Riders prepare to take on the Tour de Bronx.
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By Andrew Mannion, Sports Editor
The Bronx Tourism Council will be hosting the 30th Tour de Bronx on Oct. 6, a ride that goes through all the different parts of the Bronx in variations of 10, 25 and 40 miles.
The ride was first organized in 1994 by the Bronx Tourism Council and the Bronx borough president. This event was created in order to showcase the beauties that remain throughout the Bronx, as well as to promote healthy lifestyles by making biking easier.
The chief of staff of the Bronx Tourism Council, Luis Garcia, has done the Tour de Bronx himself. He spoke to The Quadrangle about how the meaning behind creating the event has rung true over the years, and has been one of the best parts of the ride.
“My favorite part of Tour de Bronx is the fact that it showcases the diverse neighborhoods of the Bronx,” Garcia said. “It’s a fantastic and unique way to experience the culture and community spirit. The ride truly showcases and celebrates the unique character of each neighborhood, making it not just about cycling but also about connecting with the heart of this amazing borough.”
For the 30th anniversary of the event, the Bronx Tourism Council plans to make this the biggest event to date. Alumna of Manhattan University and director of communications and marketing at the Bronx Economic Development Corporation Jilleen Barrett has made it her job to add new aspects to the race to make the ride one that’s even more memorable.
“This year, we decided to go a little bit bigger and hire a race photographer,” Barrett said. “We decided we would give everybody bib numbers and the race photographer would do his best to get everybody. All these photos are going to go on a website, SmugMug, and people can go look up their bib number and find pictures of themselves. I’m really excited for everybody to be able to look up their own pictures and purchase them from the site, because I think that it’s a nice memento to have.”
Kaitlyn McNiff, the philanthropy chair for Manhattan Univerity’s Sigma Delta Tau (SDT), has also been a part of organizing the event by recruiting volunteers. She shared what she believes makes the ride special to the community.
“The Tour de Bronx is an amazing event which allows the entire Bronx community to come together in order to promote healthy living and free access to activities such as bike riding,” McNiff said. “I think the Tour de Bronx is so important because it gives an opportunity for people from all backgrounds to come together and celebrate what they have in common: a love for the Bronx.”
With every year that goes by, the event grows in size. With it being the 30th anniversary, Barrett said that this is one of the most exciting renditions of the ride.
“There were 5000 riders at last year’s race, and we’re shooting for around that again this year,” Barrett said. “It is the biggest free bike tour in the entire state. For 30 years, we have pretty much gone all out, and I’m really excited about seeing it for the first time.”