Routes showcase library branches, highlight Brooklyn landmarks, cultural institutions and scenic waterfront
Brooklyn, NY – Brooklynites will strap on their helmets, pump up their tires and take to the streets on Saturday, May 9, for Brooklyn Public Library’s third annual Bike the Branches, a one-day bike ride through BPL’s network of 60 neighborhood libraries.
Bike the Branches has quickly become one of the borough’s largest biking events and is expected to draw nearly 1,000 riders this year. The event is a key component of the Library’s Support the Branches spring fundraising campaign to raise critical dollars for library programs and services.
“We look forward to a day of fun and celebration with library supporters throughout Brooklyn, from the first rides in the morning to the Bike the Branches Block Party at Central Library in the evening,” said Linda E. Johnson, President & CEO of Brooklyn Public Library. “Whether you ride your bike or just attend an event at your local branch, Bike the Branches is a great day to support Brooklyn’s libraries.”
This year’s Bike the Branches event will feature eleven customizable bike routes—six of them new—that participants can bike, run or walk at their own speed and from stop-and-start locations of their choice. The routes will include:
- Citi Bike Tour of Brooklyn: Participants can explore BPL branches that are near Citi Bike docks. All participants over the age of 16 will receive free Citi Bike 24-hour access passes for use on the day of the event;
- Galleries, Museums and Maker Spaces Tour: Bikers, joggers, walkers and more will tour Brooklyn's diverse art galleries and creative workshops, from the traditional to the avant-garde;
- Literary Brooklyn Tour: Brooklyn bookworms are encouraged to explore the borough through the lens of significant novels, poems, plays and children's books set in Brooklyn;
- Then and Now Tour: Amateur historians can choose a route that offers glimpses into Brooklyn’s past;
- Waterfront Tour: Participants will pedal along Brooklyn’s waterfront to take in the borough’s seaside sights, sounds and views of Manhattan, New Jersey, Staten Island and Queens;
- Details on a Smorgasburg Foodie Tour, Sixpoint Bottoms-Up Tour, Curious George Family-Friendly Prospect Park Tour and more will be announced soon!
Riders will enjoy a fun-filled day of biking and will be issued “Branch Passports” to be stamped at each library they visit between 10 am and 5 pm. The adults and children who accrue the most stamps at the end of the day will receive prizes. Two-time Bike the Branches champion Pete Zalewski is attempting a “Three-Pete,” in which he’ll try to break his own record of 34 branches visited.
Festivities will also include book display contests, programs and activities throughout many of the borough’s 60 libraries. The day will conclude with the first-ever Bike the Branches Block Party on the plaza at BPL’s Central Library from 5 pm to 7 pm, with live music, Smorgasburg food vendors, refreshments from the Sixpoint Brewery Beer Garden, prizes and fun activities for library supporters of all ages.
Registration for Bike the Branches is currently open. Adult participation is $20; young people 17-and-under and seniors 65-and-up can register for $10; and families (which can include up to 2 adults and 3 children) pay $40. Teams of up to 10 people can join for $150. There is also a special option to register as a BKLYN Trailblazer for $100, which includes free participation in the event for a second guest rider, a limited edition Bike the Branches t-shirt, an exclusive BKLYN Trailblazer bib and formal recognition for your contribution on BPL’s website and at the Bike the Branches Block Party. Riders who participate in the Bike the Branches Fundraising Challenge will win a limited edition BPL tote bag for raising $250 or more.
Bike the Branches is made possible by sponsors and event partners Bloomberg Philanthropies, Con Edison, Bike New York, Citi Bike, NYC DOT, Transportation Alternatives, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, BRIC, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, Explore Brooklyn, NYC & Company, Prospect Park Alliance, Sixpoint Brewery, Smorgasburg and Zipcar. Funds raised by Bike the Branches help BPL provide free programs and services to more than 2.5 million Brooklynites.
About Brooklyn Public Library: Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) is an independent library system for the 2.5 million residents of Brooklyn. It is the fifth largest library system in the United States with 60 neighborhood libraries located throughout the borough. BPL offers free programs and services for all ages and stages of life, including a large selection of books in more than 30 languages, author talks, literacy programs and public computers. BPL’s eResources, such as eBooks and eVideos, catalog information and free homework help, are available to customers of all ages 24 hours a day at our website: www.bklynpubliclibrary.org.
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