I took part in the TD Five Boro Bike Tour held in New York on May 5, 2024! The weather that day was far from ideal. At the start, the temperature was just 10°C, with winds around 20 km/h—freezing cold—and heavy gray clouds overhead. Still, considering the forecast had shown a 91% chance of rain up until the day before, it almost felt lucky that it wasn’t pouring from the morning. Even layered in long-sleeve jerseys, the cold was relentless, and I was still shivering despite wearing a rain jacket. Hoping the ride itself would eventually warm me up, I first headed to Battery Park at the southern tip of Manhattan to pick up my rental bike. As fierce sea winds swept through before sunrise, I cou […]

I headed to New York with my Brompton in tow.However, I had some trepidation about cycling in NY. After all, New York is a pioneering city in cycling, known for its messenger culture. Unlike Japan, cycling on the road is strictly enforced. Additionally, bikes follow the opposite rule of riding on the left side. I had ridden a road bike in Hawaii before, but this is New York, the greatest city in the world. It would be strange not to feel a bit nervous. This time, accompanying me to New York are Karen-chan, the runner and cyclist Karen Maruyama, and a friend who was a renowned cyclist during his university days. Originally, Osamu Suzuki was supposed to be part of this group as well, but for s […]

Bike New York, to be held on Sunday, May 3, 2020, is a ride event that will take cyclists around the five boroughs(boro) of New York State: Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island. This is why it is called the “Five Boro Bike Tour” in the U.S. mainland. Although little known to the Japanese, the event is of a very large scale with more than 30,000 participants from all over the world. The course is 40 miles (about 64 km). The course is closed to traffic, allowing visitors to drive at a leisurely pace. This article introduces the highlights of the course, which is full of attractions that New York City has to offer.