Yes, it is freezing cold right now. But before you know it, the slow-cooked, snow-covered days will be over and bike season will arrive.
Will you be ready?
These 10 fun, fortifying rides welcome a wide range of skill levels. You can choose to do the country’s only all-urban 100-mile bike tour, take a scenic leisure ride on flat Long Island roads or enjoy a Finger Lakes cycling festival that ends each day with a massage. Get fired up for a climate change-driven ride from NYC to DC or be among the first to pedal New York‘s inaugural Gran Fondo.
To prepare for the long, undulating roads ahead, consider joining the New York Cycle Club (just $30 for a year membership) and registering for their SIG (Special Interest Group) weekend training rides that run from March to May. Registration opens February 1. In addition to offering great perks, from free beer to snazzy swag to kids ride free, each bike event caters to car-free entrants with easy public transportation directions and opportunities to carpool. Have a nice ride.
Mark Your Cycling Calendars:
1. TD Bank Five Boro Bike Tour | Sunday, May 1 | $112
2. The North Fork Century | Saturday, May 16 | $100 – $175, free for children
3. Gran Fondo | Sunday, May 8 | $319
4. Brita Climate Ride | Friday-Tuesday, May 13-17 | $75
5. Bike the River Valley | Sunday, July 17 | $82 – $102
6. Tour de Brooklyn | Sunday, June 5 | $5 for Transportation Alternative members, $10 for non-members
7. Tour de Franklin | Sunday, April, 26 | $49
8. Discover the Hudson Valley | Sunday, May 3 | $112
9. 2011 Bon Ton Roulet Tour in the Finger Lakes | Sunday-Sunday, July 18-25 | $775
10. The 26th Annual Escape New York! | Saturday, September 26 | $49
Photo: Courtesy of Katie T
The co-founder and editor-at-large at offMetro, Lauren is a sustainable travel specialist and freelance journalist with frequent bylines in National Geographic, Bicycling Magazine and Shape. Follow Lauren’s adventures at @laurenmati.
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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. 
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