What: Bike New York’s Commerce Bank Five Boro Bike Tour
Why: Don’t pass up an opportunity to tour through all five boroughs on a route closed to car traffic, joining 30,000 other cyclists in the largest recreational biking event in the United States.
When: Sunday, May 4, 2008 – registration deadlines are March 28th (early bird) and April 18th
Where: The 42 mile tour starts in Battery Park, runs through Central Park, historic Harlem, the Bronx, down FDR drive, then over to Queens and Brooklyn, over the Verrazano Narrows Bridge and onto Staten Island. Before returning to downtown with a free ride on the ferry, riders enjoy a celebration at Fort Wadsworth with exhibits, food, and live entertainment.
How: Registration is limited to the first 30,000 entrants, so be sure to register soon at the Bike New York website. All skill levels and ages are welcome. A list of bike shops offering rentals for the event can be found here—some can even provide a convenient pick-up/drop-off at the start and finish, and many offer a discount for this event. If you register before March 28th, the fee is $45, and until April 18th (or when full) it goes up to $55. Also available is a VIP package that includes a starting spot at the front of the tour, a light breakfast, lunch, a T-shirt, and baseball cap. This will cost you $200 and helps support Bike New York’s Bicycle Education program. Some of the offManhattan staff will be participating and covering the event this year—we hope to see you out there!
Photos: Courtesy of Bike New York (see individual photos for details).
Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin. 
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
Annie is a travel writer, environmentalist, and surfer based in Venice, CA. She heads up our West Coast team, keeps our grammatical errors in check, and makes sure our California writers always have a plan for their next adventure. Follow Annie’s travels @annelisemcb.
Carly Pifer is a freelance writer who has been known to follow whims inspired by romantic movie scenes or colorful street style shots to India, Japan, Tunisia and Argentina. After stints living in Seoul, Boston, Paris and Los Angeles, writing and searching for something intangible, she landed somewhat steadily in Brooklyn and has begun to find inspiration in her more immediate surroundings. 
Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram