The 15-mile community ride through Elizabeth is one of the city's most popular annual events.
ELIZABETH -- As bikers in Elizabeth's annual 15-mile ride weave through the city streets this month, they'll be greeted by nearly 100 local musicians blaring upbeat music and waving signs.
Riders in the Tour de Elizabeth will meet high school students and professional musicians alike at the "Sounds of our City" themed event on May 21.
Elizabeth Police Detective Paul Pasternak, one of the ride's organizers, got the idea for the "Sounds of our City" theme from participating in races, like the New York City Marathon, where cheer sections are spread across the course. He decide to adapt that concept for the Tour de Elizabeth to involve music, instead of cheering.
"It's a good jolt as you're riding by and you hear a band playing," Pasternak said Wednesday, before he and the ride's other organizers took off on a test run.
The organizers expect anywhere from 600 to 1,000 people to participate this year, and Phillips said the weather on the day of the ride usually strongly affects the final tally.
The ride starts at City Hall and makes a seven-and-a-half mile loop through the city's southern portion, traveling along Broad Street, along the Elizabeth River, down to the marina in Elizabethport and back to City Hall.
The second half of the ride veers around the northern half of Elizabeth, through the Elmora neighborhood, to Warinanco Park and again to City Hall.
Bikers can bail out at the halfway mark if they need to stop, and an ambulance serving as a "sag wagon" will follow the riders in case anyone has an emergency.
"We want to make cycling fun," said Jonathan Phillips, executive director of Groundwork Elizabeth, which leads the event. "It allows (bikers) to see things that if you're riding in a car or even walking, you can't see."
Roughly 60 percent of Tour de Elizabeth participants come from other municipalities, and the event is partly meant to show off the city, Phillips said. Pasternak said former residents of Elizabeth often return for the bike ride.
Streets will be closed on a rolling basis to keep the city as navigable as possible.
Sign-in on Sunday, May 21, starts at 7:30 a.m., and the ride kicks off at 9 a.m.
Participants can sign up at groundworkelizabeth.org or at elizabethnj.org. The cost is $22.50, plus a service fee, in advance or $27.50 on the day of the ride.
The first 500 registrants will get a cap, a T-shirt and a raffle ticket for post-ride drawings.
People of all ages can participate, as long as they can keep a pace of 10 miles per hour and ride 15 miles. Helmets are required.
Some of the proceeds from the event will benefit Groundwork Elizabeth, a nonprofit organization that seeks to preserve the city's physical space.
Marisa Iati may be reached at miati@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Marisa_Iati or on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.