Tour De Bronx

I’ve done a bunch of Transportation Alternatives bike rides but this was my first time doing the Tour De Bronx. I did the 40 mile option and did pretty well especially since I had my little folding bike. With that said, the organizers could have planned much better. I got out of the first rest stop late since my friend waited for the bathroom. The last two rest stops ran out of water, granola bottles and bagels. The end ran out of t-​shirts and pizza although each rider has a tag to claim their own. Those giving out t-​shirts kept a bunch for themselves and a lot of people were disappointed. Same for the pizza especially since each rider had a ticket for one at the end. You can go to
apparently they said, email them for your t-​shirt.
The ride itself was nice, there are a number of hills here and there so make sure you know what you are doing.
Some riders are super reckless-​I saw one rider get hit by a car and fell down towards the 40 mile beginning. Both the cyclist and rider were wrong in this accident, luckily everyone was ok. Another woman fell on her face and lost some teeth and had to go to the ER for stitches. I wish people would remember this is not a race, follow the rules. The Bronx is very nice but at the same time you have to cycle defensively even if the cops sort of close the streets for this ride.

I have done TBX at least 10 times in the past 20 years.
Those last 8 miles through Riverdale are as hard as they get.
The course has plenty of snack food along the way. Getting in and out and around the park areas is a little difficult.
The feeling of goodwill among participants is as good as it gets.
Registering this year and it will be my greatest challenge since being diagnosed with arthritis.

As the yearly free borough bike ride to support TA you get what you pay for. It’s a nice yearly tradition for families and casual riders. Low speed and police escorted. It’s meant more a s a casual parade in my eyes. It can definitely be better routed as there were quite a few places where there were bottlenecks and several places where we had to get off our bikes and walk. Might be a oversubscribed ride which causes the bottlenecks.
You do get a good tour of the bronx and its various neighborhoods. Rest stops were put together well and well stocked. The stopping and going of the ride was a big annoyance for me especially as they corralled us up at rest stops or certain spots on the route so that the police can close off streets. This to men can be co-​ordinated a bit better.
In the end the ride ends in bronx botanical garden with a feistival, live music, a free tshirt, and dominoes pizza (1 slice). It’s a nice way to spend a day with friends riding through the bronx if you don’t mind the stop and go parade like atmosphere. Great bunch of riders though i would say that had unique characters like the local bronx bike club and their custom bikes.

«This is not a race…» Sure, try telling that to the people in the front. They (me) will run you down. No idea why, it could be the innate competitiveness that drives the human race, or it could just be the feeling of the wind on your face when you’re pulling top speed on your frame and two wheels. But at the same time, friendliest people with a sense of connection just because we believe in bipedal locomotion atop a bicycle.
Two race types: the 25 and the 40. All the cool showy bikes are in the 25, and the fixies and road bikes are in the 40 (at least if you’re heading up the front). The Bronx is a pretty place with a lot of sites, if you can stop to appreciate (whether you’re pumping 24 mph on a straight away or if you’re chugging up a hill at 5 miles an hour). And the hills on the last leg of the 40 are brutal… or maybe it was just because I was running on booze and 1 hour of sleep from a megabus ride from Philadelphia at 5am. Still managed to pull a top 50 easy (800+ riders I think???). Your boy here is a badass if you don’t mind my saying so.
Get a road bike and take your carbo loaded ass to the largest free biking event in the city. For real.

For a free ride, this was pretty good! I did the 25 miles option as opposed to the 40, and it was a challenge towards the end (even though I biked up Bear Mountain and did 100 miles last year. Damn I’ve fallen). I actually walked up at the end where there was a hill leading up to the Botanical Garden. How sad is that!!! I think I was just too hungry because towards the end, all I smelled was food from Prego’s Pizza, and I was just shaking from hunger.
This ride was great because even though there were a lot of people, I was able to ride at a good pace without having the fear of clipping other people’s bikes. There was some bottlenecking towards the entrances and exits of the rest stops and parks but that’s expected. It definitely was not as bad as the 5 Boro Tour. The rest stops were well stocked and I felt that everything moved pretty smoothly. They could’ve patrolled more police officers towards the end of the ride going into the garden because it was dangerous there. I saw some cars trying to cut off bikers, but overall, the ride was pretty nice.
At the end you get free T-​shirts and a slice of Dominoes’ pizza!

