York

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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.

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.

Next ride

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Date: Saturday 6 June 2009 (to be confirmed)
Time: Assembly from 4pm, Ride starts shortly after 5pm
Location: Assemble in Memorial Gardens (off Leeman Road, near the Railway Station), York, YO26 4ZZ

Route and schedule

The ride generally starts at Memorial Gardens and ends on the opposite bank of the Ouse at the Museum Gardens (which requires a short period of travelling by foot, pushing the bike). The total distance is about 5 miles of easy cycling although this may get longer next year. We ride off from the adjacent Esplanade car park.

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.

2008 ROUTE
Here is a downloadable map of the finalised 2008 route (not the version shown in the York Press on 29 May 2008). This route was reviewed and agreed with the local police and City Council. The 2008 route is 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 new route is that we pass through Fishergate Bar on the way to the riverside. The latter half of the ride takes a new leisurely route along the inside of the city walls before picking up the traditional route at Micklegate.

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.

York World Naked Bike Ride - Post-ride debrief meeting
 Sunday 22 June 2008. The Collective cogitated on its achievements to date and looked towards a cleaner greener future. A debrief report is being sent to the Yahoo group.

York Critical Mass
 Friday 4 July 2008, and the first Friday of every month
Meet 5.30 pm for 6 pm departure, west end of the Minster
A fun relaxing ride with a great musical accompaniment. More info at York Indymedia.

York Green Festival
 Sunday 31 August 2008 - Details to follow or you can have a look at their Facebook group

For future meetings and events, including film screenings, watch this space! If you'd like to host a screening of the 2005 London World Naked Bike Ride film or the Indecent Exposure to Cars film, please get in touch with Tony at: york [at] worldnakedbikeride [dot] org .

Publicity

Here is a downloadable A5 LEAFLET that can be used to promote this year's ride. We have 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 have a downloadable A4 POSTER advertising the ride. It should be 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.

Planning collective

The York Planning Collective has been relaunched. We are a group of 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.

Currently the Ride is coordinated by someone who lives outside York, but in the future it would be useful to have someone local acting as the main ride coordinator. Ideally we'd have two people collaborating as coordinators – one person serving as a backup in case the main person in the role falls ill.

Here's what the coordinator would do:

  • answer people's questions with care and consideration
  • keep track of who is doing what, and how far through things people are
  • deal with problems and follow the discussions at the national level
  • provide email updates to let people know what's going on
  • point out where and when help is needed
  • act as a contact point for general enquiries (email and mobile phone)
  • maintain contact information (and keep 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

2007

2006

Photos

  • Flickr search: "york naked bike ride" ranked by most recent. It's suggested you use the tags YORK, WORLDNAKEDBIKERIDE, WNBR, plus the year (e.g. 2008) for any photos you upload. It may not be totally possible to avoid finding pictures of the NEW York (USA) WNBR, but at least it will be easier to find all York WNBR photos for the current year. Please remember York WNBR is part of a global movement and not just a quaint local tradition! Please update your tags!

2008

2007

2006

Videos

2007

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

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

Categories

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