Press Release

NEW YORK, May 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. is set to present BIKE NEW YORK: The Great Five Boro Bike Tour for the fourth consecutive year on Sunday, May 7 at 8 a.m. starting at Battery Park. BIKE NEW YORK is the nation's largest mass-cycling event. More than 30,000 riders from across the country and abroad are expected to participate.

"Each year, this exciting family event grows larger and larger, giving people of all ages and from all walks of life a chance to see New York as they have never seen it before," said Frances A. Resheske, Con Edison's vice president of public affairs. "BIKE NEW YORK is just one of many enjoyable activities that Con Edison is proud to present to the communities it serves," said Resheske.

The Tour is produced by Hostelling International-American Youth Hostels and the New York City Department of Transportation. Other key sponsors of the Tour will furnish bananas, oranges, water and energy bars for the riders. WCBS-FM radio personality Bruce "Cousin Brucie" Morrow kicks off the 42-mile Tour, rain or shine, at the start line in Battery Park.

The Tour will take riders north through Central Park and Harlem to the Bronx, down the FDR Drive and over the Queensboro Bridge. The riders will then pedal along the Brooklyn waterfront, and finally cross the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge to Staten Island, the site of Festival 2000 at Fort Wadsworth in the Gateway National Recreation Area.

The picnic-like setting of Festival 2000 will feature live music, food and beverage concessions, displays, bike services and souvenir merchandise. Con Edison staff will also be available at the festival providing helpful customer information on request.

All along the Tour route, Con Edison employees will also join other volunteers to assist cyclists at the five official Tour rest stops, which include the Con Edison Learning Center in Long Island City, Queens.

"We have a lot of new company riders with us this year," said Ed Long, Captain of the Con Edison Power Wheelers bike group, and a maintenance supervisor at Con Edison's Waterside Station. "I know they will have as much fun as we've had at other BIKE NEW YORK tours," he added.

The members of the Power Wheelers team represent more than 15 different Con Edison work locations. The Power Wheelers meet periodically all year for other bike tours around the city, and many of its members serve as official bike marshals for the Tour, providing tips and advice on bike safety, repair and maintenance techniques for riders of all ages.

For BIKE NEW YORK information, call the Tourline at 212-932-BIKE or (932-2453). Con Edison is one of the nation's largest utility companies, with approximately $7 billion in annual revenues and approximately $14 billion in assets. The company, a subsidiary of Consolidated Edison Inc., provides electric, gas and steam service to more than three million customers in New York City and Westchester County, New York. For additional financial, operations and customer service information, visit Con Edison's web site at http://www.coned.com. SOURCE Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc.

CONTACT: D. Joy Faber, 212-460-4111, for Con Edison/