The Most Spokes: Three cycling shows in four weeks in time for Bike Month NYC

It may have been downplayed in years past, but there's no doubt about it: 2012 is going to be a big year for cycling enthusiasts. With gas prices skyrocketing, more New Yorkers are taking to the streets than ever before. And, as a response to this demand, the city is promising cyclists an unforgettable spring. For the first time in years, there will be three cyclist shows in four weeks. It's all happening during Bike Month NYC (May), and the shows will celebrate all types of bikes, all kinds of riders, and the activity that brings them together. Bike Month NYC will kick off with the New Amsterdam Bike Show, set to serenade New Yorkers with two days of bikes galore on April 28 and 29. The event, which is being organized by Manhattan Media, aims to establish New York as North America's premiere Cycling Capitol. With sponsorship straight from the "Mecca" (KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, who fly out of Amsterdam, widely regarded as the "Biking Capitol of the World") and an eye for a wide range of consumer tastes in bikes, [The New Amsterdam Bike Show](http://newambikeshow.com/) looks to lead the way for cyclists this spring. But Manhattan Media's darling child isn't the only pony in this show. It's all about the bikes, and for that reason, cycling fans should rejoice at the fact that the festivities will continue when TD Bank's Five Borough Bike Tour's "Bike Expo" returns ? this time with 80 booths and scores of additional activities. The Bike Expo hopes to bring "cycling to the center stage" on May 3 through 5, the days preceding the TD Bank Five Borough Bike Tour. And while the grueling Five Borough circuit will claim the day for thousands of New Yorkers on May 6, there will still be more to do in the big bad city for those who just can't get enough of the cycle-centric craze. And so, New Yorkers get one last reprieve in the form of the Gran Fondo Bike Expo ? a homage to the road cycling and Italian-style bike racing, which will run on May 18 and 19 out of Penn Plaza Pavilion. So if you haven't already, switch gears! Forget running sneakers and costly cars. Just locate your old bike ? or better yet, buy a new one! It's time to ride, and it's time to join the rest of the city in a month of cycling-centered initiatives. After all, cyclists are more than the individuals who pedal: they are a community, as vibrant and vital to the city's character as any activity. And this year, the New York cycling community is putting the rest of us on notice. This year, the city that never sleeps is becoming the city whose wheels never stop spinning.