Five Borough Bicycle Club - New York

[5BBC - New York's Five Borough Bicycle Club]

These were rides in January-February 2007. Click here for current rides.

December 24, 2006: Gawking permitted. Xmas Lights in Dyker Heights. Photo by Arabelle Taggart.

Please note that helmets are required on all 5BBC rides.

Indicates relaxed pace, easy ride

For more information, please see:

Ride locations - where do we meet?
Subway service advisories - can I get there?
Bulletin board - is my ride cancelled?
DayTripper column - periodic yammerings from the Day Trips Coordinator
More about day rides - what to bring on rides, what's that smiley thing, participants under age 18, bike access on trains
Rides archive - what we did last month, and last year

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Saturday December 30th

TEMPERATURE REGULATORS OF THE NEW YEAR

9AM, White Plains Road & Pelham Parkway, 50 miles

Sergeant Jesse leads this fast paced (16mph+) trip to Rye, NY or possibly Byram CT. If you want to sprint 50 miles over rolling hills, the temperature regulators will keep you warm in the cooler weather. Bring water, a pump and a spare, plus some $ for lunch. Leaders Jesse Brown and others.

Sunday December 31st

FROSTBITE RIDE #5: NEW YEARS EVE AT THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN

10AM, Plaza Hotel, 25 miles

Elly Spangenberg’s perennial ride. Smell the fresh roses at one of the foremost American public gardens. Take a look at the Holiday Train Show. Visit the Enid Haupt Conservatory for “A World Of Plants” in a warm environment. See www.nybg.org for more information. Bring a digital camera, lock, $ for lunch and $$ for admission to the exhibition. Leaders Ed DeFreitas and Jesse Brown.

Saturday January 6th

FREEZER BURN: ARTHUR AVENUE

10AM, Bridgemarket, 30 miles

A new ride to a familiar neighborhood in the Bronx: Arthur Avenue and the Belmont section is still home to some fine Italian cuisine. B-paced. Dress appropriately, bring locks, $ for lunch, and a smile. Leaders Danny Lieberman and John Chiarella.

Sunday January 7th

FROSTBITE RIDE #6: UNCLE GEORGE’S

10AM, City Hall, 20 miles

Oceanography, what? Ride into the borough that brought us the likes of Phil Goldberg, Manny Sanudo, and David Seto. Feast on Green Cuisine at a very authentic venue. Who knows, we might even run into Queen’s own Steve “Wildman” Brill and eat something else. Possible excursions to Museum of the Moving Image, Socates Sculpture Park and other waterfront delights. Bring a lock, $ for lunch and a camera. Leaders Ed DeFreitas and others.

Saturday January 13th

CANCELLED : AROUND QUEENS TO FILLMORE’S RIDE

10AM, Kew Gardens, 25 miles

Join Ed and Liz for our ride to Fillmore’s for lunch. This will be an easy and flat ride of 25-30 miles through the borough of Queens. We will circle the globe and have lunch at a place with a pub-like atmosphere. Join us on this warm winter journey, for a trip and a great lunch at the end of the ride. Bring $ for a real lunch, and a bike lock. The restaurant is bike friendly with a great attitude. Check the website for weather and late breaking information. Leaders Ed Pino and Liz Baum.

STEP BACK IN TIME RIDE

11:15AM, Prospect Park, 15 miles

Grab your whale oil lamp, ring your servants call bells and tell him to hitch up the buggy. We’re going to New York City’s only family home, preserved intact, both inside and out since the early 19th century. Located in the East Village, this elegant row house, now the Merchant’s House Museum, was home to the prosperous merchant, Seabury Tredwell and his family for over 100 years. Bring a lock, $8 for the guided tour and $ for lunch at a local eatery. Rain, snow or icy conditions at start time cancel. Leaders Richard Sanford and Stephen Jackel.

Sunday January 14th

FROSTBITE RIDE #7: CONEY ISLAND DREAMING ON SUCH A WINTERS DAY

10AM, City Hall, 30 miles

To the borough of churches we will go. Ride to the serene waterfronts of the Verrazano and Coney Island. Have lunch at Totonno’s, renowned for their prized pizza. Check out id.essortment.com/historyofpizza_rmgf.htm for all the pizza trivia. Get that mozzarella! Bring a lock and $ for pizza and a film camera. Leaders Ed DeFreitas and others.

