Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, NYC Parks, and Transportation Alternatives are staging the first-ever Ride Queens Bike Tour on Sunday, September 20 — a free mass ride that starts and ends at Flushing Meadows Corona Park. You pick your distance: a 12-mile loop through Central Queens, or a 25-mile route that pushes out through Northern and Eastern Queens.
- When — Sunday, Sept. 20, 10 a.m., rain or shine
- Where — Starts and finishes at Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens
- Routes — 12-mile Central Queens loop, or 25-mile Northern/Eastern Queens route
- Cost — Free
- Registration — Required, capped at 2,000 riders
- After — Festival at the park: international food vendors, performances, giveaways
- Sign up — queensbp.nyc.gov/ridequeens/
The 2,000-rider cap is the part that matters. This is not a roll-up-and-ride event, and a first-year borough-sponsored ride with three organizers behind it will fill. If you want in, register now rather than the night before.
Two options is also the right design. The 12-mile loop is genuinely approachable if you ride occasionally; the 25-mile route is a real ride through the parts of Queens that the 7 train flattens into a blur. Either way you end up back at the park with food and music already set up, which is a decent trade for a morning on a bike.
One note on logistics: Flushing Meadows Corona Park is an easy subway trip, but bring your own bike or sort out a Citi Bike ahead of time — there is no rental desk at the start line.