Five Borough Bicycle Club

May 27, 2007: On 5BBC's Memorial Day Ride, riders remember veteran John Martin (Giovanni Martini), the only survivor of George Armstrong Custer's command at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Photo by John Chiarella.

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For the longest training rides we just have one group going out. Stony Point, just south of Bear Mountain, is one of our most technical and challenging trips. This ride is very hilly, so don’t attempt this unless you are ready. Leaders Dennis Griffin and Dan Finton.

Here at the 5BBC, we don't just talk the talk. We will lock our bikes and go walking with a Palisades Interstate Park historian (he will do the talking, believe me) and explore the ruins of estates that dotted the Palisades cliff before they were demolished to make way for the park and parkway. See njpalisades.org/alp-hike.htm#Loop for more info. Bring a bike lock, water, snacks, comfortable walking shoes, and a bag lunch. Relaxed pace for ride and hike. Hilly terrain. Leaders: Jim Zisfein and Marina Bekkerman.

In celebration of Bike Month NYC, join us for the annual fun leisurely evening ride on Manhattan's Greenways/Pathways. We plan to go through Central Park, down the West Side Pathway to Battery Park, through South Street Seaport and up the East Side and back to the Plaza. Bring pocket food, a good working bicycle with your tires inflated to the appropriate psi, a bicycle pump, one spare inner tube, water to drink, a helmet (and wear it), and a smile. You must also have front and rear lights. Rain at the start cancels the ride. Colisted with NYCC and The Weekday Cyclists in NYC. Leaders Trudy Hutter and TBD.

The big bike tour is tomorrow so what better way to warm up than with a long roller coaster trip like Lloyd Neck? Because it’s such a long distance ride one group will do just fine. Pack some snacks for the trip, in case you need the extra energy, and plenty of water so you dont get leg cramps. Warning, not for beginners. Leaders Dennis Griffin and Ira Najowitz.

OK, you’ve done the rest - now finish the job! The scenery of the North Shore expands on this beautiful trip and the main century event is just one week away. If you’re ready for this 90 miler you’ll have no problem with the full century coming up. No point-drop-sweep on this final training ride. Leaders Dennis Griffin and Natalia Lincoln.

Hola amigos. This all Spanish language learning ride is for you to impress your professor, your significant other, or the guy in the bodega who thinks you don’t know your platanos from your gandules. Join us for this language immersion ride to Spanish Harlem. Just remember, you must pledge to speak the most Spanish you can, even if it is one word (we’ll help you be creative). Lunch at a Puerto Rican Restaurant. Bring lock, lunch money and plenty of “curiosidad.” Rain at start cancels. Leaders: Richard Sanford and William Batista.

Our metric series concludes with an old standard - Piermont, NY. Enjoy the hills, green pastures and river views. We’ll visit the pier that extends nearly a mile into the mighty Hudson. Bring lunch dough and a camera. Leaders Brian Hoberman and Rhonda Wittorf.

Ride up the Old Putnam Railroad trail to Tarrytown and then back along the Old Croton Aqueduct. This is an off-road trip – mountain and hybrids only! The terrain is rough but not terribly hilly. Bring or buy lunch. Leaders: Ed DeFreitas and Jesse Brown.

There are mansions and art exhibits galore on the banks of the Hudson River. We might see some avant-garde art in a garden setting at Wave Hill in the Bronx, some straight-up history in Philipse Manor Hall in Yonkers, or a Victorian mansion with all the trimmings at the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers. And there will be no shortage of scenery in between, as we'll be riding close to the river whenever possible. Bring or buy lunch, and bring $8 for museum admissions. Gently rolling terrain with a few steep hills. Leaders Ed Ravin and others.

What are we gonna do now? Bike 23+ bridges in all five boroughs in a day. We’ll get at those bridges on flat, some busy & some hilly urban roads. Rivers, greenways and diverse neighborhoods included. Required: endurance and NYC cycling map. Lunch at 45-mile mark. BRING FOOD. Co-listed: NYCC and TA’s Bike Month. Ride leaves 6:23am promptly. Alfredo Garcia, Jesse Brown, Robert Brown, Maria Cummings, and Wally Stuck.