Saturday January 20th

CANCELLED : CARROT CAKE CYCLE

9AM, Engineer’s Gate (East 90th St and 5th Ave), 30 miles

Life can be sweet in the Bronx. We’ll head to the Bronx to Lloyd’s for the best carrot cake in the city. Ride leaves 9:23am sharp. Come prepared and be prepared to ride on some busy roads, hills, and greenways - you’ll be rewarded with a great time. No lunch. Ride ends at Manhattan’s Clinton Cove Park. Co-listed with NYCC. Leaders Alfredo Garcia and others.

Sunday January 21st

FROSTBITE RIDE #8: QUADRUPLE BYPASS, DAYTIME VERSION

10AM, City Hall, 20 miles

If you wanted to do hills but not leave the East River. Ah, of course! First ride over the Brooklyn Bridge, then the Manhattan Bridge, go through the Lower East Side, no Katz’s please, ok, maybe a pickle, now the Williamsburg, hey no bumps. North along Bedford, stay away from the restaurants, we’ll eat later, hop over Newtown Creek, the Queensboro looms on the horizon. Back again and follow the East River to a bike friendly pizzeria. Leaders Ed DeFreitas and others.

CANCELLED : HAWTREE BASIN RIDE

10AM, Doughnut Plant, 40 miles

We’ll head over the Williamsburg through industrial areas and via scenic Myrtle Ave to Forest Park, Hawtree Basin, Broad Channel island and circle around Jamaica Bay. Return via greenway and Bedford Ave, and back over the Willy B. B pace out and more relaxed on the way back Leaders Josh Gosciak and Alfredo Garcia.

Saturday January 27th

QUICK SPIN RIDE AROUND THE COUNTY OF QUEENS

9AM, Kew Gardens, 25 miles

Other than hot chocolate, there’s no better way to stay warm at this time of year than to pedal... quickly. We’re going to leave Kew Gardens and pass Cunningham and Alley Pond parks, head up to Douglas Manor, Bayside, College Point, and Kew Gardens Hills with a lunch stop at the Metro Cafe in Forest Hills. You’ll have to earn that - lunch will be after we finish the ride. Pace will be quick, between 14 and 18mph. Noone will be dropped. Snow, ice on the streets, or temperatures below freezing will cancel. (Check the 5BBC bulletin board for late updates.) Leaders Dennis Griffin and to be determined.

Sunday January 28th

CACAOUCH! - THE 2007 HOT CHOCOLATE RIDE

10AM, Doughnut Plant, 25 miles

Brrrr, it’s cold out there! I’ve spent the past year researching the best spots for hot chocolate. We will include the best of last year with a couple of new favorites. Pace, sweet; terrain, bitter. Bring a lock, lucre, and hope for the best. Leaders Danny Lieberman and Natalia Lincoln.

FROSTBITE RIDE #9: RIDE TO GARIBALDI AND ALICE AUSTEN

10AM, City Hall, 10 miles

Get transported again on the Staten Island Ferry for scenic riding. You can get anything you want at Alice’s Restaurant - oops wrong song, it’s Cargos. Visit the home of famed photographer Alice Austen, with gleaming views of New York Bay. She won’t be home, but appreciates your coming. Don’t worry about Guiseppe Garibaldi, baby. Bring $ for lunch, a lock, and a digital camera. Leaders Ed DeFreitas and others.

Saturday February 3rd

THE ICEMAN COMETH RIDE

9:30AM, Plaza Hotel, 20 miles

Ice in winter - you bet! Meet chain-saw wielding Josh, the Ice Sculptor (hopefully not psycho) who can create anything from a choo choo train to a punch bowl for your next Bar Mitzvah, confirmation, wedding, or chill out party. This basement craft shop located in Brooklyn is on the Q.T. so keep those lips frozen. Bring a lock and money for lunch at a local eatery. Rain, snow, or icy conditions at start time cancels. Leaders Richard Sanford and Rhonda Wittorf.

Sunday February 4th

FROSTBITE RIDE #10: SHEEPSHEAD BAY AND BEYOND

10AM, City Hall, 30 miles

Yet another excursion into the Borough of Churches. We’ll check out the shore parkway greenway, with a glimpse of the Atlantic Ocean. Bring a lock, $ for lunch and a camera. You can look but you better not bike over this pedestrian bridge in Sheepshead Bay. See www.transalt.org/bridges/sheep.html to learn why. Bring a lock, $ for lunch and a camera. Leaders Ed DeFreitas and others.

CANCELLED : ROSSVILLE, STATEN ISLAND

9:15AM, Doughnut Plant, 30 miles

10AM, South Ferry

Ride to the dead pool, one of the eeriest places in the five boroughs, according to some. Our destination is Rossville, Staten Island, home to the Sleigh family cemetery, Rossville African Methodist Church, Clay Pit Ponds State Park, and of course the dead pool. Leaders Josh Gosciak and Alfredo Garcia.