It is not often you get to ride your bicycle with thousands of other riders around NYC where the roads are closed off to only bicycle riding and the event is FREE FREE FREE.
Tour De Bronx hosted by
gives everyone a chance to see and experience the Bronx through leg power and two wheels, or maybe even one wheel (there was this crazy dude riding a unicycle). The ride starts at 161 St and Grand Concourse, goes through several Bronx neighborhoods including coastal parks with bike lanes, ending at Bronx Botanical Garden. The 25 mile option is easy enough and has plenty of stops every 5 miles for food, water, bathroom breaks and bike repair, but beware there are some hills to climb so bring a bike that has some gears for climbing and spin those pedals.
Oh by the way, watch out for pot holes, speed bumps and especially park barrier poles… ouch!
You also get some neat freebies like a Giro bike helmet and a TDB t-​shirt at the end.
The event was well organized, I certainly has a blast, perfect day for riding your bike with friends, families young and old, pets and the bicycle community. A truly great way experience the Bronx to promote more bike lanes in NYC, safety, and fitness.

It was my first time biking on a bike tour in NYC. I just started to bike longer miles last year and I was still working on my hills. At this tour, I didn’t think the hills were that steep because I didn’t get off to walk my bike but I did see a lot of others did. I have did the 25 miles tour. There was a section that I really like near the water. I never been to that part of the Bronx so it was a tour for me. It was strange to be biking in the cemetery though. It’s suppose to be like a sad place yet everyone is having a good time riding their bikes.
There were stops to rest to eat/​use restrooms. The line was long for women and the restroom door couldn’t close… They gave out water and bagels but there was no more cream cheese ;(but hey it’s free what more can I request for.
In the end of the tour, there was a long line to get the free tee, pizza & drinks. There wasn’t much space for people to even get out. They should have a different entrance and exit for the park so people don’t crowd up in one area.
I would do this again and try out their 40 miles if I can.

Tour De Bronx by far is my favorite bike tour. It is free and a fun event to gather all your biking buddies for a 25 miles or 40 miles (for more advance bikers) traffic free route. I did the 25 miles and the first rest stop had bagels and water, the second rest stop had granola bars and water and at the end and final stop you’re rewarded with a free t-​shirt, pizza, and drinks. The ride goes in a good pace with hills towards the end. I will definitely do this every year.

Great way to ride thru and experience the Bronx’s many beautiful neighborhoods. A bit congested at times though, and cutting through thte parks can get tight on the narrow bike paths. Had an 11 yr old riding with me, and I was nervous for him (as some riders were just un-​coordinated), but he loved it!

Other than almost riding onto the highway and getting lost, it was a fun day. I wish they would have had better signage on the roads, but everyone was excited to be there. The race ended at the Bronx Botanical Garden with a live Spanish band, and pizza. I’ll be back next year, with a map and plan.

The ride was okay. Did the 25 miles option. The start line is at the yankee stadium area and the finish line was at botanical gardens. If you did this ride to tour the bronx, this route did not do so. We didn’t even go around the zoo, just a little around the botanical gardens. And the route included going through a cemetary, why did they do this? It made no sense at all. The route was not well marked but you knew where to go because everyone was heading the same way. The rest stations were well stocked with water, bagels, granola bars. The rest stations were at parks, so getting out was a hassle because it was literally a whole bunch of people trying to squeeze through this exit out of the park, causing a big bottleneck. Also some routes did not have police officers at crazy intersections, some riders didn’t even know that and we all had to be careful. It was an okay experience. At the end there was free tshirt and pizza and drinks and music. The line for the food was way too long, single line for thousands of people with their bikes. The line was barely oving at all. The hills were not bad at all though some people with road bikes were walking the hills (c’mon guys you have road bikes) for a reason. Hate to see when people with nice bikes walk up hills.

