In the 1930s randonneurs took over the event, which today is one of the oldest organized rides in the world.
Bikers have developed a reputation for fund-raising activities, and organized rides are usually linked to a charity.
"You definitely get a rush or a thrill," said Solomon Lang, 31, who started a group called the Concrete Kings that conducts organized rides in the city.
For example, at a recent technology conference by the publisher O'Reilly & Associates, participants set up a wiki for posting notes on conference sessions, forming discussion groups, creating a collaborative glossary of emerging technology terms and even organizing ride shares.
Ferris Creyaufmiller, who organizes riding classes for the business, says women account for nearly half the students.
Both shops organize rides in and around the city, which, despite the smog, is one of the best in the world for cycling, flat and easy to navigate.
Tom Jensen, a Democratic pollster based in Raleigh, N.C., said early voting gave Mr. Obama the edge for his narrow victory in North Carolina by offering his campaign more time to organize rides and get people to the polls.
There was the time that Howard Golden, the former borough president, organized a ride on the Q train from Midtown Manhattan to Coney Island, complete with tour guides narrating the trip.
I was approached by Alan Grossman, who organized a ride to Boston for me, where I interviewed for a postdoc position in his lab at MIT [Massachusetts Institute of Technology].
In order to promote a national reading culture, since 2009, THSRC have organized the "Ride THSR and Join the Book Exhibition for Free" event.
