot up NY-22 to Brewster and then cuts east on US-6 to Danbury and CT-34. Some portions on very heavily trafficked roads. Remember to ride single-file on road shoulders. Fast “A” pace (18-20mph). Bring MTA bike pass, plenty of water, $$ for return train ticket and pocket food. Terrain is very hilly. We will return to NYC by MetroNorth from New Haven. Suggestion: buy return ticket in advance! Leaders: Jonathan Friedman and others. Co-listed with NYCC.

First, we greet Yu Shao Hua who will show us how he makes bamboo mobiles. Then, we enjoy steamed buns and dim sum as we await our tour from the folks of the Museum of the Chinese in the Americas. We’ll explore the area from Native American times until today. We’ll weave through back alleys, crooked streets and secret places. We’ll examine Chinese funeral traditions, bachelor societies, and which place was once what, or what still is what it once was. Bring a lock, $10 museum admission, $ for handmade crafts (if you wish), snacks and lunch. Leisurely paced. Rain at start cancels. Leaders Richard Sanford and Phil Goldberg.

CONNECTICUT AND NEW YORK RAMBLING/WARD POND RIDGE RESERVATION
7:50AM, Grand Central, 50+ miles, quick-spin
9:15AM, Westport, CT station

Rescheduled from May 13th. Skim the shoreline, then pass thru quiet residential 'burbs and along pretty secondary roads to tony, historic, and horse-y parts of Conn. Ward Pound Ridge Reservation, the largest park in Westchester, is our scenic lunch spot. Varied terrain; some hills/rollers but no nasties. Shorter route possible post-lunch via Katonah station. Optional shoreline add-on at end of trip. QUICK SPIN at a pace of 17+ on the flats. Yes cue sheet, ride as group, no point-drop-sweep. Bring hydration and MTA bike pass. Leaders: Susan Rodetis & Dan Finton. Co-listed with NYCC.

Another summer, another series of perimeter rides. But is this the same Brooklyn Perimeter ride we’ve done before? Expect to see more of Brooklyn this time around. Bring hydration, a lock, and lunch money. Leaders Danny Lieberman and Ed DeFreitas.

The "Old Put" commuter rail line, although a commercial failure, was successfully reincarnated as 35+ miles of glorious greenway that is paved, nearly level, and car-free most of the way from Yonkers to Carmel. It's one of our favorite rides and we hope you'll agree. Bring water, snacks, MTA rail pass for the train home from Brewster, and $ for train fare and lunch. Pace: 14mph. Terrain: mostly level. Leaders: Jim Zisfein and John Chiarella.

Celebrate the history of aviation at a new museum, in Hicksville, LI. Bring $10 admission (Imax theatre is extra). Lunch is available in the Red Planet Cafe. For more info see cradleofaviation.org. The museum has a bike rack so bring a lock. Leaders Phil “Bike21” Goldberg and Bob Castro.

Sorry S.I. We promise to dedicate an entire ride to you. We want have enough time give justice to Arthur Avenue, deep in the heart of The Bronx. On our way, we'll pass through Brooklyn and Queens and cross the Triborough Bridge into The Bronx. Lunch along Arthur Ave, an Italian enclave. Belmont Ave is the origin of the "Dion & The Belmonts" name. Look around for others. Then, back to Manhattan along the East River to City Hall. Bring a lock & $ for lunch. Leaders: Ed DeFreitas and others.

An organized century ride is scheduled for tomorrow (North Fork) so let’s get a few easy miles up to Nyack and the Runcible, today. We can add in a few extra hills or a few extra miles, if people feel like it, or just go straight up 501 or 9W. Bring hydration and lunch money. Quick Spin pace. Leaders Jonathan Friedman and others.

Join us on this perennial 5BBC summer favorite to Long Island’s North Shore. Our destination is Centre Island Beach, where we’ll take time out for a swim in Oyster Bay Harbor and some sunbathing. Bring $ for lunch or a bag lunch, bathing suit, towel, lock, and MTA rail pass. Rolling terrain with some steep climbs. Moderate pace. Leaders Ira Najowitz and Bob Castro.

Do you want to discover the beauty of Brooklyn? Come and see for yourself as we leisurely ride through some of the lovely (and sometimes gritty) and diverse neighborhoods of this “other” borough such as Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, Park Slope, Boerum Hill, Carroll Gardens, Red Hook (where we will be stopping for lunch, perhaps in the new Fairway!), and Brooklyn Heights! Leaders: Steve Weiner, Jim Mallard, and Dave Balzer.

CANCELLED : BIKE TO ART (Part of the “We Laugh At Hills” series)
7:30AM, Grand Central, 30 very hilly miles

Enjoy a 30-mile ride through the hills of the Hudson Valley and then tour the Dia: Beacon Museum. The 300,000 square-foot former factory displays art from the 1960's to the present, including works by Richard Serra, Andy Warhol and Don Flavin. Bring a lock and money for Metro North & the museum ($27 total), your MTA train pass and lunch (or $ for it). Note that a few miles are on a dirt road, but road bikes are fine. Leaders Stephen Jackel and Brian Hoberman.

Many come just for the free pizza, but most riders want to see the city from our magnificent shorelines. Greenways now abound on the Hudson, Harlem, and East River waterfronts. A victory lap to help you earn your patch. Leaders Ed DeFreitas and others.

See August 12th for complete writeup. Leaders: Jonathan Friedman and others. Co-listed with NYCC.

The Little Red Light House stoped being used as a functioning light house long ago. Located under the George Washington bridge, along a treacherous section of the Hudson river once known as Jeffries Hook. This is one of the few suriving light houses in New York City. It was saved from possible demolition in 1951 by letters to the city from young New Yorkers and children all around the world who loved the bedtime story “The Little Red Lighthouse and The Great Gray Bridge.” Bring a camera, lock and $$ for lunch at Dinosaur Barbeque. Flat terrain. Leaders Jim Mallard and others.

An "Off Road Vista" bike journey for a regular bikes. Follow the Bronx River Parkway bike path up to the dam and back. 35 miles, paved path with some riding in traffic as well, hilly in places. Please bring your Metro North bike pass, just in case. Varied terrain. Pace will be 10-15mph. Leaders: Ed DeFreitas and others.

Enjoy the views of the Narrows and Lower NY Bay with a tour of historic Fort Wadsworth, Miller Field and the natural habitats of the Great Kills National Park. We’ll time our return by baywatching on the late afternoon ferry. Bring a snack and a lock. Leaders Terry Chin and Ed DeFreitas.

An organized century ride is scheduled for tomorrow (TA’s NYC Century) so let’s get a few easy miles up to Nyack and the Runcible, today. We can add in a few extra hills or a few extra miles, if people feel like it, or just go straight up 501 or 9W. Bring hydration and lunch money. Quick Spin pace. Leaders Jonathan Friedman and others.

These were rides in July-August 2006. Click here for current rides.