PLEASE READ http://ChicagoNakedRide.org/about
Important sections such as PHOTO, TRAVEL and BIKE RENTALS were recently
updated.

New donor THANX are here: http://ChicagoNakedRide.org/donors


THIS FRIDAY (5/29) is CRITICAL MASS leaving Daley Plaza around 6pm.  CCM is
the elder sib of WNBR-C, where thousands of cyclists take an urban ride the
last Friday evening monthly.  WNBR newbies unfamiliar with CCM should/must
come.  We'll be there early giving green fliers and chatting.
http://ChicagoCriticalMass.org


WNBR-C6 NEEDS:
1. Airbrush body artists with self-powered gear can come work for tips, but
contact me first.
2. Anyone with several long tables and means to carry them contact me.


C U Saturday June 13th ~ Andrew

Big news is we've gotten no donations?!?  I gave just to make sure the button
works.  C'mon, body paint isn't free!  Click the PayPal button NOW on ANY page
of http://ChicagoNakedRide.org

Be responsible and DONATE:
If you can't come with a bike (or skates etc) and participate fully with little
energy use please join us in spirit instead by DONATING online.
If you don't have a bike DONATE then come to a viewing point (TBA) and cheer!
If you are way in a burb DONATE then tell your friends what you did!
If you are more distant DONATE then get something seeded locally.
Bottom line: If you don't KNOW that you can do this ride with ease, do your part
by DONATING instead. WNBR-C costs serious cash which doesn't come from nowhere.
Cool? DONATE!

C U Saturday June 13th
Questions, updates, photos, donations, visit http://ChicagoNakedRide.org

hi, it's Steven, I help Andrew get the WNBR rolling each year with gathering
space, route, and party planning. Things look to be super special this year with
a great new venue options already lined up, but if you know of a space that can
handle 2000 naked people and their bikes, please give us a holler, we need
options!

Maybe you've been off your bike for a while
and are feeling a little rusty this spring?

Here's some reasons to get bikecited,
put your body in motion, and
feel the group ride love.

--------------------------------
Earth Mass (April Chicago Critical Mass)
Friday April 24, 5:30pm
gather by the Picasso at Delay Plaza
--------------------------------
Our fair city doesn't really offer much greenspace, so we're gonna take a nice
long tour to catch the budding beauty of Union, Garfield, Humboldt, Palmer, and
Lincoln Parks. Let's hope it rains so we can really get our Spring On ;^)

--------------------------------
May Day Mass (Wicker Park Critical Mass)
Friday May 1, 6:00pm
gather at the Polish Triangle and ride to
opening party for West Town Bikes new space
--------------------------------
or bike right to the party to catch the parade at 5pm!!!

Who: West Town Bikes & Ciclo Urbano
What: Grand Opening Celebration of New Bike Shop and Learning Center
Where: 2459 W Division St, Chicago IL 60622
When: May 1st 5-10pm
Join us for the parade led by Mucca Pazza from our North Ave location to our new
home on Paseo Boricua starting around 5pm! Dance the night away to the live
music of Afri Caribe and Nuestro Tambo! Enjoy delicious and authentic Puerto
Rican food provided by the Puerto Rican Cultural Center! Drink beer donated by
our fabulous sponsor, New Belgium Brewing! Check out the NEWEST Community Bike
Shop in Chicago! Become an official Member of West Town Bikes for the first
time! Support community cycling and education in Chicago!

--------------------------------
Ride of Silence
Wednesday May 20, 6:30pm
gather by the Eternal Flame
in Daley Plaza
--------------------------------
I remember the first World Naked Bike Ride flier I received in 2004, it
mentioned many reasons for joining the naked bike ride, but a line stating that
the naked ride was an expression of the vulnerability cyclists face on the roads
everyday really resonated with me. Very little makes you feel more naked than a
car passing murderously close while your riding, and the Ride of Silence puts us
in touch with the magnitude of our simple decision to bike in a machine age.
Help us quell the noise of industry and indifference by creating a space filled
with human powered silent reverence to honor our cycling brothers and sisters
that have paid the ultimate price on our mean streets.
http://www.rideofsilence.org/chicago


WNBR Planning Meeting coming up Sunday May 3rd
announcement from Andrew coming soon
~steven

http://chicagonakedride.org

6th World Naked Bike Ride Chicago is UNDER 80 DAYS away!
This 1st bulletin contains important items, review closely.

