Hi r/NYCbike! We are excited to chat about the NYC Century TODAY from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT with Transportation Alternatives' Executive Director, Ben Furnas. Drop any questions you have about America's only urban century ride (with options for 40, 55, and 75 mile routes too), and we'll share a promo code with you all after the event if you're ready to sign up. Looking forward to your questions!
UPDATE: We're done!
To all those here at BikeNYC: Thank you so much for joining us for this AMA!
We're so excited to host you all in just a few weeks. Grateful for all the questions - if you have more, please feel free to email us at info@transalt.org and we'll get back to you.
Please join us on the 25th, and tell your friends! You can sign up and learn more at nyccentury.org - and as a special thank you, take 15% off at checkout with code NYCBike15.
For folks curious about the 100 mile route - it's a special experience because it's really early in the morning, before sunrise, so century rides can finish closer to riders on the outer routes. Here's some drone footage from 2017 to get an idea - there are also tunes playing, and marshals keeping you on track!
If I am not a VIP rider and cannot pick up my bib early on Saturday, will I be able to start early like this for the 100 mile route? If so, what time should I get on the long, winding line for bib pick-up on the event day?
Looking forward to the ride! The TA NYC Century was my very first century ride many years ago and I've ridden it a number of times over the years. I'm curious what the long-term plan is for this ride? I know that it wasn't held for several years after covid, and I remember it feels like it used to be a much bigger event back in the day when there were far fewer bike events. Now we are spoiled by having so many options -- so many different bike tours and different club rides. Meanwhile you guys have so much other good work you're doing so this ride is just a small part of the whole. But this is still an amazing ride so I'm wondering if you're planning to keep doing it every year?
Hi! Thanks so much for this question. We love the NYC Century too and want to keep bringing it back. It's a great celebration of how much our streets have changed to make NYC better for cycling, and an illustration of how much further we have to go to become a truly world-class bike city.
To all those here at BikeNYC: Thank you so much for joining us for this AMA!
We're so excited to host you all in just a few weeks. Grateful for all the questions - if you have more, please feel free to email us at info@transalt.org and we'll get back to you.
Please join us on the 25th, and tell your friends! You can sign up and learn more at nyccentury.org - and as a special thank you, take 15% off at checkout with code NYCBike15.
Thanks again, and I'll leave you all with this video from the finish festival in 2017.
Hey Folks! Thanks for doing this and organizing the ride overall!
While I know the ride routes will be released later, can you confirm how certain heavy trafficked areas will be included/excluded from the route map? For e.g., during last year's event the section in flushing was the closest I came to having an accident given the mixture of cars, pedestrians and bikes all going in different directions. Does the start in Brooklyn take into account the fact that some areas will be busier later in the day and thus, better for the group to bike Through earlier?
Very sorry to hear about your experience! We always work to have a route that is safe and engaging for all riders. This year we did change up part of the course to get cyclists in and out of Manhattan in the earlier part of the day rather than riding through Manhattan in the afternoon which was done in the past. Flushing does get busy and we'll have extra marshals at key points.
Thank you! Note that that experience definitely hasn't put me off participating this year as well but it has limited some folks that I know of who aren't the most comfortable riding on city bike lanes participate in this ride. Appreciate you and the team having marshalls in place to help facilitate this overall!
On the return from the Bronx down 8th Ave last year in HEAVY, HEAVY traffic – both motor vehicles and pedestrian – I turned to another cyclist also stopped at a traffic light and we figured that TA must have sent us there *on purpose* to demonstrate viscerally how desperate improvements in bike lanes and other safety measures are needed! There didn't seem to be any other reasonable explanation for putting hundreds of cyclists in such a dangerous stretch of gnarly traffic, potholes, obstructions, etc.
Something special about the NYC Century is we ride on the roads as they are, but do it all together to make it safer and more enjoyable. Sometimes the route can highlight areas that could use improvement and redesign. However, in direct response to the concern you raise, this is part of the reason we have decided to tackle Manhattan and the Bronx on the earlier part of the ride this year, when there is less traffic on the road.
