Your Brooklyn Cranksgiving hosts are at it again with a new spring scavenger hunt bike ride to benefit people living with Parkinson's Disease (PD). Why wait until Thanksgiving to harness the energy of New York's bike community to have fun while supporting another good cause?

Our ride format is self-led with a "make your own route" style so you can choose how far and where you ride. We'll start at the meeting point (Principles GI Coffee House), where riders receive a "checkpoint" manifest that gives different options to stop at. The goal is to visit as many checkpoints as possible within the allotted timeframe, then all riders meet at the finish point to submit their completed manifest, where we'll distribute prizes. You can go in any order and follow whichever route you choose, and volunteers will be on hand to help you build your route if you need help.

Ride checkpoints might include solving a trivia question, finding a specific street mural, getting a picture with a certain kind of dog, or even singing karaoke. You can do as many or as few checkpoints as you want, depending on how far and how long you want to ride. Prizes will be awarded to riders/teams who visit the most checkpoints, accumulate the most points, post the best pictures on social media, exhibit the most team spirit, and have the best costume or best decorated bike. Costumes are encouraged but not mandatory. Dogs are welcome.

We recommend arriving early to check in, review the checkpoint manifest, and plan your ride. The ride will start at 1 pm, but we suggest arriving by noon to plan your route, especially if this is your first time doing the ride. There will be bathrooms at the start and at the end of the ride, and also at some of the checkpoints.

To get a better idea of what the ride looks like, watch this video that Channel 12 news did about the annual Thanksgiving-themed Cranksigiving ride that has a similar format.

The ride is free but we strongly encourage riders to donate to our beficiaries during the event. This is the whole reason we are gathering the bike community together for this bike ride. April is Parkinson's Awareness Month and donations raised will go directly to organizations supporting people living with PD.

Anyone and everyone is welcome to participate, and you can ride alone or with friends.

The ride is open to everyone, and we invite riders of all skill levels. Casual riders are encouraged to attend, as are families. You can come as a group or do the ride on your own. We'll also do our best at the registration to pair up individuals who arrive alone but want to ride with a group. It's possible to do the ride on CitiBike though some of the checkpoints may not be right next to stations.

Registration ahead of time via Eventbrite is recommended, both so we can gauge attendance to help prepare for the ride, and because participating in the ride means you agree to this participation waiver.

Stay connected with event updates by following us on Instagram @brooklyncranksgiving.

See you on April 14th!