Two Miles, One Bridge, 45 Pounds of Bicycle: 'Citi Bike Day' Participants Show Just What These Big Clumsy Bikes Can Do

The traffic light switched green, and a tidal wave of blue bikes lurched forward. 

It was Saturday afternoon in Brooklyn, and hundreds of us had congregated at Roebling and Grand, ready to ride. We were preparing to sprint over the Williamsburg Bridge into Manhattan on classic blue Citi Bikes as part of an unsanctioned race known as "Citi Bike Day." The finish line was in Chinatown's Seward Park, just two miles away.

The race was hosted by City Bike Boys, a viral Instagram account that was, until recently—before Citigroup asked them to change their name—known as Citi Bike Boyz. "People look forward to this event the entire year," said the account's founder, Jerome Peel. "That's why I do it."