The TD Five Boro Bike Tour, considered the world’s largest charity cycling event, will return to New York City on Sunday, May 3, 2026, when the streets of the five boroughs will be lined with tens of thousands of enthusiasts, from amateurs to more experienced cyclists, who will participate in a roughly 40-mile route through the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island. As has been the case since 1977, the proceeds will support the free programs of Bike New York, the nonprofit organization that offers bicycle education classes to some 30,000 adults and children each year.
Registration, which is already open online, has two modes. Standard registration costs $157.56 and provides logistical services, security and assistance along the way. A more exclusive formula, the VIP, costs $485.44 and includes limited-edition gadgets, breakfast and entertainment at the start, a timed climb over the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and a reserved area with gourmet lunch at the end of the route. In both cases, the funds raised go directly to fund the association’s activities, while also covering expenses necessary to organize the event, such as city permits, support vehicles, emergency services and staging areas.
The ride is open to a wide variety of bicycles, including recumbents, tandems or tricycles, with the exclusion of bulkier vehicles such as so-called party bikes. The use of Class 1 e-bikes is also allowed, while those who do not own a bike will be able to take advantage of the rental service agreed upon with Unlimited Biking. For organizational reasons, all participants will receive an identification kit that includes a helmet cover, bib, numbered plaque and fixing accessories, which are essential for both logistics and safety.
Over the years, the Five Boro Bike Tour has become a collective ritual for the city. The idea of closing entire arteries to automobile traffic for a day to leave them to tens of thousands of cyclists was, in the late 1970s, an almost pioneering choice. At the time, New York City was best known for its problems of crime and urban decay, and collective cycling offered a different image: a city reclaiming its spaces, experimenting with alternative forms of mobility, and putting community at the center.
The detailed route of the 2026 edition has not yet been released, but the crossing of the five boroughs remains the cornerstone of the event. In addition to attracting thousands of New Yorkers, the day draws participants from other states and even abroad, turning the ride into an opportunity for sports tourism and cultural promotion. For residents, however, it is above all a time of belonging and celebration, in which the bicycle becomes a symbol of a more open and accessible idea of the city.
The article TD Five Boro Bike Tour returns to New York in May comes from TheNewyorker.
