22
April 8, 2022 • Schneps Media
Ready to roll once more
BY BEN BRACHFELD
The Five Boro Bike Tour will
return to full strength next
month after two years of
pandemic limbo, and cycling honchos
say participants this year will
not only get to enjoy the event at
capacity, but also an extra hour of
car-free streets.
The tour — which, as its name
suggests, visits all five boroughs
— is once again open to its capacity
registration of 32,000 participants,
after being cancelled
altogether in 2020 due to the
COVID-19 lockdown, and featuring
a diminished ridership of just
20,000 in 2021, and a later-thannormal
August date.
The event, which began in
1977, comes back to New York on
Sunday, May 1.
With the extra hour in place,
participants will be able to choose
from a greater number of “waves”
with which to start the tour,
which organizers say will reduce
congestion and allow for a more
pleasant experience.
“The extra hour is a gamechanger
for the riders of the TD
Five Boro Bike Tour,” said Ken
Podziba, president of event organizer
Bike New York, in a statement.
“The ability to spread out
the start waves means less congestion,
plus additional space to soak
in the amazing views and enjoy
a more leisurely, free-wheeling
ride. This year’s Tour will be the
best one yet, and we’re grateful
to Mayor Eric Adams, Department
of Transportation Commissioner
Ydanis Rodriguez and
all our government partners for
working with us to infuse an exciting,
new liberating feel to the
Tour experience.”
Organizers have not yet released
the route for this year’s
pedaling palooza, but, as in previous
years, the program will begin
in Lower Manhattan and end on
Staten Island.
Last year, the route started at
Manhattan’s southern tip and
traveled up to Harlem, crossed
the river for a brief layover in the
Bronx before returning to the east
side of Manhattan, after which
riders crossed the Queensboro
Bridge and cycled through waterfront
nabes in Queens and Brooklyn.
Finally, riders trekked across
the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge
to the finish line in St. George,
Staten Island.
All streets along the route are
closed to motor vehicle traffic so
bike riders can peacefully and
safely navigate the city.
The $112 entrance fee is
steep, but the fee supports Bike
New York’s charitable mission
to provide free bike education
courses to children and adults
throughout New York City. The
non-profit claims that its educational
programs, administered
at “community bike education
centers,” reached up to 30,000
New Yorkers in 2020.
The entrance fee includes
snacks, water, and “entertainment”
at rest stops along the
route, access to free bike repairs,
and entry to the “finish
festival” at the end of the circuit
on Staten Island.
BY ESTHER WICKHAM
One World Observatory is
partnering with Art on the
Ave NYC to present an art
project to the observatory from
April 15 to 16.
“The Observatory offers unique
views of New York City, unlike any
other in the area, and in April, as
environmental stewardship is top of
mind, we are proud to partner with
Art on the Ave NYC to provide an
interactive look at sustainable art
and the process of its development,”
Delfin Ortiz, General Manager at
One World Observatory, said.
Art on the Ave is a community
based project that focuses on
supporting local artists. Through
this partnership, the Observatory
welcomes artist Lance Johnson
who will create art in real-time
on the site, using reclaimed and
recycled materials.
“I use recycled and upcycled
materials because I believe in
showing the resilience of items,”
said Johnson. “Given its location,
the Observatory represents
resilience on a large scale, and I
am proud to bring my art to such
a special place in the city. I look
forward to interacting with guests
to explain my process and share
my work.”
Johnson’s work will be on display
in the Observatory throughout
the month of April, including
a piano that he painted as part of a
collaboration with Sing for Hope.
The piano will be located on floor
100 from April 15-24 and the public
is encouraged to play in an impromptu
fashion while visiting the
Observatory.
The event will be from April 15
to 16, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets
to the Observatory start at $38 and
can be purchased online at oneworldobservatory.
com.
FILE PHOTO/STEFANO GIOVANNINI FOR BROOKLYN PAPER
The Five Boro Bike Tour returns to full capacity for bicyclists this May.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ONE WORLD OBSERVATORY/LANCE JOHNSON
AROUND TOWN
Annual Five Boro Bike Tour to return to full capacity in May
One World Observatory to spotlight
sustainability with new art project