Broadway Bomb
| Broadway Bomb | |
|---|---|
You Could Die
|
|
| Event type | Longboarding street race |
| Distance | 7.9 miles |
| Established | 2002 |
| Official site | www.broadwaybomb.com |
The Broadway Bomb is a longboarding race held every year along the length of Broadway in Manhattan. The event was founded in October 2002 by Ian Nichols & Fred Mahe, with an initial set of sixteen competitors. After growing in size every year, by 2012 more than 1,900 riders competed.
The event is unsanctioned by the City of New York, meaning that the race takes place in ordinary city traffic with no organized protection for riders, vehicles or pedestrians.
When participation reached thousands of riders in 2012, the New York Supreme Court granted an injunction declaring the race unlawful. Since that time the New York City Police Department has deployed in force to prevent or disrupt the event.
The element of danger involved with unsanctioned street racing is reflected in the race's slogan, You Could Die.
The race was founded in 2002 by two local longboarding enthusiasts - Ian Nichols and Fred Mahe - as a more challenging alternative to another longboarding event, the Central Park Race.
The inaugural Bomb took place with sixteen riders. By 2010, the event had grown to include over one thousand competitors on the streets of Manhattan.
The race's growing popularity drew concern from city law enforcement. In 2012, organizer Ian Nichols cancelled and disassociated himself from the race, facing a formal injunction from Justice George Miller of the New York Supreme Court.
The website for a short time posted:1.) Pursuant to Court order, the Broadway Bomb race and flash mob will not occur on October 20, 2012. 2.) Participants in any such event will be subject to arrest.
Despite the official cancellation in 2012 and with active NYPD opposition, the race has gone ahead every year without further incident while seeing even greater attendance and international interest.
Always held on the 3rd Saturday in October, the race begins at noon, beginning at the intersection of 116th St and Riverside Drive in Upper Manhattan. The route closely follows Broadway and concludes eight miles later at the Charging Bull sculpture in Lower Manhattan.
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Wikipedia