If you can bike 40 miles, don't miss this opportunity: the annual July 40-mile Brooklyn Waterfront Epic Ride.
See Brooklyn's Best Group Bike Events: Calendar.
About the Epic Ride: Called the Epic Ride, the by-registration-only event "highlights the potential of a completed Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway and a completed Jamaica Bay Greenway," according to its organizers. The event started in 2008.
When Is the Epic Ride? Every July.
When Do You Register for the Epic Ride? There's limited space on this ride, about 500 people. So register in advance, in June or as soon as registration is opened.
Who Organizes the Epic Ride? The 2012 event was co-sponsored by Brooklyn Greenway Initiative, the Transportation Alternatives Brooklyn Volunteer Committee, Regional Plan Association, National Park Service, and the Rockaway Waterfront Alliance, along with the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation and the NYC Department of Transportation.
Are there rest stops? A rest stop with refreshments is usually provided by Aviator Sports at Floyd Bennett Field.
Is there an event at the end? The ride ends at the Atlantic Ocean beach in Queens at the Rockaway Beach Club. Expect some music and fun. You can also buy goodies from food vendors on the boardwalk.
What if I can't ride 40 miles? Yes! There are alternatives!
- A long alternate ride may start at Owl’s Head Park, for a 26-mile ride
- Floyd Bennett Field, for a 14-mile ride
- The National Park Service’s Jamaica Bay Unit will be guiding a free 2.5-mile bike tour across the windswept runways of Floyd Bennett Field. Rental bikes available. (718) 338-3799.
What if I need a bikeshop? Water, restrooms and bike shops are marked marked on ride maps.
For information: 718-522-0193
About the Greenway Project in Brooklyn
Brooklyn Greenway Initiative (BGI) is a non-profit organization planning for the development of a 14-mile landscaped Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway. It will be "physically separated from traffic and with separate paths for pedestrians and cyclists," according to the website, and will run from Greenpoint through Sunset Park.
Special focal areas include the Brookyn Navy Yard's Naval Hospital Cemetery area, Columbia Waterfront Park, and the areas Columbia Street-area routes connecting Red Hook Houses, Columbia Street Esplanade, Red Hook Park and the route of the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway.
As of 2012, 5 miles of the Greenway are already open "with interim treatments." Once complete, the Greenway will "connect neighborhood parks and open spaces, as well as four major regional parks, comprising more than 200 acres of open space in one of the most densely developed waterfronts in the world."
Volunteers are welcome, and needed!
For updates, see the website:Brooklyn Greenway Initiative
