Stop The Presses! Mayor de Blasio Rode a Bike Today! (Now Updated!)
Cycle-snubbing leader of America's greatest biking city — who has an SUV drive him to his gym! — spotted on wheels for the second time this summer.
UPDATE | Enjoy this fleeting look while you can, New York, because you don’t get to see Mayor de Blasio on a bike very often. But here is video evidence of Hizzoner, flanked by Brooklyn Borough President Adams and DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg, riding in Prospect Park this morning:
.@NYCMayor on a beautiful citibike ride thru prospect park. pic.twitter.com/suwrEpawsn
— Natalie Grybauskas (@ngrybauskas) August 24, 2018
Details are starting to come in about this rare rollout for de Blasio, who apparently started his ride after his 8:30 a.m. announcement about renovations to the archway in Grand Army Plaza.
The mayor, who has said it’s OK for motorists to obstruct bike lanes if they are making a quick delivery, is very rarely seen on two wheels. The last time he rode a bike was at a bike-share event in the Rockaways in July.
Update: After publication of this story, Natalie Grybauskas, a mayoral spokeswoman, told us:
He left on bike from the event at Grand Army Plaza and then did a full loop of the park (and then a little extra) — [he] exited at Ninth Street. Polly and Eric Adams stayed with him the whole time. (He very much enjoyed himself — staff hadn’t planned for him to go all the way around the loop but he just wanted to keep going.)
The mayor then did his regular weekly radio segment with Brian Lehrer on WNYC.
This is a huge breaking story with major impact, so check back for updates.