Did the 25 mile Tour de Bronx yesterday. I had done the 40 mile last year, but my bike got stolen in June & I was riding a beater mtb that was way too small. Felt great being around thousands of other fossil fuel free rolling power plants doing 25 mph under your own power. Very fun, organized event that fulfills your need for speed with zero emissions! =)

Great 40 mile ride all around the Bronx. Well run considering it was free. Every 10 miles there was a rest stop. First had great bagels and water. Subsequent stops had granola bars and water. At the finish you were treated to pizza, waters, juices, a t-​shirt, and live band while relaxing in the NY Botanical Gardens.
Pretty easy ride until the final 10 miles which introduces some steep hills. For the faster riders it doesn’t really open up till City Island.
My only gripe is that the course is not marked well. When you’re riding fast you can’t read directions and we therefore missed a lot of turns. But in the end it’s not a race so no big deal.

I am Unilocaling this on behalf ofmy 7 year old DD who has riden the TDB twice now — and will again in the Summer of 2012. She loves it — but boy is that a long ride for a little kid.(25 miles is the short one.)
She also got a free T-​Shirt that was MILES too large.

I photographed this event today, and it was amazing. I didn’t sign up for it because it was last minute and I don’t have a bike (I’m a rollerblader I must say). But definitely next year I’m going to join this, it looked like a lot of fun. They also give out free helmets to people.
I wrote an article on this and I had my cousin and her best friend do the 25 mile one. They told me they loved it and they would do it again next year. There are 3 stops and they also provided bagels and juice. At the end they received a t-​shirt, which I’m sure the event gave out more freebies but they didn’t stay for it. And there was pizza at the end.
I asked them their best ride (which route) and they said the most fun was all the bicycles going on the Sheraton Expressway and they felt awesome riding a bike on a highway.
Anyways they ended at Botanical Gardens and it was literally a big party and thousands of bike riders… amazing. I got stuck doing an assignment that I am so jealous of everyone who did it. And I kid you not I heard from so many people while I’m walking around with my camera, «where’s your bike?!»

Tour De Bronx is the largest free bicycling event in NYC. As of this review, it’s been running for 16 years and is open to everyone. This bike tour only happens once a year around October. There are two rides. The beginner ride that is 25 miles and the one made more for hard core bikers that is billed as 40 miles.
Each year, a month before the ride happens, the web site for Tour De Bronx opens up for limited registration. Snatch it while you can since these openings goes fast. If you miss it, on the day of the event, they also have limited registration at the starting point for those that is there early enough to grab a spot.
Bright and early in the morning, it was an interesting train ride to the meet up spot with more and more cyclists cramming into the train at each stop as the starting time point of 10 AM draws near. At the beginning of the ride, the tour was backed up with little space to move between the bikes and the pace was real slow. As the speedier cyclists move ahead, and the crowd thins out, the pace become much faster with a lot more breathing space.
Since I took the 40 miles ride, I can tell you that it was easy going at first. It was mostly level ground among streets that were closed specifically for this event in the first half. For the second half everyone needs to be comfortable riding among traffic and through semi closed highways.
Along the way there are 3 rest stops with food and drinks. This year, the first stop was bagels and juice. The second stop was apples and water. The third and final rest stop was for granola bars. Each pit stop helps to replenish much needed energy and gets you ready for the next leg of the route.
After the third rest stop, the easy going ride with a few short hills becomes sadistic with non stop hills for the next 8 to 9 miles. Many people that were not ready for this gave up and walked these parts with many cursing the person that created this route. I didn’t walk but I did do my fair amount of cursing. I also cursed the surprise 3 plus miles that they tacked on to the 40 that they mentioned making it in reality 43 plus miles. Sadly I neglected my training for the last few months and what used to be easy for me even at 65 plus miles with hills a year ago was more of a challenge than I want to admit it to be this time around. My legs cramped up three times during these uphills.
But for tours like these, it’s all about the ride and ultimately, the challenge. You just push on, and at the end, when you cross that finish line, it’s all worth it because you persevered. When we finished the tour, we were all rewarded with free pizza, Poland spring water, and a Tour De Brooklyn T-​shirt. Sure, it was sponsored crappy pizza by Dominos but when you are that hungry and tired, this was as good as steak and was much appreciated.
For me, this ride was three years in the making. The first time three years ago, I couldn’t make it because of work. Last year, it was cancelled because of heavy rain storms. This year, despite the sadistic last few miles, I had fun. It’s a great way to see the Bronx in a way that can’t be done during the rest of the year. I am already planning my ride for next year. I WILL conquer those hills.