1. JUNE 13th - REMEMBER IT!
The 6th Annual World Naked Bike Ride Chicago is Saturday June 13th 2009.
Always the second Saturday evening in June. Location TBA, usual practices
apply: proof of bike check-in spot, participants only painting/starting
area, viewing points TBA.  Stay on this list for future details.

2. CHICAGONAKEDRIDE.org
For a number of reasons Chicago now has its own easy to remember
http://ChicagoNakedRide.org website.  Ecocyclists may find some of the new
writings there interesting. All are encouraged to JOIN the site's user
system to participate in forums and such:
http://chicagonakedride.org/user/register

3. NEXT SUNDAY April 5th is planning meeting #1
Dinner 6pm-? at Handlebar Bar&Grill, 2311 W North Ave, 773/384-9546,
http://www.handlebarchicago.com
All serious prior crew this is yer notice, come.  Serious eager sharp high
energy new volunteers also strongly encouraged; your first test, finding
people you've never met in a restaurant.  As always seeking flyerers,
painters, corkers, and map monkeys with ideas!  High priority agenda items:
route, philosophy, last year lessons, communications, action plans, beer.
2009 planned planning dates: #1 Sunday April 5th (Palm Sunday), #2 Sunday
May 3rd, and finally fundraising party Sunday May 31st, just weeks before
the ride and days after Critical Mass.
Saturday night before first meeting I'll be here:
http://TritonTroupersCircus.com

4. SUPPORT: Trailers, sound, rescue, support, pedicab, tours, rental...
A new item important to me is better bonding with the commercial and more
than two wheel participants I see as helping ride safety.  ATTENTION PEDICAB
/ TOUR / RENTAL pros and TRAILER users contact me to exchange info and/or
JOIN the new SUPPORT group:
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/WNBRC_Support

5. RESPONSIBILITY
"Responsibility" is the official buzzword for WNBR Chicago 2009.
Inspirations being getting fair scoldings for our trail of waste in 2008,
and as a good one word summing up of proper grounds for energy use choices.
Reflect... best slogan wins something.



ALSOS:

CRITICAL MASS is TODAY! Chicago's Critical Mass rides have never gotten more
publicity.  The Friday March 27th one leaving Daley Plaza around 6pm
currently proposes 27 miles on a "Green" theme.  Future rides are April
24th,  May 29th...  NEW NEW NEW "get the MassUp on ur mobile" TEXT MESSAGING
group for CHICM: http://ChicagoCriticalMass.org

There's a new CHAT group for WNBR-C, small but destined to grow, serving the
need for an unmoderated channel:
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/WNBRC_Chat

SKATERS join my super new site: http://ChicagoSkater.org

This message goes to multiple groups, forgive x-posts. WNBR-C6 crew out.

As the first sets of "official" World Naked Bike Ride Chicago 2008 photo
albums, I've cross-posted edited, reduced, all-ages compatible
before/during/after collections from Ronald Leon Hale IV's brilliant work,
one of the sanctioned ride photographers.  Additional sets from others will
be posted eventually, but these should hold all for a while.  They're
gorgeous shots of great moments.  I'm so proud of everyone.