Saturday February 10th

CANCELLED : MERCHANT MARINE CONVOY

10AM, Cunningham Park, 35 moderately hilly miles

Warm up those dormant cycling muscles on a leisurely and scenic ride to the US Merchant Marine Academy in King’s Point (www.usmma.edu) overlooking Long Island Sound. On the way back there will be nice views of Little Neck Bay from Douglas Manor and the Joe Michael’s Mile bike path. Bring a lock and $ for lunch at a diner. NOTE: temperature below 32 degrees one hour before the start or any ice or snow on the road cancels. Leaders Ira Najowitz and Dennis Griffin.

Sunday February 11th

CANCELLED : FREEZER BURN: FLUSHING

10AM, Doughnut Plant, 35 miles

Let’s take a trip over to historic Flushing. We’ll travel through many neighborhoods to get there and there will be some excellent eats when we arrive. B-paced. Bring a lock, $ for lunch, and dress appropriate for the weather. Leaders Danny Lieberman and Rhonda Wittorf.

FROSTBITE RIDE #11: UNDER AND OVER THE HUDSON

10AM, City Hall, 25 miles

We take the PATH train to Hoboken, from there we go straight north along the Hudson to the GWB, across back to Manhattan. We pass Seinfeld’s old haunt, in favor of Italian, Indian, and eastern european cuisines. After refueling we follow the Hudson back to City Hall. Leaders Ed DeFreitas and others.

Saturday February 17th

CANCELLED : MEDIOCRE PRESIDENT’S DAY WEEKEND RIDE

10AM, Kew Gardens, 25 miles

Join Ed and Liz for our President’s Day ride to Fillmore’s. See January 13th for all the details. Updates will be posted to www.5bbc.org. Leaders Ed Pino and Liz Baum.

CANCELLED : RIVER ROAD IN WINTER

10AM, GWB Bus Terminal (Ft Washington Ave & W 178th St), 25 hilly miles

The leaves may be gone, but the beauty of Henry Hudson Drive (“River Road”) remains. In the winter you can enjoy unobstructed views of the cliffs, the Hudson River, and beyond. Best of all, most of the road will be closed to cars. There will be no road maintenance, so you do need to watch for rocks and branches, and the occasional massive landslide. Lunch and hot chocolate at State Line Lookout Inn. Bring bag lunch or $ for it, and a lock. Leaders Jim Zisfein and Rhonda Wittorf.

Sunday February 18th

FROSTBITE RIDE #12: NEAR BROOKLYN

10AM, City Hall, 25 miles

The twin cities of New York and Brooklyn danced with each other for fifty years before the wedding. We’ll get some snapshots of that time and others. Then maybe end up at a bike friendly pizzeria near Bowling Green or a secret place in Red Hook near the bay. Leaders Ed DeFreitas and others.

Saturday February 24th

MONTAUK CENTURY TRAINING RIDE #0: RIVERDALE

9:30AM, Columbus Circle, 30 miles

It may still be freezing out there but it’s time to wipe the dust off your bicycle and begin the training season for the spring! Our ceremonial start to the season begins with this relatively easy ride to the nearby Bronx neighborhood of Riverdale. Be sure to dress appropriate, bring a lock, $ for lunch. Leaders Alfredo Garcia and Maria Cummings.

Sunday February 25th

FROSTBITE RIDE #13: THE WORLDS GREATEST PANCAKES

9:45AM, City Hall, 25 miles

11AM, St George Ferry Terminal

Kull-ing all bikes, kull-ing all bikes. Join us for an encore presentation to conclude our series. Lunch will be extremely warm and delicious, at Bayonne’s Broadway Diner. Journey further to Liberty State Park. Bring a lock, $ for lunch and a camera. Leaders Ed DeFreitas and others.

Saturday March 3rd

MONTAUK CENTURY TRAINING RIDE #1: SANDS POINT

9:30AM, Cunningham Park, 30 miles

Our Montauk Century Training Series has kicked off and now we are taking trips along Long Island’s North Shore. Expect hills, chills, and no spills. Complete the series and you’ll be ready for anything. More details in March-April. Leaders to be announced later.

Sunday March 4th

MONTAUK CENTURY TRAINING RIDE #2: ENGLEWOOD

9:30AM, Columbus Circle, 30 miles

Our Training Series continues with rides alternating from mid-Manhattan. Progress through the series with your friends. Of course bring a pump, cable lock, hydration, and some fuel. Lunch at the Royal Cliffs. Leaders Rhonda Wittorf and John Chiarella.