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The York Naked Bike Ride is a protest against oil dependency and car culture. It is equally a celebration of the bike and the human body.

Next ride

Date: FRIDAY 12 JUNE 2009.
Time: Assemble from 5 pm, depart about 6 pm
Location: Assemble in Memorial Gardens (off Leeman Road, near the Railway Station), N.B. THE DEPARTURE POINT IS STILL TO BE CONFIRMED AND MAY CHANGE FOR 2009 - WATCH THIS SPACE!

Route and schedule

The ride generally starts at Memorial Gardens and ends on the opposite bank of the Ouse in Museum Gardens (which requires a short period of travelling by foot, pushing the bike). The total distance is about 5 miles of easy cycling.

As always, everyone is encouraged to go "as bare as they dare" and please affix/paint signs on your bike and/or body to indicate the reason why you are riding. Click here for practical Advice for Riders.

THE ROUTE
Here is a downloadable map of the finalised 2008 route The 2008 route was different from the 2007 one, taking in Fossgate and some of Walmgate. We passed the grave of the legendary highwayman Dick Turpin who led a rich car-free lifestyle. Although he wasn't a cyclist and he wasn't a very nice fellow, he did achieve notoriety on the highways without using any fossil fuel. Another interesting feature of the route was that we passed through Fishergate Bar on the way to the riverside. The latter half of the ride took a new leisurely route along the inside of the city walls before picking up the returning via Micklegate and Ousebridge. We are now busy planning the 2009 Route which may be extended towards the University.

Advantages of the York route: The York route is mostly flat with minimal car traffic. It starts close to the rail and bus stations, and there are Park & Ride and cycle-hire facilities a short cycle distance from the start. The route passes various landmarks of York including the Minster, historic bridges and city gates, pedestrianised medieval streets, the City Walls, and the banks of the River Ouse. It crosses the Millennium cycle bridge, follows a section of National Cycle Route 65 and ends up in the beautiful riverside Museum Gardens.

Bike hire

Bikes can be hired from several places in York, but there are two very convenient hire options which previous riders recommend are:

Bob Trotter Cycles 13-15 Lord Mayors Walk, York, YO31 7HB, T: 01904 622868
City centre cycle hire store just outside the city walls, a short stroll from York Minster. Half-day hire for £10. Tandems also available.

Budgie Bikes – for info, contact: York YHA 0870 770 6102 / York Europcar 01904 656161 / Budgie Transport 0152 438 9410
Situated conveniently on platform one at York railway station (book through Europcar York). Budgie supports the YHA network with hire bikes, and their prices are as little as £1.50 per hour (4 hour minimum) or £9.50 per day. No pre-booking required. They have plenty of bikes. Bikes collected and returned via the station's Left Luggage facility (open until 8.30pm on Friday night).

Meetings and events

Ride planning takes place online at the WNBR York Yahoo! group, and at York planning meetings.

FILM & DISCUSSION EVENINGS IN APRIL 2009.

Exploring alternatives to oil and car dependency in a creative and invigorating way

Tuesday 21st April - 7.30 pm
York Environment Centre, St Nick’s Fields, York YO10 3ST (off Route 66)

Thursday 30th April - 7.30 pm
THIS EVENT IS NOW CANCELLED - SORRY! Priory Street Centre, Priory Street, York YO1 6ET

Films to include:

The World Naked Bike Ride - “All over the ride people are stripping off and getting on their bikes” (The story of the 2005 London ride, narrated by Jon Snow)

Indecent Exposure to Cars - “I see painted naked people on bicycles” (Directed by Conrad Schmidt, Ragtag productions 2007)

All previous and potential riders and anyone just curious welcome. Light refreshments available. These events are free, but all donations will be gratefully received. If you'd like to host a screening of either or both of these films, please get in touch with Tony at: york [at] worldnakedbikeride [dot] org .

York Critical Mass
Meet on the first Friday of every month, 5.30 pm at the west end of the Minster. Check outYork Indymediaand also Facebook.

York Green Festival
August 2009 - Details to follow or you can have a look at their Facebook group

Publicity

Here is a downloadable A5 LEAFLET that we used to promote last year's ride. We also had some very attractive colourful leaflets professionally printed free of charge. Once again we will need to get as many leaflets distributed as possible. We are looking for a place where we could leave leaflets for people to collect (with a person or business in York perhaps). Preferably the leaflets could be collected in the evening between 4-8pm. Any volunteers? If you know of a business that might spring for this, please ask them and then get in touch with Jesse at 07814 587361 or write to york [at] worldnakedbikeride [dot] org

We also had a downloadable A4 POSTER advertising the ride. It was handy for posting on notice boards or as an additional item to offer when distributing the flyers to shops, businesses, colleges, community groups and so on. It prints in either black and white or full colour. Try copying it onto yellow or light-green paper for a more eye-catching effect.

2008 Ride Report

There were 90 riders (89 people and one dog in a trailer), and the atmosphere was excellent. We were warmly received throughout York, and initial responses suggest that the new route variation was popular.

At the assembly point there was some hectic last minute body-painting and interviews with the media then we all relocated to the Esplanade for the official ride opening. Local campaigner Randall Ghent from the World Carfree Network opened the proceedings with a rousing send-off speech and three toots on an air-horn. The ribbon was cut and off we rode to the tune of “Bare Necessities”.

