World Naked Bike Ride 12th June 2010

[NicholasUK (imported)]

Hi all.

I'm planning on taking part in the World Naked Bike Ride which takes place this year in various cities around the World on Saturday, June 12th.

The idea of the event is to raise awareness of our over dependence on oil, of the advantages of pedal power as opposed to motor power, of the vulnerability of cyclists on our overcrowded roads and to celebrate the naked human body in all its wonderful variety.

In the UK there are rides organised for several cities - London, Edinburgh, Manchester, Cambridge and Southampton to name but a few. Each is about six miles long on easy (flat) terrain and largely through city centres/suburbs. Each should last about an hour. They are free to join and complete nudity is not compulsory - just go as 'bare as you dare'.

I'm posting this here since as UK Eunuchs and Castrated Guys we're not as enthusiastic as our US cousins in organising and attending 'Eunuch' gatherings and I thought this might be an opportunity for some of us to get together AND ACTUALLY MEET EACH OTHER. The costs would be minimal, there would be no organisational headaches and no other commitment than to enjoy an afternoon bike ride and maybe a drink and dinner to follow.

As the event is open to all I don't suppose the presence of a small? group of Eunuchs and their friends would be anything for the organisers to worry about - although it might be good manners to let them know we're coming.

I hope to ride in the London event. The UK is London centric. London has the best transport links of any British city, it hosts the World's biggest 'Naked Bike Ride' and London is big enough in which to be anonymous and unrecognised if that is a concern.

I for one will be riding nude and would be proud to do so with my ballless brothers!

There are a number of sites covering these events around the World giving details of times, routes, hire of bikes, etc. - do have a look at:

http://www.worldnakedbikeride.org

http://www.worldnakedbikeride.org/uk

http://www.worldnakedbikeride.org/uk/london

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wnbr-london

The only things to 'organise' would be where to meet before the start of the ride and where to eat and drink afterwards.

Let me have your thoughts!!

Nicholas.

[JeffEunuch (imported)]

I think I've been participating in naked bike rides in Vancouver for at least 10 years. These morphed into the WNBR maybe 5-6 years ago. Perhaps an exhibitionist, it's a great excuse to be naked in public.

I'm now living on one of the Gulf Islands in the Strait of Georgia, and I did my first WNBR in Victoria last summer. I was surprised that it was as large as the one in Vancouver even though the city is much smaller. As it's closer and there are 4 ferries daily, I think I'll do Victoria again this coming June. I recall that both London and Portland, OR, had about 9,000 riders last year. Ours was a paltry 200 by comparison. I'm not sure if there are any other ballless riders. I agree. It would be nice to meet up with others.

[JesusA (imported)]

The only things to 'organise' would be where to meet before the start of the ride and where to eat and drink afterwards.

All it takes is for ONE PERSON to decide where to meet before

the ride and where to eat and drink afterwards.

I nominate NicholasUK for the task.

Once those two decisions are made, NicholasUK can post on the Archive that he has made the decisions and will provide the information to Archive members who send him a Private Message requesting it. Requiring a private message, rather than publicly posting the information, should be effective protection against any trolls who are viewing the Archive.

[punkypink (imported)]

Oh dear....

London is crowded enough as it is without cyclists who can't seem to cycle less than 3 feet away from the curb and effectively, with something not even half a meter wide, choke up roads.... especially in bus lanes...

Always get one oblivious cyclist who does not realise he is holding up an entire busload of people just because he does not have the good grace to cycle closer to the curb. If I was a cyclist I would pull over to the side to let buses pass. Sure it may take me a lot longer to get to where I need to go, but thats part and parcel of cycling isn't it? That would be something all cyclists should have considered before taking it up as a primary means of transport. It seems pretty selfish of them to want the best of both worlds.

Also it seems that a lot of cyclists are just not aware of how vulnurable they are. To save that extra 2 seconds the sort of gaps they go for is just crazy. No wonder so many of them get crushed by lorries and buses and then people blame lorries and buses. If I'm a cyclist I'd use some brains and realise that large vehicles are not easy to see out of, sadly the same can't be said for most cyclists. They just don't have the sort of understanding about the sort of difficulties other road users may face, and then when tragedies happen, who gets the blame? Nobody seems to realise there's a bit of Darwin at work here.

I'm all for cycling as a leisure activity. As a mode of transport, it is best to demarcate cycle lanes from motor vehicle lanes. But will that work? Most cyclists I observe seem to not give a toss about road rules. They happily jump reds, and go wherever they damn well please, even when some of those rules are for their own safety. If you break a rule in a car, someone can take down your licence plate and report you. How do you report the countless number of inconsiderate cyclists who commit all manner of road offences? It's depressing but from observing cyclists, you get a sense of what sort of people choose to cycle, especially when they start to throw up the green argument... conveniently forgetting, or perhaps are just superficially ignorant of the fact that 1 cargo ship produces as much pollution as 350,000 cars.

I say, if there is a cycling event, have it in a park or on bike-only trails away from roads. This cycling naked event just seems to be yet another thing to cause transport disruption for millions of other commuters in London, and I will bet that quite a few people there won't just be there for the cycling.

Now, I wonder if this post will mysterious disappear without an explanation?

I would not mind meeting up after you guys are done with the event since I live in London(assuming I am not out on an archaeological dig), but no way in hell am I going to attend the event itself.

[JeffEunuch (imported)]

I think you don't understand that the WNBR is organized on the same format as the Critical Mass. Cyclists are the traffic - little chance of being squished by motor vehicles, including buses.

