The best way to see the Bronx Sunday was on two wheels. NY1's Tara Lynn Wagner has more on the borough's annual bike tour.

The weather was no match for the bright spirits of cyclists Sunday. Now in its 21st year, some hail the tour de Bronx as the most fun event of the biking season.

"The spirit of the riders," said one rider. "There's a lot of single speed bicycles, a lot of alternative bicycles and it's just a lot of fun."

There were unique bikes aplenty as people prepared to travel 25 or 40 miles on two wheels — or less.  Then there's Angus McCamy in his Velomobile, a sort of enclosed recumbent bike.

"You're in a reclined position so you are more comfortable, you are protected from the wind and rain," McCamy said.

"And what are you looking forward to seeing from your recumbent vantage point?" 

"I guess all the other bicycle wheels," he answered.

Giving people a new perspective is one of the main reasons local officials pedal the event. 

"We planned this route so that people can see parts of the Bronx that you know perhaps might surprise them," said Olga Luz Tirado of the Bronx Tourism Council.

"A lot of them question are we really in the Bronx, and that's what we want to do," said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. "We want to erase the old stereotypes and negative images of the borough."

"I see a lot of transformation here, a lot of beauty and a borough that's been under appreciated and I think that's changing," said Bronx native Maureen Poulas, who now lives in Albuquerque, N.M.

The tour is the largest free bike ride in the state. The New York Department of Transportation even handed out hundreds of free bike helmets. They hope to encourage people to start moving, a goal former New York Ranger Mark Messier can get behind.

"It can be a family event, a family outing much like today, so just getting people outside and exercising is the most important thing," Messier said.

The event draws cyclists from around the country and even other parts of the globe but officials say interest in the sport is definitely growing in the Bronx as well, both as a means of recreation and transportation.

In fact, Borough President Diaz will be meeting with Citi Bike soon to encourage them to expand to the Bronx.

"There's a lot of folks who want to use their bikes and leave their cars at home, avoid traffic, avoid having to spend gas money," Diaz said.

He's also paving the way for additional miles of bike lanes in the coming years.