40 Miles, 40mg, 5 Boroughs: My Experience Bike Riding Through NYC on Snoozy Gummies

Some challenges test your legs. Others test your mind.

We decided to test both.

The plan was simple: ride all 40 miles of New York City's iconic Five Borough Bike Tour, taking a Snoozy gummy at major milestones along the route. By the time we crossed the finish line, we'd have traveled through all five boroughs, climbed bridges, conquered hills, and consumed a total of 40mg THC across eight Snoozy gummies.

The TD Five Boro Bike Tour is one of New York City's most popular annual events, bringing together tens of thousands of cyclists for a 40-mile journey through New York City. For one day, riders get a rare opportunity to experience the city from a completely different perspective, pedaling through streets and highways that are normally filled with traffic. 

The event also raises money for charitable causes, making every mile ridden part of something bigger. While we're not affiliated with the TD Five Boro Bike Tour or its organizers, they put on an incredible event.

For us, it was also the perfect opportunity to put our gummies to the test in the most uniquely New York way possible.

Neither of us were exactly elite cyclists. I'm a 37-year-old dad of two whose recent fitness routine mostly consists of walking with my toddler on my shoulders. My riding partner, Andrew, Snoozy's Sales Director, was in a similar boat. 

Between the two of us, we'd spent significantly more time testing gummies than training for a 40-mile bike ride. But that's what made this an interesting challenge. We weren't trying to win the race. We were trying to survive it, enjoy it, and put our gummies, bodies, and minds to the ultimate test.

The Starting Line

The morning began in Lower Manhattan, surrounded by thousands of riders in the Financial District. The energy was impossible to ignore. Everywhere you looked, cyclists were making last-minute adjustments, snapping photos, and stretching for the long journey ahead.

Before crossing the start line, we took our first gummy. 5MG of Feel Good Energy. The combination of cannabinoids, cordyceps, and energy blasting ingredients made the early miles feel effortless. 

The city was waking up around us as we rolled north through Manhattan, weaving between some of New York's most recognizable landmarks as the soothing yet energetic high of the gummy began coursing through our body. We passed Bryant Park, cruised by Radio City Music Hall, and soaked in the surreal experience of seeing normally crowded streets completely dedicated to bicycles.

Central Park to Harlem 

The route weaved into Central Park, where the ride began to feel a little more serious.

The rolling hills started making riders work for every pedal, but they also delivered some of the best views of the entire route. One minute you're grinding uphill wondering whose idea this was, and the next you're flying downhill with the Manhattan skyline opening up around you. Thousands of cyclists stretched endlessly ahead and behind us, creating a scene that felt more like a moving festival than a bike ride.

As we pushed north toward Harlem, the atmosphere shifted once again.

One of the most memorable moments of the day came when we passed a church choir performing along the route. For a few minutes, the music echoed through the streets while thousands of riders flowed past. It was one of those unexpected New York moments that no amount of planning could recreate.

The ride still felt relatively easy, but we knew the harder sections were coming.

Welcome to the Bronx

Crossing into the Bronx felt like entering a different chapter of New York. Music poured out onto the streets, echoing through neighborhoods as spectators cheered riders forward. After the quieter stretches of Manhattan and Central Park, the energy was palpable.

At the Bronx rest stop, we took our second gummy: 10mg of New Morning Highs. Between the feel-good energy from our first gummy and the uplifting blend of cannabinoids from New Morning Highs, morale was running HIGH.

Crowds lined sections of the route, cheering riders onward. The excitement remained, but now the miles were beginning to accumulate. Conversations became a little quieter. People started focusing more on maintaining pace and conserving energy.

Flying Down the FDR

For many riders, FDR Drive is one of the highlights of the Five Boro Bike Tour.

Normally packed with vehicles, the highway becomes a cyclist's playground for a few hours each year. The route opens up dramatically, creating long uninterrupted stretches where riders can settle into a rhythm.

With the East River beside us and the Manhattan skyline towering overhead, it felt like the city had temporarily handed over the keys.

