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Join us in June for San Francisco's Northern Hemisphere World Naked Bike Ride: an international demonstration in protest of our dependence on fossil fuels. This will be our 8th year of doing this. Last year we had close to 150 participants. Come out and make this our biggest ride ever.

Next ride

Date: Saturday June 11, 2011.
Time: 11 AM. new time
Location: North end of Justin Herman Plaza near Market St. and the Embarcadero, across from the Ferry Building. Meet on the north or east side of the large fountain next to the large grassy area. See the map on the right.
Shortcut to this page: www.sfwnbr.org

Ride details

Schedule 11 AM: Gather. Note that the assembly time is one hour earlier than last year. Self safety-inspections. Group consensus on route details. Bike/body decoration. We just got word (June 9) that the professional body painters we usually get can't make it this year. Plan to paint your body at home or bring supplies. (Lip stick works in a pinch as long as you like shades of red.) Noon: Ride starts. This time is one hour earlier too. Don't be late! 3 to 5 pm (approx): Main ride finishes. End time depends on whether you want to ride the first loop only or both loops. Your choice. Weather Last year in June the weather was perfect. Lots of sun and temperatures into the 80's. However, coastal fog does roll in on a regular basis in June and that can drop the temperatures into the 60's. Check the local weather at the following sites: San Francisco Chronicle KCBS Radio, San Francisco Getting there If you live out of town, please try to use public transportion to get to the start of the ride. Parking in the area is limited and expensive. Both BART and CalTrain take bicycles. Check out these websites for details: Bay Area Rapid Transit CalTrain Route We finally have a route worked out. It's in 2 legs like last year. You can choose to ride one or both legs. The 1st leg covers all the touristy areas. It is about 14.5 miles long in 2 loops back to ride start point. The 2nd leg takes us down to the Castro District with an ice cream stop at Ben & Jerry's near Golden Gate Park. It is about 8.8 miles to the Castro. If you need to loop back to the ride start point, add another couple of miles. Ride Pace and Difficulty The ride is at a slow to moderate pace with frequent stops so we can show off our decorated naked bodies and bikes, chant protest slogans and allow the public to take photos. We try to stay on level ground but San Francisco is a hilly place, so some hills are to be expected. If the route takes us up the rare steep hill we walk so no one is left behind.

Alternative Participation Being California, everyone does things differently. We want to offer the broadest possible welcome. First of all, obey all the Laws of Comfort! There's no nudity requirement. Whether you come clothed in a full-length Fun-Fur or just a top hat, come as bare as you dare. Most riders carry some minimal clothing to wear when arriving and departing the group. Skates Secondly, skaters are welcome. Some skaters have joined us repeatedly! Since skaters tend to expend about 2x as much energy, and tend to roll 50% slower than bikers, skaters may wish to follow an abbreviated but comparable route by linking the level grades in the beginning and ending segments of the ride. One very accomplished naked skater in the 2010 SF WNBR skated up and down the steepest part of Lombard Street, The Crookedest Street in the World, to everyone's amazement. Public Nudity in San Francisco Liberal San Francisco is accustomed to people going completely naked on public streets in broad daylight. Other city events where open nudity is common are Critical Mass rides, Bay-to-Breakers, Nude Olympics, the Folsom Street Fair and Gay Pride events. Basically, as long as you only go naked in public streets and stay out of any city or federal parks you are good. Going naked outside the main group does increase your chances of being cited for something whether justified or not. There's more safety in numbers. Inform yourself of the local nudity laws before you bare all in case you have to explain yourself. This File:SF WNBR.Nudity laws.pdf (~1.7Mbs) contains the actual codes and regulations (with references) regarding nudity so you can educate anyone who may question your right to go naked in public. Always treat the authorities with courtesy and respect and dress when ordered to do so. (If you need help interpreting the codes, please seek the advice of a lawyer.) Our fearless ride coordinator did have a run-in with one somewhat misinformed SF police officer in the early days of the SF WNBR. Since then the police have been better informed and even helpful in escorting naked riders through crowded intersections and in guiding the group to certain destinations when necessary.

Links

Join us! Main WNBR website ‎

Discussion groups SF WNBR Yahoo! Group SF WNBR Tribe

Location Links Google Map of San Francisco Wikipedia: San Francisco Wikipedia: California Please also visit Climate Crisis.org

Subpages

Publicity, Media Coverage and Ride Reports This page contains links to press releases, media coverage and ride reports covering previous SF WNBR events. (Some of the coverage contains images of public nudity.) Promotional Materials This page contains links to flyers and other promotional materials for past and future SF WNBR events. (Most flyers contain images of public nudity.) Help us get the word out. Print these flyers and distribute at other protest events, sport/bike shops and college campuses. Or, create your own flyers by combining your own ideas with the materials provided.

Photos This page contains links to photo collections covering previous rides. (Obviously, these photos contain images of public nudity.) FAQ This page contains questions and answers to many of the more common concerns regarding the SF WNBR. Thanks to Leo for this. Ride Safety This page discusses safety issues when riding around San Francisco. Thanks to Leo for this.