"Boots and saddles!" When last we heard from Trooper Giovanni Martini, he had narrowly escaped death at the Battle of Little Big Horn when Custer sent him back with a dispatch for Captain Benteen: "Come on...Big village...Be Quick. Bring packs!". (Perhaps if he'd sent one of our NYC bike messengers he'd have gotten help quicker). We'll visit Giovanni and maybe Harry Houdini as well. Then, we'll look down on the city with all 5 boroughs at our feet, we'll see a life-sized Pieta, perhaps a secret cemetery in Jamaica Estates and the RKO Keith's in Richmond Hill. Bring lunch / ice cream money, $5.00 museum admission, a cable lock, your guidon and bugle! Leaders John Chiarella and Danny Lieberman.

After we ride on roads to Bronxville, the ride turns beautiful. Except for a short area between Scarsdale and Hartsdale, we travel on paths along streams and ponds, over wooden foot bridges and small waterfalls. See what the WPA hath wrought. Enjoy lunch at the base of the dam. Bring money for lunch and your MTA bike pass in case you need Metro-North. Last stop on the #2 Leaders Ed DeFreitas and Jesse Brown.

Department store magnate A. T. Stewart founded the town of Garden City, Long Island, shortly before his death in the 1870s. This early, planned community blossomed into a bright and beautiful suburban town in the early 20th century. We’ll take all backroads across Queens and Nassau counties. Bring or buy lunch. B16 pace. Leaders Danny Lieberman and Maria Cummings.

Ride into Brooklyn, over the Gil Hodges Bridge to Riis Park. Return over the Cross Bay to Howard Beach, Ozone Park, and Forest Park. Leaders Dennis Griffin and others.

The Old Put a/k/a New York and Putnam Railroad was a dismal failure as a commercial rail line and was finally put out of its misery circa 1980. Fortunately, the right-of-way was preserved, and the rail barons' loss became our gain when Westchester and Putnam Counties built a rail trail for recreational use. You can now bicycle most of the way from Bronx to Carmel on a path that is paved, level, and car-free. Hooray! The 5BBC celebrates this achievement with a 100-mile round-trip day ride on the route of the Old Put. Riders should be able to maintain a "B" pace (15 mph). Bring water, snacks, lunch or $ for it, and $ for Metro-North in case you need to leave early. Leaders: Jesse Brown and Jim Zisfein.

Some 35 years ago, your humble leader first stumbled across some of the oldest bike ways in the boro, via a route that nowadays is part Greenway trails, part TA Century and part leader's choice. This easy ride will visit or pass by several parks in the nabe: Forest, Flushing Meadows, Kissena, Alley Pond, Crocheron, Francis Lewis and Macneil, plus a foray on Joe Michaels Mile, a final loop towards the Unisphere, and a visit to Vanderbilt Motor Parkway, the first ever motorized toll highway in the city. We'll stop at a deli (bring lunch money) and eat at a scenic viewpoint. Moderate pace, mostly flat. Heavy rain cancels. Leader: Ted M. Kushner and Randy Horowitz.

Cycle all the back roads of Queens and Nassau counties for lunch on the boardwalk in Long Beach. No bathing suits and no locks are necessary, because we go all over the place to avoid traffic. Moderate pace and flat terrain. Leaders: Martial Henrys and Manuel Sanudo

Woodlawn cemetery- Come join the celebration of living history, at New York's second oldest cemetery.We visit not only the pass but an outstanding venue for reflection, peace, and beauty. We may get a guided tour. Leaders Ed DeFreitas and Jesse Brown.

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 Rodney Millard.

If it’s invisible, then what’s with the colors? Can neon explode, like a WMD? Join us for this ride to Krypton Neon (sounds eerie right?) a local Long Island City neon shop. Guaranteed to be a gas! Bring lock and money for lunch at a local café, sure to have neon hanging in the window. Rain at start cancels. Leaders Richard Sanford and Phil Goldberg.

40 miles of scenic Westchester County roads, bike paths, and a stop at a nature preserve where we'll take a walk around a swampy lake in a quiet, forested area. Since we'll be using the Bronx River Parkway during the Bicycle Sunday closings, as well as the neighboring bike paths, the ride is 44% car free. All paths are paved paths, suitable for road bikes. Bring appropriate walking footwear. Rolling terrain with a few steep hills. Leaders Ed Ravin and Rhonda Wittorf. Travel note - this ride starts at the last stop on the #4 train in the Bronx.

In the 1800s, when Brooklyn was an independent city, it obtained its water from a now-defunct reservoir system out on Long Island. From Massapequa we’ll trace the route of the old system, stopping at several parks and lakes and ending at an abandoned and overgrown reservoir in Ridgewood, Queens. Manhattan Borough Historian Michael Miscione will explain the history of Brooklyn’s water supply and point out tantalizing remnants and ruins of the old system. Easy pace, with bailouts along the way. Bring your MTA bike pass. Colisted with the NYCC. Leaders Josh Gosciak and Steve Faust.

