Brooklyn Public Library's 'Bike The Branches' Rolls Into Fifth Year

BROOKLYN, NY - Bike-riding enthusiasts will be given a unique opportunity on Saturday, May 20 as Brooklyn Public Library gears up for its fifth, annual Bike the Branches event, a day-long bike ride through BPL’s 60-branch system. Registration costs $20 for adults, $10 for children and $100 for VIP tickets.

According to a recent press release, participants will be able to explore historic landmarks from Greenpoint to Gravesend, and all riders will receive a library “passport” to stamp at each branch they visit. Prizes will be handed out for adult, child and team winners, courtesy of folding bicycles manufacturer Brompton Bicycle. Brompton Bicycle will also host three free guided tours of Brooklyn’s brownstone neighborhoods with scenic views of the Manhattan skyline. The tours will collectively comprise a route of 14 miles and eight stops and is said to be accomplished in a maximum of three hours. Registration is available on the BPL website.

But Bike the Branches isn’t just for cyclists; non-riders are also welcome to join in on the occasion, with additional activities — including morning yoga, scavenger hunts, a carnival and a comic book workshop — available at each branch. A number of self-guided tours is also on the day’s agenda. (For commute updates and other news for your NYC neighborhood, click here to sign up for Patch's daily newsletter and free, real-time news alerts.)

“We are so grateful to the thousands of New Yorkers who will participate in Bike the Branches on May 20, whether they chose to support the library by biking or by attending an event at their local branch,” Linda E. Johnson, Brooklyn Public Library president and CEO, said in the release.

The event will culminate in a block party at BPL’s central library, located at 10 Grand Army Plaza, from 3-7 p.m. and will feature live music, a Sixpoint Brewery beer garden, Smorgasburg food vendors and a racing challenge. The New York Department of Transportation will host a free helmet fitting and giveaway at the BPL central library on Tuesday, May 16 from 3-6:30 p.m.

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