NEW YORK -- An estimated 30,000 cyclists from the United States and abroad are participating Sunday in the 42-mile Five Boro Bike Tour -- the largest recreational cycling event in the U.S., according to organizers.

The 29th annual bike tour, which takes place on traffic-free roads, is organized by Bike New York in association with the City of New York and the New York City Department of Transportation. Con Edison returns for the 10th straight year as presenting sponsor.

“What better way to see the sights and sounds of all five New York city boroughs, promoting a healthy lifestyle and a cleaner mode of transportation?” said Pam Tice, executive director of Bike New York.

Smiling participants, many cycling with groups of good friends or family members, started out in bright early morning sunshine in lower Manhattan.

They are spending Sunday riding north through Central Park, historic Harlem, the Bronx, along the West River, and onto the FDR Drive into Queens.

They go next to Brooklyn, then over the Verranzano-Narrows bridge, the longest suspension bridge in the U.S., to Staten Island.

At the end of the tour on Staten Island, a festival with live entertainment and food will greet cyclists, who all get a free ride back to Manhattan on the Staten Island ferry.

Bike New York is also creating an afterschool physical education curriculum for the New York Department of Education in two pilot schools.