Walk where the "Greatest Generation trod by touring a WW II submarine in Hackensack. We go from 21st century to 1944. Bring locks for bike, money for lunch and submarine tour(optional). History buffs, bring your curiousity. 35 miles. Created by Alfredo Garcia. Leaders Ed DeFreitas and Jesse Brown.

Celebrate summer with our 19th annual day-long visit to this classic folk music festival on the banks of the Hudson! We'll take Metro-North for a jump start to White Plains, then cycle to the fest, featuring several stages of music, plus non-stop dancing, crafts, souvenirs, activism, environmental displays, and of course, food. And who will be named in this year's ride dedication ceremony? Once again, our friends at TIMES UP! will provide free valet bike parking! Limited discount admission tickets ($25) will be available, first come first served. Scheduled performers include the legendary Buffy Sainte-Marie plus Bruce Cockburn, Leo Kottke, Paul Winter Consort, Tony Trischka and more! Festival and bike ride is rain or shine. Recommended return trip to NY is also by train. Bring $15 fare, MTA bike permit, sunscreen. Moderate pace, flat to rolling terrain and one killer hill. Leaders: Ted M. Kushner and Brian Hoberman

Join us for a fun ride through Brooklyn to the world famous cyclone for the ride of your life. Come to the Fun House, Walk on the Boardwalk. Return to your childhood or your new adulthood for a fun time. Lunch will be at Nathan’s hotdog stand the original hot dog. [Click here for a Nathan's coupon.] Bring bike lock and approximately $15 for lunch and admission. Leaders Ed Pino and Liz Baum.

The Bronx Greenway tour offers an opportunity to see the Bronx as never seen before. Be amazed by the diversity and beauty of the Bronx. Staten Island is not the only forgotten borough. A true journey of discovery. Leaders Jesse Brown and Ed DeFreitas.

More a tour than a ride through Queens, hitting some of the boroughs unusual or forgotten places. Many stops. Bring money for lunch. We plan to visit the botanical gardens, a 2000 year old roman column, a kung fu temple, the Lemon Ice King of Corona and more. Leaders Randy Horowitz, Ted Kushner, and Jesse Brown.

Join us for this beautiful but very hilly ride through northern Westchester. While spinning on the hills (with cumulative climbing of 3500 feet), we can look forward to ice cream at the Blue Pig near the end. N.B.: Triples are recommended, bring a MTA bike permit and be aware that there's a few miles of riding on a hard-packed dirt road. Ride is expected to end about 6PM at the Croton-Harmon station. Terrain: Hills, hills, and more hills. Leaders Brian Hoberman and others.

The Bronx, home of the NY Yankees! Our perimeter starts at their home, Yankee Stadium. We’ll conquer the wilds of Riverdale, touch on Westchester, pass by Coop City and Fort Schuyler and the isle of the unclaimed dead. Some hills. Leaders Ed DeFreitas and others. Quick Spin leaders Jesse Brown and others.

The Bronx has an abundance of fine greenways and also many places for exotic eats. Experience these and much more on this new ride through many Bronx neighborhoods. We will pick up Bureks, an Albanian pizza-like delicacy, or other ethnic cuisine on our way to the Bartow-Pell Mansion in Pelham Bay Park. Plenty of greenway riding and some hilly, urban terrain. Moderate Pace. Bring a lock and $ for lunch. Leaders Josh Gosciak and Alfredo Garcia.

This is the ride - from Coney to Fort Totten, with lots of greenways along the way. Only the best parts of the Brooklyn and Queens perimeter trips makes this one of the best urban rides you’ll find all summer. Fast paced and sure to be a pleaser. B16 pace. Leaders Danny Lieberman, Neile Weissman, and others.

8:45AM, City Hall, 43 miles
9:15AM, South Ferry or 10AM, St George Ferry Terminal

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. Moderate pace. Terrain: Mostly Flat with one hill. Leaders: Ed DeFreitas and others.

City Island is a favorite destination of mine, so let’s go back there for our national holiday. We’ll have lunch right on the water. Plenty of greenways along with some urban scenery. Moderate pace. Bring a cable lock and $ for lunch. Leaders Danny Lieberman and Maria Cummings.

These were rides in May-June 2007. Click here for current rides.