The TD Five Boro Bike Tour is set to begin Sunday after being postponed twice due to COVID-19 and Hurricane Henri.

Kevin A. Joseph is one of the riders in the bike tour, a citywide event that aims to encourage New Yorkers to bike more in their everyday lives. 

Joseph says this is the first time he and his bike group will be riding in a large event since the start of the pandemic. 

“Not being able to get your groups together to be able to ride, that was really isolating,” says Joseph. "That was really like a loss for our community not to be able to come together and really look forward to this annual tour that we do each year."

Joseph is the founder of Pure Elements, an organization that launched their own 20-mile bike tour, Bike east, where cyclists bike through East Brooklyn every year. 

He says he started the event in 2014 as a way to promote self-care in the neighborhood, through biking.

"Our community of East New York, East Brooklyn being one of the highest communities with diabetes, and there are some forms of diabetes that can be reversed, and be it through fitness or cycling. This is an easy way of doing it,” says Joseph.

Shana Fellows says she found her passion for cycling last year and has joined the Bike East program. 

She says she’s been preparing for Sunday’s big event as she prepares to ride for the first time ever. 

"It's extremely exciting for me. It's a challenge for me, I've never ridden a bike in all the boroughs. I've definitely been practicing and trying to build up more resilience,” says Fellows.

Joseph’s team of 20 cyclists will be riding in Sunday’s event for free after getting an Amazon sponsorship through Bike New York.

After the event was postponed last weekend due to Hurricane Henri, Joseph says he is happy to get back on the road and ride again.

Find out more about the TD Five Boro Bike Race here: https://www.bike.nyc/events/td-five-boro-bike-tour/