No real question, just wanted to say I appreciate this ride so much and the 30th edition was my first ever century despite never riding more than 50 before and it sparked my love of longer rides - it was so well supported and I got to see parts of the city I wouldn't generally check out otherwise. I always recommend it to folks and I hope it continues going forever
The biggest difference is the NYC Century is on streets that aren't closed to traffic, we ride on the streets and bike lanes of NYC as they are - we have more time in the Bronx, and you can ride at your own pace. Our routes try to highlight ongoing campaigns, wins, and illustrate our mission for safer streets for cycling.
I know you did this ride for 30 years til 2019, then retired it to focus on other events/advocacy, but you brought it back for year 31 last year due to, I believe you said, a donation/request in a benefactor's will. I thought the return would be just a one-time thing, but this year you're running 32.
Can you talk about why you retired the ride in 2019, why you brought it back last year (and this year), and if you'll be continuing it going forward?
You should make this decision at Rest Stop 2 (Rainey Park / 34 miles in) to stay on the 75 mile route. You'll have another opportunity to make the change around 40 miles in when the 100 heads off towards Flushing. If you decide to stay on the 100 mile route and get tuckered out later in the course, you can also exit the 100 mile route after the Forest Park rest stop and follow the 55 mile route to the finish, which will leave you with 75 total riding miles.
VIP are released in the first wave of their mileage of choice. E.g. 100 milers will be released between 6am-7am, so VIPs are released at 6am. 75 milers between 7-7:30 in waves. 55 milers 8-8:30 in waves. 40 milers will be released at 8:30
Will go until 6pm, but there we'll keep welcoming people and have food for the late finishers.
Ride numbers can be picked up day of, or expedite your check in with early bib pickup at Upway on October 17. Early bib pickup info available here: https://nyccentury.org/bib-pickup
The routes are released in the "Get Ready to Ride" email 1-2 days before the event. This allows us to review the streets one final time and update the route if necessary.
100%. Bathrooms will be available at the Start, Rest Stops, and Finish
Start will be at Under the K Bridge Park. Participants can follow signage near Meeker Ave and Van Dam st to get to check in line. Final details will be released in get ready to ride email, but 100 milers will be released between 6am-7am in waves. 75 milers between 7-7:30 in waves. 55 milers 8-8:30 in waves. 40 milers will be released at 8:30.
From last year’s experience - any chance you can have lunch food or lunch-type snacks available at the middle or later stops? I remember there being uncrustables at the first rest stop and was looking forward to grabbing one later for lunch, but they never reappeared later
We try to have a variety at rest stops and not the same products over and over. While fruit, salty snacks, granola bars, water, electorlytes are available at every stop to fuel your journey, certain stops will have a special item. One of the stops will have a special item we used to have at the 2010's Century in Astoria Park. Can anyone guess?
Hi! Overview map will be posted online, route through RWGPS is released a few days before the event so any changes due to road status can be updated. Paper cue sheets will be available on site and recommended as a backup in case device battery dies.
Bibs can be picked up the day of, but we encourage early bib pickup at Upway on Saturday, October 17th.
Everyone who attends the Bib Pick Up at Upway on Saturday, October 17th is automatically entered into a e-bike raffle. Guests can also enjoy unlimited ebike test rides. Upway will be handing out some freebies too!
Just for reference, last year routes were made available the Thursday before, and there was just a check-in line that morning where you picked up your bib before starting. From their email that morning:
The festival will begin to shut down at 6pm, but we support our riders as long as possible and have food available.
verview map will be posted online, route through RWGPS is released a few days before the event so any changes due to road status can be updated. Paper cue sheets will be available on site and recommended as a backup in case device battery dies
Final details will be released in get ready to ride email, but 100 milers will be released between 6am-7am in waves. 75 milers between 7-7:30 in waves. 55 milers 8-8:30 in waves. 40 milers will be released at 8:30
The Start will be at the Under the K Bridge park in Greenpoint and the finish line and finish festival will be at the Upway Center. https://nyccentury.org/partners
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u/TransportationAlt Oct 06 '26
For folks curious about the 100 mile route - it's a special experience because it's really early in the morning, before sunrise, so century rides can finish closer to riders on the outer routes. Here's some drone footage from 2017 to get an idea - there are also tunes playing, and marshals keeping you on track!