WNBR York 2008: Riders crossing the Millennium Bridge. Photo © Johnathan Carey

Proceeding over Lendal Bridge towards the Minster there were some fine shots to be had of naked cyclists against the sunlit backdrop of the cathedral’s west front. We rode down historic Petergate, Colliergate, across to Fossgate and up over the little cobbled bridge than spans the river Foss. Along George Street we gave a passing nod to the last resting place of highwayman Dick Turpin, then it was through Fishergate Bar and down to join the banks of the Ouse. Many had turned out to watch and applaud us as we went over Millennium Bridge and headed northwards once more to rejoin the city walls at Skeldergate. We meandered through some quiet streets and found ourselves on historic Micklegate – and more cobbles! Ousebridge was full of traffic as usual though at least half of it this time consisted of our naked selves. On Coney Street there were throngs of people cheering us on the home run. Finally a bevy of photographers - with very little help from the police – kindly blocked the traffic for us as we crossed to finish our ride in Museum Gardens.

There was lots of noise and happy faces on that day, bikes of all descriptions and some really artistic body-painting. Nearly everyone had a message either on their body or attached to their bike. One way or another we certainly demonstrated that biking it is better.

Planning collective

The York Planning Collective consists of a group of local cyclists working together in a co-operative way to a single end. Some of us are based in York itself, some live in the surrounding towns and villages.

This year the Ride is being coordinated by a York resident, with other members of the Collective helping out with various technical matters or whatever else needs doing. We still need more volunteers to get involved - that could be YOU!

Here's what the Collective does:

• answers people's questions with care and consideration
• keeps track of who is doing what, and how far through things people are
• deals with problems and follow the discussions at the national level
• provides email updates to let people know what's going on
• points out where and when help is needed
• acts as a contact point for general enquiries (email and mobile phone)
• maintains contact information (and keeps it secure)

Additional responsibilities that the coordinator could have if they wanted:

• arrange meetings, compile agendas, provide minutes
• ensure that the collective remains non-hierarchical but organised
• moderate an email list for York ride planning

Media coverage

2008

• The Press (York), 28 May 2008: "York gears up for naked cycle ride"
• The Press (York), 4 Jun 2008: "No place for naked cyclist here" letter from enraged local Councillor.
• The Press (York), 8 Jun 2008: "Naked Ambition of Green Cyclists" ride report.
• The Press (York), 8 Jun 2008: "WNBR York Video coverage from The York Press"
• The Press (York), 6 Jun 2008: "Naked truth about responsible riding".

2007

• Nouse (York), 20 Jun 2007: In the Buff: Bareback Riders by Sam Noble
• Indymedia (York), 9 Jun 2007: World Naked Bike Ride - York
• The Press (York), 9 Jun 2007: Naked cyclists in cheeky protest
• The Press (York), 6 Jun 2007: "York Prepares for Invasion of the Naturists."

2006

• The Yorkshire Post, 30 May 2006: "Cyclists planning new twist on riding bareback" By Julie Hemmings
• The Press (Yorkshire), 29 May 2006: "On Yer Bike...and get your kit off!"

Photos

• Flickr search: "york naked bike ride" ranked by most recent
  It's recommended that you tag photos you upload with york, worldnakedbikeride and WNBR, plus the year (eg: 2008). It may not be possible to avoid finding pictures of WNBR New York (USA), but at least it'll be easier to find WNBR York photos for a given year. Please remember, WNBR York is part of a global movement and not just a quaint local tradition! Please update your tags!

2008

• Flickr photos by Nic Thornhill
• Flickr photos by thenudeone (Rod)

2007

• Georgi Mabee – excellent phot of the ride passing the castle
• Flickr photos by thenudeone (Rod)

2006

• An Extraordinary photo near York Minster at York's first WNBR (2006) by Wikipedia member Matt Crypto
• Flickr photos by Nic Thornhill
• Flickr photos by 'toniminou'

Videos

2007

• YouTube: 'York naked bike ride 2007' by Barry – the return leg of the ride over Millennium Bridge and along Terry Avenue

Souvenir DVD

24-minute DVD of the 2008 York ride. Please write to york [at] worldnakedbikeride [dot] org for further details. The DVD costs £10 (includes postage and packing), payable by cash or cheque. Virtually all participants are included in the DVD. Video is a souvenir or memento for participants, their families and friends. It is only offered for sale on this site.

Photography policy

The York Ride broadly follows the spirit of the London Photography and Filming Policy. For exact details of the York policy please email york [at] worldnakedbikeride [dot] org.

Links

Websites

• WNBR UK – official site for UK rides
• WNBR York wiki – official wiki page for the York ride (this page!)
• York WNBR Facebook Group

Nearby rides

• Sheffield - where our close neighbours live, and where we hope to also ride this year.

Discussion group/s

Join the WNBR UK list if you plan to ride and want to receive important updates or share in general UK ride planning.

• WNBR UK – Yahoo! discussion group for all UK rides
• WNBR YORK – Yahoo! discussion group for planning the York ride.

Related links

• Bike Week - The York 2008 ride is NOT a registered ride in this year's annual 'celebration of cycling'!

Location information

• ViaMichelin map of York
• Wikipedia: York
• Wikipedia: Yorkshire