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Event Summary:

• April 20th SF WNBR: We are doing our Third Annual World Naked Bike Ride - Earth Day Celebration Ride . This will be our second SF WNBR under the new anti-nudity law. Now more than ever, we need you to call attention to environmental activism, body freedom, bicycling as an alternative to cars and a generally greener way of living. Not-to-mention the joy of receiving an overwhelmingly positive response in the form of laughs and smiles from those that see you in the buff. If nothing else, it's a fun, light-hearted, wacky way to use your colorful, vulnerable body to advocate for or protest against various social and environmental issues. As always, it's free and no r.s.v.p. is required. Just show up! And don't worry about the anti-nudity ordinance. Over a dozen riders tempted fate in last March's So-Hemi ride with no complaints and no citations.

Next ride

Date: Saturday, 9 March 2013.
Time: 11:00 AM
Location: North end of Justin Herman Plaza (JHP) 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. (No body painting booth this time.)
Shortcut to this page: www.sfwnbr.org

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 In Revision. The ride details are being worked out. The plan will be to stay primarily in the downtown area, along the Embarcadero, North Beach, the Financial District, SOMA and circling (but not entering) the Earth Day Festival at the Civic Center. Maybe another run up to the Haight and a stop at Ben & Jerry's. 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 Late April weather tends to be a bit warm and at times summer-like. 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 ordiance 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, it helps to 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 opporunity to cover up before giving out citations. Bare breasts are okay. To be legal, you just need to barely cover your genitals and rectum. Going naked outside the main group will definately 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! 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

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.