New York City is home to the U.S.’ largest bicycle network, and the annual Five Boro Bike Tour celebrates its community by closing streets to cars so that cyclists can enjoy the sights of New York City without motorized traffic.
This year, two cyclists returning after major setbacks - Patricia Hochhauser, who suffered a traumatic brain injury in 2024, and Berliner Jakob Lehrecke, who returns to the bike after a hip replacement - will be among those taking part.
“[The Tour] is not about speed - it’s about who you’re riding with and the memories you’re making along the way,” says Ken Podziba, Bike New York’s CEO and president. “For one day, the city feels like it belongs to cyclists of every age, ability, and experience level. You’re not looking at New York City through a windshield - you’re right in it, taking it all in and feeling the energy of the neighborhoods along the route… it really does feel like the ultimate party on two wheels.”
From traumatic brain injury to the Tour
Patricia Hochhauser is a born-and-bred New Yorker, spending her entire life in Brooklyn.
“I always liked cycling when I was younger,” Patricia shares. For her, it was a mode of transportation and a way to connect with fellow neighborhood kids.
Little did Patricia know as a child what a critical role cycling would play in her adult life decades later.
Patricia suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in October 2024 that impacted her mental and physical abilities.
“We were gifted a gas-powered scooter and we thought it would be a great way to run errands in our neighborhood,” Harold Hochhauser, Patricia’s husband, says. “We decided to try out the scooter in an empty parking lot, and we didn’t think we needed a helmet to test the scooter. When Patricia put the scooter in its high-speed mode, it bucked her off and she fell and hit her head on the pavement.”
Patricia suffered a subdural hemorrhage, which is when blood collects under the dura matter, one of the layers of tissues that protects the brain. Subdural hemorrhages can be fatal if not treated immediately.
“The paramedics were luckily right across the street [from where Patricia had the accident],” Harold says. “[Patricia lost] a lot of her memory, which used to be her superpower. She had forgotten family vacations and she had a lot of vertigo. We had a home health aid with us for five months just to help her walk around the house.”
Patricia experienced severe brain fatigue and brain fog as well as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from the accident. After exploring multiple types of mental and physical therapies during her recovery, one of her doctors recommended cycling as a way to reestablish the brain-body connection.
“I was given the thumbs up to try cycling as long as I wear a helmet,” Patricia says. “I was petrified the first time I got on a bike, and I cried. We put training wheels on my bike to start, and Harold walked next to me playing Eye Of The Tiger the whole time.”
Patricia says she received funny looks from those who watched her re-learn to ride with training wheels. Instead of being discouraged, she used her training wheels to strike up a conversation with passersby about the importance of wearing a helmet.
“A little girl saw me on my bike with training wheels, and she asked her dad why I was using training wheels,” Patricia says. “I was able to explain to her that I needed to learn how to ride a bike again because I wasn’t wearing a helmet and got a big boo-boo on my head. After I told her that, I actually saw the little girl grab her helmet before riding away on her own bike.”
Today, Patricia and Harold ride Specialized road bikes sans-training wheels, and both will be riding in the Five Boro Bike Tour on May 3.
“I was born and raised in New York, and I love riding through the streets, especially when they are closed to cars,” Patricia says. “I can’t wait to see the city from a different perspective [during the Tour].”
The Tour is especially meaningful to Harold, who was by Patricia’s side for every pedal stroke of her TBI recovery.
“She’s come a long way, and I just want to see her complete [the Tour],” Harold says with tears pricking his eyes. “Patricia is a fighter, and I want to see her complete this.”
Patricia and Harold will be riding side-by-side in this year’s Five Boro Bike Tour to celebrate Patricia’s new lease on life.
Revisiting old stomping grounds with a new perspective
Berliner Jakob Lehrecke lived in New York City in the 1980s before relocating back to his home country of Germany. In a week, he will return to New York City, this time by bike, and with gratitude for his health and his family.
Lehrecke grew up riding his bike to and from school and friends’ houses in the suburbs of Berlin. Despite remaining active for his adult life, Lehrecke suffered a heart attack in 2018, and his cardiologist recommended Lehrecke return to his cycling roots to improve his cardiovascular health.
“[My cardiologist] gave me all the specifications for the first bike I bought as an adult, which was a gravel bike,” Lehrecke says. “When I would go to his office for a check-up, we would end up speaking only about biking and what equipment to get next -- I started to really enjoy the sport.”
In March 2025, Lehrecke was out for an early-season ride when his bike tires lost traction on slick cobblestones and he fell, breaking his hip.
“I was told by the doctor I needed a full hip replacement as a result [of the fall],” Lehrecke says. “I had surgery the next day. It took me a while to walk again, and even longer to get on the bike again. I didn’t get on the bike again until the Fall of 2025.”
Lehrecke worked to get comfortable again mentally and physically on the bike. He will be riding the Five Boro Bike Tour with his son, who lives in New York City.
“My son doesn’t know it yet, but I got him a special Berlin bike-themed shirt to wear for the Tour,” Lehrecke says with a smile. “We are going to look like a team -- maybe I will show off my fitness a bit and try to come in just ahead of my son [at the finish].”
Lehrecke’s cardiologist is doing the Tour, too, although Lehrecke is primarily focused on sticking with his son for the Tour.
“I’m really looking forward to an event that involves a community of people who love the sport,” Lehrecke says. “The main point [of the Tour] is that you are not doing it alone -- you have people by your side and in front of and behind you who feel the same as you about cycling.”
An event by the community, for the community
With approximately 1,550 bike lanes throughout its five boroughs, and 762,000 New Yorkers regularly ride a bike in the city. The annual Five Boro Bike Tour sees streets closed to cars across all five boroughs - Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island - so that cyclists can enjoy the sights of New York City without motorized traffic. The Tour is hosted by Bike New York, a New York City-based nonprofit.
The Tour begins at the southern tip of Manhattan, with five waves of rider entry points all a few blocks away from each other with staggered start times. Riders will then make their way north through Manhattan, cruising through Central Park before crossing into the Bronx, back down into Manhattan, and venturing into Queens. From there, cyclists will hug the coastline in Queens and make their way south into Brooklyn, finally crossing the Verrazanno-Narrows Bridge into Staten Island for the finish line celebration.
“People [are] cheering you on, there are rest stops with snacks and entertainment, and more than a dozen entertainment zones along the route -- the energy just keeps building,” Podziba says. “I’ll be at the opening ceremonies… then I’ll head over to the Finish Festival at Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island. I’m there until the very end, on my hands and knees picking up garbage, making sure Bike New York leaves the Fort as clean, or cleaner, than we found it.”
On May 3, 32,000 cyclists from around the world will take to the 40 miles of carless streets of the Five Boro Bike Tour route for a day of camaraderie and sightseeing via cycling. Some cyclists are riding as part of a charity team, some are repeat Five Boro Tour riders and some are celebrating a return to riding after serious health challenges, like Patricia Hochhauser and Jakob Lehrecke.
Whether you ride the Tour or cheer it on from one of the many New York City neighborhoods it passes through, the energy is sure to be palpable.
“At the end of the day, it’s about community, not competition,” Podziba says. “People aren’t focused on getting to the finish line quickly—it’s about the connection with the people they’re riding with and the city itself. And it’s one of those experiences that stays with you long after the ride is over.”
You can sign up for and learn more about the Five Boro Bike Tour here.
