New York apple industry promotes healthy habits by sponsoring Five Boro Bike Tour

Fishers, N.Y. – Apples are a healthy food. Biking is a healthy habit. So this match was made in heaven – or at least on the bike path.

New York state apple growers helped sponsor Sunday’s sold-out Five Boro Bike Tour, organized by the nonprofit group Bike New York. The 32,000 participating cyclists biked through all five New York City boroughs on traffic-free streets, munching on New York apples and learning about the health benefits of the state’s apples along the way. 

“New York state apples are the perfect on-the-go food, and bicyclists are inherently health minded, so this event is a natural for us,” said New York Apple Association President Jim Allen. “Plus bicyclists tend to be fun, energetic people, we like hanging out with them.”

NYAA Consulting Dietitian Nutritionist Linda Quinn, MS, RDN – an avid cyclist herself – agreed. “Apples are a perfect cycling fuel. The fiber in apples slows the release of carbs into the bloodstream to give you the energy you need for a long ride,” Quinn said.

This was Bike New York’s 37^th annual TD Five Boro Bike Tour Presented by REI.

“New York’s apples were a huge hit with our tour riders! During the 40-mile ride, this sweet, crunchy, healthy treat – as only nature can produce – was the pick-me-up that kept many of our riders going. The fact that the apples were grown right here in New York state, which fits in with our goal to make this year’s tour as green and sustainable as possible, made it even better,” said Bike New York President and CEO Ken Podziba.

For more information about New York state apples and NYAA, visit www.nyapplecountry.com. To learn about Bike New York, visit http://www.bikenewyork.org.