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Event Summary:

• March 8th, 2014 SF WNBR: We are doing our Fifth Annual World Naked Bike Ride - Southern Hemisphere Edition. In solidarity with our WNBR brethen riding in cities south of the equator. This will be our first of four scheduled SF WNBR for the bike naking season. And don't worry about that anti-nudity ordinance. WNBR rider tempted fate in all 4 rides with no complaints and no citations. The first WNBR in March had about 6 riders at the start and about 20 eventually bared all during the ride. Almost all the riders for the April Earth Day WNBR rode nude without any citations or issues. The main June ride had around 75 percent nude riders.

• While it looks like the SFPD and the city are going to be lenient regarding enforcement of the anti-nudity ordinance, be prepared to cover up if riding bare. Other strategies to employ would be creative use of latex paint. Use black to mimic an oil spill or green to celebrate the environment. Water-based paints are cheaper and could also be used to evoke the same concept. Markers and lipstick can be used to write slogans. Those riders that are a little more modest can wear sheer outfits, ride topless or have some outrageous costume that gets attention. The whole concept of the WNBR is to get the public's attention and win converts. While we are encouraging bike riding, we will not gain any public sentiment by antagonizing or berating drivers. Anyone who wants to consider an altercation with the motoring public should either restrain themselves or find another protest. We are a peaceful assembly and will remain that way for the whole event.
• It is our Eleventh Year Anniversary WNBR and our 5th Year Northern Hemisphere Edition WNBR, so let's tell everyone we know to be here and make this our largest ride yet. We are going to meet at Justin Herman Plaza to allow for more body/face paint and slogans as well as signage and other protest regalia, plus to have extra time to socialize. Initial plans have us heading up the Embarcadero thru Fisherman's Wharf, where we are always well received. Then we cruise North Beach and some downtown streets. Then we'll wiggle up to the Haight. After that, we'll be going out to Ocean Beach again like our inaugural July ride in 2012, but we will stop midway down the Great Highway and pull off for some beach pictures, Afterwards, we'll ride down past the zoo, up Sloat and Portola to Market where the ride will finish near the Castro.

Next ride

Date: Saturday, March 8, 2014.
Time: 11:00 AM
Location: North end of Justin Herman Plaza (JHP) near Market St. and the Embarcadero, across from the Ferry Building. Body/Face painting was provided by Very Fairy Event in April & June and they promise to be here again in July. 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

• RSVP at our Facebook Event Page

Ride details

Schedule 11:00 AM: Gather. The earlier time allows us to take advantage of the midday warmth. Undress. Apply sunscreen. Turn sheets & maps distributed and going over route details. Bike checkout & attaching signs / body painting & slogans. Group photo, then pre-start circling in the plaza in front of the fountain just after Noon: Ride starts (approx). Depending on the mood of the group and the amount of media coverage we are getting the ride may start a bit after noon. about 4 hours after it starts (approx): Main ride finishes. Riders are free to leave the mass at anytime, as it is a DIY (do it yourself) ride, but why miss out on the fun? Route Done. Since chilly fog and windy weather stifled our venture out to the Great Highway in the June 2013 ride, the route will basically be the similar to the June ride. If at first you don't succeed... Ride Pace and Difficulty The ride is at a slow to moderate pace with frequent stops with the intention of maximum visibility to the motoring public, 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. Weather March weather tends to be a bit warmer and at times downright hot. Often our March ride is warmer than the main ride in June. 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 transportation to get to the start of the ride. Parking in the area is limited and expensive. Both BART and CalTrain take bicycles. If you do drive, try to carpool. There is a fair number of parking on the southern area of Market near the ride's final destination at the Castro/Market corner. It takes about 10-15 minutes to ride your bike from there to Justin Herman Plaza. Check out these websites for details: Bay Area Rapid Transit CalTrain

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. One bike rental place offered 50% discounts to WNBR riders last year. See the FAQ for more info. 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 not so liberal anymore with the passage of an anti-nudity ordinance that went into effect on February 1st, 2013. This will be a test to see how far we can push the limits. If you go naked, have a protest message to go with the nudity in the form of body painted slogans or signs. Be prepared to cover up. So far, the authorities have been nice in giving people an opportunity to cover up before giving out citations. Bare breasts are okay. To be legal, you just need to barely cover your private parts. Going naked outside the main group will definitely get you cited. 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 (~100 Kbs) (now out of date) contains the actual codes and regulations (with references) regarding nudity. 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.)

Links

Join us! Our World Naked Bike Ride - San Francisco Facebook Fan Page is the place to get latest ride info and where to find WNBR Event pages to RSVP ATTENTION: WE"RE BACK!!! Our Facebook Fan Page has been republished. After Facebook prudes took it down a week before our July 2013 ride, we were determined to start up again. A new WNBR Fan Page has been created and NO photos will be allowed if Facebook has a problem with plain nudity and social protest. Old WNBR website (information often outdated) ‎

Discussion groups SF WNBR Yahoo! Group SF WNBR Tribe (might be dropped for lack of interest)

Location Links Google Map of San Francisco Wikipedia: San Francisco Wikipedia: California Please also visit Climate Crisis.org 350.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.

Route Info This page contains links to route descriptions, maps and turn sheets for current and past rides. 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.