If you entered the lottery and received an email to the fact that you have been selected to ride the 5-boros and instructed to purchase your tickets, and of course, if you indeed purchase your ticket, please indicate so in your RSVP.

As for the ticket pick up, each rider is supposed to get their ticket and their vest at Pier 36 the days leading up to the ride. TDLink offers an option to have your ticked & vest picked up via proxy.

Since I work in the City, I am willing to get everyones ticket/vest, provided you feel comfortable providing me with the required documentation. Please review their website for the very specific "proxy" requirements and contact me if you need me to pick up your ticket too.

Hope to see you at the ride.

The TD Bank Five Boro Bike Tour takes place every year at the beginning of May. The Tour—a car-free ride through 42-miles of New York City—is an unforgettable way to see the five boroughs and experience the excitement that only 32,000 cyclists whooshing through New York City streets can generate. The route is doable for cyclists of all levels. The most significant hills are at the bridges. Experienced cyclists can challenge themselves at these climbs, while beginning cyclists and not-quite-in-shape riders can relax and refuel at the rest areas and spend the whole day enjoying the ride and Festival at the park in Staaten Island prior to boarding the Ferry back to Lower Manhattan. Check out the ride video and photos here at Bike New York and learn more about this event’s grass roots history. http://www.bikenewyork.org/ride/five-boro-bike-tour.

Leo and I participated last year without preparation leading up to the ride. We simply established a comfortable speed and rode along some amazing sites, meeting very interesting people from all over the world along the way, and had some good laughs and giggles. There are really only two steep inclines – the Queens Bridge and the Verrazano Bridge... I am not ashamed to say that I walked to the top of those bridges rather than ride...I was not alone!

The ride is scheduled in two waves with the first kicking off at 8:30 a.m. so we will be meeting in Danbury between 5:00 – 5:15 am for carpooling. There will be a lot of traffic from uptown to downtown Battery park... bikes everywhere and good parking spots are rare. I always park in a 24-hr garage nearby and then walk across as close to the starting line as possible. Metro North (Brewster line only) offer free bike transportation also if you prefer to take the train.

One caveat: You definitely want to wear “padded” bike pants and add some more padding if you can, especially if you are not used to riding for long periods of time! HELMETS ARE MANDATORY! Tickets to this event will go on sale approximately the first week of February and they WILL sell out fast! I will send another email to alert you when the sale starts.

This is really a fundraiser and for the price you pay, you will also get drinks and food at every rest stop (5 - 7) along the way. The cost in 2011 was $85.00 plus handling fees - the 2012 fees have not yet been posted. http://www.bikenewyork.org/ride/five-boro-bike-tour. As I mentioned before, MTA permits bikes on the train for that day only - free of charge!

 Feel free to email me if you have any questions about the ride or carpooling. I have a bike rack that can hold 3 bikes, so I can have two people car pool with me.