Shuttle

A shuttle will be available from New York City to Albany on Sunday, August 4th for you and your bike for an additional fee of $80. The shuttle will depart at 4:00 p.m. from where the ride ends (near Brooklyn Bridge Park), with an approximate arrival time of 7:00 p.m. at the Sage Colleges, Albany Campus. Spots on the shuttle are limited, so sign up early.

Car Rental

One-way car rental is around $100 plus gas and tolls.

• drivers must be 25+ years of age, have a valid driver's license and a clean driving record
• only major credit cards are accepted for payment
• 13% sales tax will be added to prices

Rail Travel

AMTRAK - (800-872-7245)
If you opt to leave your vehicle in the long-term parking lot at the Sage College of Albany for the duration of the ride, it is possible to take a train from New York City to Albany. Penn Station is slightly over 5 miles from Brooklyn Bridge Park (the end of the tour). If you choose this option, you will not be able to get your bicycle from New York City to Albany on the train because there is not freight service (see below for information about shipping your bike). You will also have to find your own transportation from the Albany Amtrak station to the Sage College of Albany (see taxi service below).

Albany AMTRAK- East Street, Rensselaer - Located on East Street in Rensselaer, N.Y. and is about a 10-minute taxi ride (approx. 3.5 miles) from the end of the Sage College of Albany (the beginning of the ride).

New York City Penn Station - Located at 7th Avenue and West 32nd Street Approximately 5 miles from Brooklyn Bridge Bridge Park (the end of the ride).

Air Travel

If you plan to fly we highly recommend that you fly into Albany and out of New York City. There are a variety of airlines that service both airports. Call or check out the airport websites to get a list of the carriers. 

Albany International Airport  518-242-2477 - About a 20-minute taxi drive (approx. 5 miles) from Sage College of Albany (the start of the bike tour).

New York City Laquardia Airport - About 10 miles from Brooklyn Bridge Park and about a 20-minute cab ride (depending upon traffic).

New York City JFK International Airport - About 15 miles from Brooklyn Bridge Park and about a 45-minute cab ride (depending upon traffic).

Taxi Service

Albany Taxi Service:

• OK Taxi: 518-482-5555 or 518-456-8294 (extra $5 fee per bike) - can transport up to 3 bicycles per car
• Yellow Cab: 518-434-2222 (extra $10 per bike) - can only transport 1 bicycle per car
  

Shipping Your Bike in Advance

If you are not driving to Albany, shipment of your bike is highly recommended. Shipping helps facilitate bus, rail and air travel. Check with your local UPS office or call (800-742-5877) for size and weight specifications and cost of shipping.

Down Tube Bicycle and Fitness in Albany will accept shipment of your bike and will re-assemble it for $30 fee. Riders will be responsible for shipping their bikes to the shop and picking up their bikes from the shop.

You must phone Down Tube in advance to make arrangements (518-434-1711) and you must fill out a bike shipping form (this will be sent to all registrants with the rider packet).

Preparing Your Bike for Shipping

You should be able to obtain a cardboard bike box from your local bike shop. These cartons are slightly smaller than bike shipping carriers, but they should be adequate to protect your bike. Get two boxes and place one inside the other for more protection. Often a shop will help you.

Hard cases - Iron Case - Trico at Sports 800-473-7705.

Rigid and collapsible boxes

Also see Packing a Bicycle, by Kaitlin Duck Sherwood, 1994, with some help on the pedal wrenches section from Frank Wortner.

With Membership in League of American Bicyclists (1-800-225-0655) or Adventure Cycling (1-800-735-7109), bikes fly free or at reduced fee. Call for details. Restrictions do apply.

UPS shipping requirements: