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Tens of Thousands to Come Out for 28th Annual Five Boro Bike-NY Tour and End of Tour Festival in Staten Island
// Laz Benitez // April 29, 2005
Annual Event Salutes New York’s Olympic Bid
New York, NY (April 30, 2005) - In its 28th year of existence, the Five Boro Bike TourÔ presented by Bike New York commences this weekend as more than 30,000 participants flood the streets to bike the 42-mile route through New York City’s five boroughs. All of the riders will start the event under a banner of support for NYC2012 that will read: “Rollout The Olympic Spirit for NYC2012.” The Tour, scheduled for Sunday, May 1, is the largest recreational cycling event in the United States, and is an opportunity for families, friends, regular cyclists, and fitness enthusiasts to come out and enjoy a day of cycling through New York City. The tour finishes in Staten Island where Bike New York hosts a festival to cap off the day’s event.
As the participants traverse the five boroughs, they will pass by many of NYC2012’s proposed venue sites in its bid for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, including Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island, the location for the proposed Road Cycling course for the Games. Members of NYC2012’s Circle of Olympians and Paralympians, which now has almost 1900 members, will also join the crowd of cyclists to enjoy the tour and demonstrate their support for the City’s bid for a 2012 Games. All riders can learn more about New York’s Olympic plans at the finish festival following the ride.
“This tour showcases some of New York’s Olympic venues and sites to anyone with a bike,” said Wendy Hilliard, Director of Sports at NYC2012. “It is a sight to see as people from all different backgrounds, young and old, come out to share this experience for love of the city, cycling, and just friendly, healthy activity. Through the magnitude of this event, New Yorkers are again reminded of the spirit of this community as well as its passion for sport, a few of the characteristics that would make this city the perfect place for the 2012 Games.”
The route of the Bike Tour stretches from lower Manhattan through Central Park and into Harlem. Bikers will continue over the 145th Street Bridge, through the Bronx and over the Queensborough Bridge to Queens and from there, head to Brooklyn’s waterfront, over the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and to Staten Island for the end-of-tour celebratory festival at Fort Wadsworth. The Staten Island Ferry will then offer free service for everyone going back to Manhattan as the day comes to a close. This event also kicks off BikeMonthNYC in New York with the season opening of the Kissena Velodrome, the Bicycle Film Festival, National Bike to Work Day, and The New York City Bicycle Show.
New York is competing against four other cities for the right to host the Olympic Games in 2012: London, Madrid, Moscow and Paris. The International Olympic Committee will name the Host City for the 2012 Games on July 6, 2005, in Singapore.
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Contact: NYC2012
Laz Benitez – 646-587-5426/Iva Benson – 646-587-5490
Rubenstein Associates, Inc. – Public Relations
Dina Barsky – 212-843-8024/Kathy Lynn – 212-843-8023
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