Of course, one of the reasons that London is besieged by so much traffic is that London has never favoured cyclists in the same manner as cities such as Copenhagen or Amsterdam.

London is crowded enough as it is without cyclists who can't seem to cycle less than 3 feet away from the curb and effectively, with something not even half a meter wide, choke up roads.... especially in bus lanes...I'm all for cycling as a leisure activity. As a mode of transport, it is best to demarcate cycle lanes from motor vehicle lanes. But will that work? Most cyclists I observe seem to not give a toss about road rules.....I say, if there is a cycling event, have it in a park or on bike-only trails away from roads.

[NicholasUK (imported)]

All it takes is for ONE PERSON to decide where to meet before

the ride and where to eat and drink afterwards.

I nominate NicholasUK for the task.

Agreed Jesus - I'm happy to do this and thanks for the nomination!

I've included most of what we need to know here.

Date:

Saturday, 12th June 2010.

Assembly point:

London's Hyde Park Corner just north of Achilles' statue near Queen Elizabeth Gate (from which the riders will emerge onto the streets of London). Cyclists are asked to assemble between the paths called 'Broad Walk' and 'Lover's Walk' both of which run parallel with Park Lane.

Last year there were around 1200 riders. Those of you who want to join me please send me a private message and I'll tell you where I'll be in this lot.

Assembly time:

Officially 3.00pm for a 3.30pm start. In previous years riders have started gathering around mid day.

Bike Hire:

Have a look at http://www.lcc.org.uk/index.asp?PageID=171 which gives a selection of places from which to hire, or better still...

http://www.londonbicycle.com/index.html which is the site of the London Bicycle Touring Company who in past years have supported the WNBR by discounting daily rates for WNB riders from £15 to £10, and remained open until 7.00pm for return of bikes. It is hoped they will do the same again this year. (The security they require is credit/debit card details or a cash deposit of £150).

Unless you are carrying a back pack you will need to hire (at extra cost) panniers in which to carry your kit while cycling.

The other advantage of the group using the London Bicycle Touring Company (and no, I don't work for them) is that it is only 20 minutes ride from the start/finish point and it will allow us to remain together as we return the bikes and move straight on to post ride socialising.

The ride:

Although it starts at 3.30pm, getting 1200 or more cyclists through a busy London on a Saturday afternoon will take time. The last to finish will be around 6.00pm - not us I hope! Some of the route will be through streets with motor traffic many of whose drivers will be distracted, disgusted or even delighted at the sight of nude cyclists. If you're not used to cycling through busy city centres BE AWARE. Punkypink has very helpfully pointed out that cyclists and motor traffic don't mix well in such conditions. The ride ends at Wellington Arch near the start point.

Past ride socialising:

I'm open to suggestions on this one - restaurants, pubs, clubs? Since I live 280 miles from London some recommendations from our London members might be useful. I'm familiar with a number of Gay and historic pubs in central London but not so restaurants. Any thoughts??

Some other things to bear in mind:

Pick up your bike in the morning. Because of the ride the LBTCompany will be busier than usual and there may also be traffic diversions as a result of the 'Trooping the Colour' ceremony taking place that morning.

Carry water with you, also, plastic bags in which to keep your clothing dry should it rain, as panniers aren't always completely waterproof.

If you have health issues make sure you're fit enough to ride (on what might be a blazing hot or cold and wet day) and bring your medication with you. Carrying ID of any health problems and medications would be helpful.

The day might look like this:

Collect bikes (individually) from LBTC in the morning.

You might have time to see 'Trooping the Colour' (10am - 12noon) if that's what you're into.

Gather in the Park (picnic?) from mid day. I shall give you the rough location and my description if you contact me privately.

Nominate a meeting place near the finishing point should we become separated. A temporary exchange of mobile numbers might be helpful.

Return bikes (collectively) and move on for eats and drinks.

If we nominate a venue for a quick drink before we eat this will allow our non riding members to meet up with us. Again, I would be very grateful for recommendations from our London members.

That's all for now, hope it is helpful.

[Sweetpickle (imported)]

In the past the Boulder, colorado police have arrested riders and

charged them with a sex crime (exposure).

So not every town is friendly to the idea.

[kristoff]

In the past the Boulder, colorado police have arrested riders and

charged them with a sex crime (exposure).

So not every town is friendly to the idea.

I would have expected better of Boulder....

[MacTheWolf (imported)]

Is the world ready for a Kristoff, Paolo or MacWolf naked on bikes?

[punkypink (imported)]

I think you don't understand that the WNBR is organized on the same format as the Critical Mass. Cyclists are the traffic - little chance of being squished by motor vehicles, including buses.

Of course, one of the reasons that London is besieged by so much traffic is that London has never favoured cyclists in the same manner as cities such as Copenhagen or Amsterdam.

The big problem is treating cycling as being in the same road-using category as other motor vehicles.

Cycling needs to be a category on its own, seperate from foot pedestrians AND motor vehicles. It's NOT a viable alternative to motor vehicles and as such should not be sharing the same piece of road as they do. They don't pay road tax, they are not subject to any sort of registration and control, and the speed differential between motor vehicles and bicycles is just too great resulting in an obstruction to the smooth flow of traffic. And given how much older London is.

I'd rather the whole event be held in a nice green space somewhere, I'm sure this is going to cause transport disruptions, as if London didn't have enough transport problems as it is. June 12, hmmm looks like I'll be lucky and only have to go on a dig from the 18th onwards.

Those of you meeting up after the event, are you going to be bringing some clothes along to cover up? The answer to that is very instrumental in helping me decide if I should show up for post-event drinks.