Cycling Links for the New York and the Tri-state Area
Photo by Rebecca Letz (c) 2005
Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe, his sister, Jen Benepe, and Lance Armstrong

Road and Track Racing Clubs:
Century Road Club Asssociation One of the oldest and largest bike racing clubs in the United States, breeding ground for numerous Olympic riders and Six-day racers
Kissena Cycling Club: With races in Prospect Park, Brooklyn in the spring and early summer, this is an excellent competitive venue for all racers.
Kissena Track Racing: Season begins in May and lasts through August. Run by the iinfamous John Campo Campocat.

Mountain Bike Clubs:
Club MTB: Currently making Sunday trips to South Jersey, it's an interactive bike site as well. Fun people, demanding rides. You won't be able to resist the charisma of Doug Daniele, the club leader.

Road and Travel Bike Groups:
Come and visit the Tenafly Road Dawgz, a fast and very social riding group. They meet for rides in Tenafly,NJ every weekend.

Englewood Cycling Club: This group of mostly Orthodox hotties (men and women) set out for parts north every Sunday, usually meeting up at the GWB Jersey side at 8:15 a.m. But cyclists beware, the men are fast, and the women are charming.

Also see Jonathan Sopher's homepage where he writes about cycling, the environment, and sports sciences.

Five Borough Bicycle Club: It's a good place to start if you're a first time rider, because they'll show you the ropes. They also sponsor many big bike events each year, and hold rides every weekend. Their meetings are always posted on News and Hook-ups.

Weekday Cyclists Ride: Imfamous rides, held during the week.

New York Cycle Club (NYCC): Like 5BBC, possibly with more women riders. Organized  rides every weekend.

Media and Services:
Cycling.tv, featuring live video feeds and race summaries of most of the international bike races, including Giro D'Italia. Upcoming U.S. races and Tour de France. $35 per year for premium service. Sure beats cable.
BikeTV, (the evolution of its precursor, The Bike Show) covers bike events, advocacy and quirky cyclists around New York City in a fast-paced, tongue-in-cheek, Gen-X style.
BikeAdman: Richard Rosenthal has been specializing in bike-specific advertising services for more than 10 years. Call or email him at (212) 371-4700, rr@ro-ads.com.

Messenger and Critical Mass Groups:
The New York Bike Messenger Association, a very cool site that will let you into a world you never knew existed (unless you are a bike messenger yourself). Check out all their info and events. They also hosted the NYC cycle messenger world championships in 2005, one of the most beautiful races I have ever witnessed.
TimesUp!, New York's Direct Action Environmental Organization, the website that lets you know when Critical Mass events will be held in Manhattan and Brooklyn, spells out your rights as a cyclist in New York, and offers free bike movie nights!

Advocacy Organizations:
Transportation Alternatives: New York City based advocacy group for promoting cycling and cycling and pedestrian safety
New York Bicycling Coalition (NYBC): Statewide advocacy group promoting cycling safety and bike friendly towns and cities

Note: If you are a new rider to the New York City area, it is advised that you join one of the bicycle clubs listed above. Research has proven that it is safer to ride in groups, with cyclists experiencing up to 50 percent fewer accidents and injuries from motorists, depending on the size of the group.

Stolen Bikes:
Here are the steps you should follow if your bike is stolen. First report the theft immediately to the local police station. Then email nycyclenews (see below) or post it on our News and Hook-ups page.  If you email us, we will make sure it gets posted on most tri-state bike sites and electronic distribution lists.

Next, call as many local bike shops as possible, describing your bike in detail. Should the person who stole it try to get it fixed, they will likely take it into a bike shop they can trust.
You can also go to Cooper Square in lower Manhattan where many scofflaws sell stolen bikes.

If your bike is stolen, chances for recovering it improve if you have it listed with the National Bike Registry (NBR). According to the company, "We are recovering and returning bikes to their owners every day, working with police since 1984. NBR is the official bicycle registration service of the National Crime Prevention Council and McGruff the Crime
Dog. We work with law enforcement, bike retailers, distributors, and leading bike manufacturers nationwide to provide bike registration and fight bike theft." Info at http://www.nationalbikeregistry.com