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Special Event Notice for 4 PM Wednesday, April 20, 2011

It's that time to tune up those bikes and toss those riding duds in the wash, you won't need them for the World Naked Bike Ride (WNBR). We are doing a special WNBR Earth Day/BP Oil Spill Protest Revival on the first anniversary of the British Petroleum Deep Horizon explosion and Macondo Well oil spill disaster, the worst oil spill in history, on April 20th. This disaster of epic proportions has all but fallen off the media map and the public's radar. Oh sure, in the mainstream this will probably receive small mention and token memorials to all that dead sea life and birds as well as the environmental devastation on the major broadcast and cable outlets, but hardly leading stories. They are all about the recent Japan quake & tsunami. Sure, that is important and sad, but BP should not be left off the hook just because some media cartel decides what the front page news is. That said, its time to remind the public about the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. What better way to refresh their memory than with a naked protest ride. Our San Francisco contingent will meet at the east side of the Vaillancourt fountain in Justin Herman Plaza at 4:00 PM. We are planning a 5 PM departure from the Plaza so that the ride will take place in the part of the day when locals who work daytime can have a better opportunity to join in and also that our ride can take advantage of the commute traffic, just as Critical Mass does. March is generally the onset of spring like warmth and it is now daylight savings, so it should be a nice day for a WNBR. But we ride rain or shine so no excuses not to be there and bare it out. You decide how much bare you can dare, you can go all out in the joy of sun clad nakedness, go topless, bikinis, body paint or latex, leotard or lingerie, or tuxedos, whatever you feel like. For this ride, however, since an oil spill is the target of our angst, an appropriate statement can be made to mimic spilled oil. Nude riders can use black body paint splattered or coated. Those a little timid about nudity can use black trash bags that resemble spilled oil. Or you can be even more creative and artistic with black latex body paint to achieve a sheen and gloss that really looks like spilled oil. Skates or skateboards have ridden along with us in the past. How about a nude unicyclist? And music maestro please. How about some of you musical bikes from Rock The Bike sounding off with us? As always, our ride is in continued protest of an unsustainable energy policy in all nations around the globe. We support the innovation of alternate and improved energy technologies, the social commitment to a more sustainable energy consumption and generally the pure fun and joy of riding naked to draw attention to these issues. However, this time the main protest is about the BP oil spill and since this is Earth Day, special reverence for our ecosystem and respect for Mother Earth. Our ride will focus on downtown SOMA areas, Embarcadero, AT&T Park and most flat areas along the financial area downtown. So set this date on your calendars and get your friends and fellow bike riders to join us. Ride as bare as you dare (nudity desired but not required). Tell us if you are attending via the following link: Event

Just a short report on the March 12th ride. We had a sizable turnout, compared to last March, of 50 or more riders with a nice mix of genders and ages. It was a nice mellow group. Most of the riders went naked including several women despite the cold coastal breezes at times. When riding further from the coastline the weather was actually quite pleasant. This year we road traffic-heavy Van Ness Street, the main route to the Golden Gate Bridge. We received loads of smiles, laughs, thumbs ups, honks and cheers even when the group took up one entire lane of traffic. Most passengers in passing cars had their iPhones out taking pictures. The new route up and over Lombard Street, the crookedest street in the world, was much better than last June. Most riders were able to ride to the top without walking. All-and-all a very successful ride.

And don't forget to 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: 12 noon.
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: sfwnbr.org

Ride details

Schedule 12 noon: Gather. Self safety-inspections. Group consensus on route details. Bike/body decoration. Professional body painting will provided on this ride. 1 pm: Ride starts 3 or 4 pm (approx): Main ride finishes. 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 The route for the June ride is still being planned. The SF Police let us ride fully nude anywhere we want except within city and federal parks. We generally tour the more picturesque and populous areas of San Francisco which usually, but not always includes: The Ferry Building, Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, Aquatic Park, The Marina, The Palace of Fine Arts, Union Square and the Civic Center. A significant portion of our regular WNBR riders live in the Castro District so that has become a popular stop, as well. 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 Moderator seems to have disappeared SF WNBR Tribe New group with an active moderator

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.