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Keep pedaling Tommy

Cycling fanatic shows no signs of slowing down

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Tommy Cuccias sat on a “phat” bike at Valley Stream Bicycle, on Merrick Road in Lynbrook, last summer.
Tommy Cuccias sat on a “phat” bike at Valley Stream Bicycle, on Merrick Road in Lynbrook, last summer.
Micah Danney/Herald

Tommy Cuccias is a diehard cyclist.

“One time it was like 13 degrees and I needed like 20 more miles to reach 5,000 miles for the year,” he recounted. “It was late December, and I found a patch on Rockaway Avenue … I just kept going up and down, saying, ‘I need to get my 20 miles in. I have to hit 5,000 miles.’”

With his distinctive long hair, colored bandanas, neon-yellow sunglasses and cycling shorts, Cuccias (pronounced KYOO-shis) is easy to spot. He acknowledges being in his 50s, but when asked to be more specific, adds only, “No comment.” He frequently updates his 1,300 or so Facebook followers on his cycling adventures — including his mileage on days when he rides — and his local bike shop’s store hours in short videos.

He signs off nearly every post with, “Keep pedaling — Tommy.”
“You know, for me, I think I forget about my problems — not that I’m saying I have them,” he said. “But you know, you get on a bike, you just kind of forget about it and it’s so much fun.”

Cuccias, who has owned Valley Stream Bicycle for nearly 27 years, offers free bike-riding lessons to his customers because he wants to spread the joy of bicycling to as many people as possible. He bought his first bike from the store when he was 8.

“It used to be, Christmas came, everyone wanted a bike,” he said. “Now Christmas comes and everyone wants an Xbox or a new iPhone or a new iPad.”

Cuccias rides a bike several thousand miles each year — more than he drives, he says. He and his customers often ride in New York City’s Five Borough Bike Tour and take summer trips from the shop, at 476 Merrick Road in Lynbrook, to Montauk. (Valley Stream Bicycle moved to Lynbrook from its East Merrick Road location about five years ago because he had a disagreement with his landlord.)

Though he does most of his riding in the warmer months (he refers to the Long Beach boardwalk as “the boards”), he is also more than willing to ride in wintry conditions. At the store, he sells cold-weather riding gear, such as jerseys, lobster gloves and booties to cover sneakers.

Cycling in the snow, he explains, isn’t difficult with “phat” bikes, whose thicker tires glide easily on snow or sand. Corrine Ciccarelli, of Brentwood, recently bought one from Valley Stream Bicycle. She drives nearly 30 miles to visit the store.

“Even though he’s further and I have a lot more local bike shops,” Ciccarelli said, “I’d rather go to him because of the customer service, and that he actually works with you."

Cuccias’s business suffers during the winter months, of course, when bicycle purchases decline. To mitigate this, he offers screen-printing and sells hockey gear.

Others may know him for his volunteer work at elementary schools in Valley Stream and Lynbrook over the years. He has inspected schools’ bikes, and gives talks to students about bicycle safety. “Older ones remember it from when they were young,” he said, “and the younger ones get a kick out of it, because they think I’m a wrestler, or like Hulk Hogan.”

Cuccias has no plans to take up wrestling, however. He’s content to spend his days selling bikes and encouraging others to keep pedaling.

“I’m not going to retire,” he said. “If I retired, I’d probably wind up just working at another bike shop … After all these years, I still like it. I could stop if I wanted to, but I don’t want to.”

Nick Ciccone contributed to this story.