Tour de Queens

This is a review of the 2015 route. We started and ended in Astoria Park this year with a rest stop at Juniper Valley Park. The route took us through Astora, LIC, Sunnyside, Woodside, Maspeth, Middle Village, Rego Park, Forest Hills and Corona. I love the change in the route! At one point we had the entire section of Queens Blvd to ourselves and after the rest stop, the entire southbound Woodhaven Blvd from 63^rd to Yellowstone. We passed through Forest Hills Gardens and Station Square, the most beautiful part of the borough (imho). The rest stop this year had watermelon and Kind bars. There were some long lines for water and bathrooms, but those of us from the neighborhood, took people across to the main part of the park for no line bathroom and water fountains.;) Decent amount of marshals and awesome support from NYPD. No fist fights with drivers like in this past years Tour de Brooklyn! Glad to see the changes this year and will be on the next one for sure!

Great tour today! We started and ended in Astoria Park, after going through LIC, Sunnyside, Maspeth, Rego Park, Forest Hills, and East Elmhurst. Registration was $ 20 this year ($ 15 for TA members), but in exchange we got a really well-​organized event and plentiful snacks at the rest stop.
My only problem was having to wait twice for about 10 minutes in the sweltering heat for NYPD to close off the streets (once in LIC, once getting out of Juniper Park). I understand they need to do it at the right time, but it was a little rough on us today with almost 100 degrees outside.
It was quite an experience to calmly bike down Queens Blvd while it’s closed to cars, and to bike by an open hydrant somewhere in East Elmhurst (THANK YOU WHOEVER THOUGHT OF THAT!). I think most participants showed the communities we passed through that cyclists are a respectful, joyful crowd. There were some people who kept trying to race to the front and rode on the wrong side of the road, so it was embarrassing when NYPD and TA marshalls kept asking them to stick to the right side of the road.
Overall, it was a nice, calm event and I’d recommend it to anyone. Just please, follow the rules. If you can’t deal with cycling relatively slowly, as part of a large group, this is not a ride for you. Do us all a favor and don’t sign up for Tour de Queens; the 75 mile or 100 mile route on NYC Century would be much more to your liking.

Cool. Not… it was pretty warm!
The ride seemed better this year. The police were very helpful this year. My services as a road blocking Marshall were less in demand. The police seemed to block every intersection.
Usually as a Marshall, I spend most of my time fixing bikes. I repaired fewer bikes this year. I only fixed 2 flats and broke out the Locking Pliers only once.
And then at the end. I scored a free helmet… Overall this was pretty nice ride, Great Job Transportation Alternatives…

This review is for Tour de Queens 2012, now on its 5^th year, held every first Sunday after the Fourth of July.
The truth is what made me a fan of Tour de Queens 2012 are the members of the New York Police Department who assisted us during the ride. Not only did they hold off traffic so that the ride went smoothly but they even cheered on the cyclists, yelling out words of encouragement like: «You’re almost there!» and during uphill rides :“It’s downhill in just a few” etc… They were great!
It was our first time to join a ride and we didn’t know what to expect but were instigated by Rich W. to do so. Tour de Queens, organized by Transportation Alternatives, required $ 10 for the ride which included some fruits (sliced bananas and oranges) and Clif bars on the 7^th mile stop at Bayside Park. It was a 90 degree day and the nineteen (19) mile ride started and ended at Flushing Corona Park and focused on the areas of Bayside, Flushing, East Flushing, Murray Hill, Auburndale, Bay Terrace, Beechurst and Whitestone.
TA handled well what could have been a logistical nightmare of approximately 1,500 cyclists of all shapes, sizes, ages and yes, even species. :) I would have wanted the ride to start on time and for it to resume quicker during the break but then again, patience has never been my virtue. I would also have preferred the ride marshals to announce which part of Queens we were inasmuch as we don’t have any ride guide. Knowing where we were would have distracted me from the uphill streets as well as from the corner Italian ice store calling my name for an icy treat. Finally, I love Queens but then again, not every neighborhood is sight-​worthy so it may be a good idea for TA to revisit the reality of sticking to neighborhoods with a great view of the East River or of Manhattan skyline. :).

The 2012 ride took us to the Eastern neighborhoods of Queens.
This year’s route was easy but less scenic then last year.
The weather was hot but comfortable when we are moving.
The break area had very little snacks. If you were not the first ¹⁄₃ to arrive early then you are out of luck.
The snack stations were not well controlled and some riders were just pigs with the snack bars; one guy grabbed a whole box and just walked away.
The oranges ran out quickly with only some green bananas pieces left.
Registration is $ 10 for non-​TA members; very reasonable.
Overall it was a lot of fun and a great event to bring out novice bike riders!
Some of the issues this year is the same as last year–
— start earlier !
— better information on website for parking & subway station near the start
— warn communities
— limit the number of participants
— reduce the distance to 10 – 15 miles
Suggestion: maybe have two events; in spring and fall.

19 mile organized bike ride. This was a fun ride. They did a great job keeping the streets closed and moving along the ride while also shepherding us along in a safe manner. This was not a race. It’s more like a slow paced leisurely ride though there were plenty of times where I motored. Yes there were times the line slowed to a stop but it was brief and not a big deal as you see it coming. Would do again next year!

As of 2011, Tour De Queens is still in it’s infancy being only the 4^th year since this tour was started. Yet, despite it’s relative newness, the amount of participants for this ride have grown immensely over this time frame. This ride, sponsored by Transportation Alternatives to encourage bicycling as a form of alternative transportation for the city, is part of 4 rides that they have each year. The other 3 is Tour de Brooklyn, Tour de Bronx, and NYC century.
What started out as a free ride at the beginning for everyone now costs money to register in order to participate. Despite that fact, it is very affordable at $ 10 per registration, especially when you consider that nowadays it costs upwards of $ 50 for most bike tours. This fee helps to offset the costs of closing the streets and having the police and emergency vehicles escorting the ride.
The ride always starts and ends at Flushing Meadows Park by the Queens Museum of Art. Getting there early to stand at the beginning of the starting line is highly suggested if you want to avoid most of the ride and stop congestions caused by the crazy amount of new participants each new tour year brings. What started out with about a few hundred riders during it’s first year have grown to a few thousand.
This ride is not for those that wants to speed their way through the tour. As mentioned, unless you are at the beginning of the line, expect a lot of stop and go during the ride, especially at the beginning when everyone is packed together at the starting point. Be patient, give it some time and you’ll see that eventually the space between riders spread out after the faster ones move ahead and the slower ones slowly end up at the rear of the tour. Once this happens, the ride becomes much more pleasant and enjoyable. Just be aware that you would be riding on two way streets where traffic on the other side is still active sometimes.
If you are new to bike touring, this one along with Tour de Brooklyn and Tour de Bronx is a great way to start. It’s also very kid friendly. The slower pace and relatively flat ride with very few hills makes it ideal for beginners. The overall distance of 20 miles sounds longer than it feels and the ride is divided into two very manageable 10 miles with a pit stop with provided food and water. The only newbies I would suggest avoiding this tour is if you are a klutz or is not ready to ride in a crowd yet without crashing yourself into the people besides you. It’s not bowling where you score more points the more you knock over.
Bring your friends, ride with plenty of water, don’t expect a race and you should have fun.
P. S. If you plan to get to the tour by car, get there early enough (Say two hours before the start of the ride) to snag one of the parking spaces within the park itself unless you like going in circles looking for an opening.