This was also the point where the challenge started becoming real.

Forty miles doesn't sound impossible when you're sitting on a couch. It feels very different when you've already spent a few hours in the saddle.

This was also where we really started feeling the combination of the gummies. The long, flat miles of the FDR could have felt repetitive, but instead the ride settled into a smooth rhythm. 

The city views, the open road, the breeze coming off the East River. It all felt remarkably flowy. We weren't setting any speed records, but we were having an absurd amount of fun for two guys spending their Sunday riding bicycles for five hours.

Into Queens

Queens arrived with a different energy.

Before fully entering the borough, we crossed the Queensboro Bridge, one of the most memorable climbs of the day. The ascent was steep enough to make your legs notice, but the reward was incredible views of the East River, Manhattan, and one of New York's most historic bridges.

By now the challenge was beginning to reveal itself. The excitement of the start line had worn off and the miles were adding up. Queens felt faster than earlier sections of the ride, but it also marked the point where we realized we still had a long way to go.

The gummies kept the mood high, but no gummy can convince your legs they've ridden fewer miles than they actually have.

Brooklyn Takes Over

Brooklyn brought some of the biggest crowds of the entire event.

People lined the sidewalks blasting music, cheering riders, handing out snacks, and even wine and beer to cyclists who still had miles left to ride. New York is nothing if not committed to a bit.

At the halfway point, we took two gummies. 10mg of Stress Free Mind to help ease some of the tension that had started building in our bodies and minds. The perfect midpoint gummy. 

The route carried us through Greenpoint and Williamsburg, where hipsters appeared to flow through the streets as naturally as traffic normally would. We rolled past the Brooklyn Navy Yard, catching glimpses of movie studios and historic industrial buildings before eventually arriving in DUMBO.

That was one of my favorite moments of the entire ride.

My family was waiting there. As riders streamed past, my three-year-old daughter nearly launched herself into bike traffic trying to show me a handmade sign she'd created. Thankfully disaster was avoided, but seeing my family cheering from the sidelines gave me a much-needed boost heading into the toughest miles ahead.

The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway

 The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway has earned its reputation.

After dozens of miles in the saddle, the long stretches and constant overpasses feel significantly larger than they probably are. This was the point where the ride became less about sightseeing and more about determination.

We pulled over briefly to take photos, regroup, and take two gummies. 10mg of Highly In Focus. The perfect focus enhancing blend of cannabinoids, lions mane, L-theanine, and more, to get us over this long arduous hump. 

The timing was intentional. The Verrazzano Bridge was coming.

Everyone who had ridden the event before warned us about it. And suddenly all those warnings felt very real.

The Verrazzano Bridge

The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. The final climb. The final test.

After nearly 40 miles, the bridge rises in front of you like a giant reminder that New York isn't giving away the finish line for free.

The climb isn't impossible, but it demands respect.

It is by far the hardest part of the ride. By the time you reach it, you've already spent hours on the bike, and the climb feels much steep and sticky.

Many riders chose to walk sections of the bridge. We decided to keep pedaling.

Slowly. Very slowly.

But still pedaling.

Eventually the summit appeared, revealing sweeping views of Staten Island in front of us and the NY skyline behind us. Then came the reward: the long descent into Staten Island and the realization that we had actually done it.

After crossing the finish line, we took our final gummy. 5MG of the perfect post race gummy, Sigh of Relief. A well-earned dose of deep relief and full body relaxation.

The Verdict

Forty miles. Five boroughs. More than 32,000 riders. Eight gummies. One unforgettable day.

The best part wasn't crossing the finish line or completing the challenge. It was experiencing New York City from a perspective that almost never exists: car-free, connected, and filled with thousands of people all sharing the same goal, all while experiencing a pillowy yet determined high from the Snoozy gummies.

The gummies didn't pedal the bikes for us, but they helped turn a grueling 40-mile challenge into an unforgettable adventure. 

And honestly, that's exactly what Snoozy is all about.