God speed!
Hundreds of cyclists gathered at St. John’s Cathedral on Saturday morning to receive a blessing before embarking on a 40-mile journey through the city for Sunday’s 5boro bike tour.
The Rev. Patrick Malloy led the 26th annual interdenominational service at Morningside Heights Cathedral. Many riders, many wearing helmets and racing gear, gathered next to their bikes and were doused with holy water.
The Cathedral welcomes bikers, skaters, scooter riders and “users of self-propelled vehicles” of all ages to take part in the ceremony.
One woman juggled on a unicycle, another on a city bike.
“This is a great day,” Malloy told reporters outside the church.
“People come from all over the world. They bring us so much good energy and warmth,” he said.
“Maybe that energy comes from the fact that they’re athletic.”
The service also commemorated cyclists and pedestrians killed over the past year. Bagpipes were played as white “ghost bikes” symbolizing those killed rolled down the aisle.
The city’s transportation department set up a tent outside the church and arranged for passengers to take part free of charge.
About 32,000 people will cycle 40 miles across the Big Apple starting at 7:30 a.m. Sunday, circling the borough from Lower Manhattan, crossing the Queensboro Bridge, Pulaski Bridge, Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, and ending on Staten Island. Ends at Fort Wadsworth Park.