Start at the base album:
http://bedno.com/album.php?c=20080614

Or see individually:
Before:  http://bedno.com/album.php?c=20080614a
During:  http://bedno.com/album.php?c=20080614b
After:   http://bedno.com/album.php?c=20080614c



Also super late notice, but me and many will be joining the Midnight
Marauders ride tonight, Saturday 10.18: Gathering before 11:30pm at
Handlebar, 2311 W North, costume required, surprises promised, dress for
40s, http://tinyurl.com/5hbbx9


Andrew Bedno - World Naked Bike Ride / Chicago coordinator
Promoting Freedom from Oil Addiction and Positive Body Image
SATURDAY June 13th 2009 / 6pm gather 9pm ride / bare-as-you-dare / 6th
annual!
http://ChicagoNakedRide.com

A new WorldNakedBikeRide Chicago CHAT/discussion Yahoo group has been
created to supplement this announcements only group.
You are strongly encouraged to join that group as well:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WNBRC_Chat

Use the new group to share opinions, announcements, questions, event
ride sharing info, etc, related to WNBR-Chicago topics.  This serves
the emerging need for an open forum for discussion and chat among
potential, current and past participants, and others. All members of
that group can freely post and all posts go to all members (with newbie
moderation).

Past riders, volunteers, supporters, leads, ... PLEASE join the new
group now to help seed that community.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WNBRC_Chat

"Gotopless Day" observance this Saturday at Noon near Buckingham Fountain.

http://ChicagoFunNews.com/event.php?i=s1avwqtc8kn

Saturday 2008.08.23:

National Gotopless day. All ages. Free. Noon.
National simultaneous protests at beaches and parks to demand equal topfree
rights for women. Includes performances asserting it as natural and legal
and honoring Women's Equality Day.
http://www.gotopless.org
Buckingham Fountain, 451 S Lake Shore Drive. E of Red Line Jackson stop.

Remember, Critical Mass is this Friday downtown after work.

From http://bedno.com/event.php?i=1su6v0a29qd3

Friday 2008.07.25
Critical Mass (since 1997). Last Fridays All ages Free 5:45p.
THE monthly gathering of bicyclists making their presence known downtown.
Unplanned route gently winds a dozen miles or more. Thousands attend in good
weather. Includes music, hipsters, athletes, show bikes, so much more.
Skaters welcome.
Daley Plaza, 773/486-4861, 50 W Washington. Under the Picasso (giant rusty
bird), at Dearborn, SW of State&Lake train stop.
http://www.chicagocriticalmass.org


To receive Critical Mass emailings or to discuss Critical Mass, join the
Critical Mass mailing list here:
http://listserv.uic.edu/archives/chi-crit-mass.html



And no, its not a nude ride, but feel free to wear as little as weather and
modesty permit.





Andrew Bedno - World Naked Bike Ride / Chicago coordinator
Promoting Freedom from Oil Addiction and Positive Body Image
SATURDAY June 13th 2009 / 6pm gather 9pm ride / bare-as-you-dare / 6th
annual!

St. Louis plans to join the pantheon of World Naked Bike Ride cities in
under a month!
I mention to this Chicago list because we get many riders from neighboring
states, and Chicago crew LOVES the movement growing.


"Date and Location Established" From http://nakedbikestl.blogspot.com/

"After much deliberation, your trusty coordinators have decided on a date
and location of the bike ride. It will take place on Saturday, August 2 at 9
pm. If you want to body paint, you can come at 7 pm. We'll be meeting in
Tower Grove Park near the Pool Pavilion. If you're not familiar with where
that is, it's located near the intersection of Magnolia and Tower Grove
Park, which is the north entrance of the park.  The route has not been
completed yet, so any suggestions are appreciated."

Reportedly "St. Louis is nowhere near bike friendly as Chicago, and it's
much more conservative when it comes to nudity. But it would be nice to get
bicycles a little face time in St. Louis."

Official home page:
http://nakedwiki.org/index.php?title=Saint_Louis


And this MAY be the Yahoo group BUT I'm not 100% sure; few members, low
activity, not linked from other pages above...  But you WNBR-StL peeps can
sort that out:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WorldNakedBikeRideStLouis

This is UMC4 Underground Music Channel 4 and we have featured
Chicago's 2008 ride in our last two weekly video blogs...and there is
more to come...go to myspace.com/umc4 to subscribe to the blog so that
you can get the weekly notification of new videos posted.  The first
two videos only cover up to midway down Dearborn so obviously we have
more content to put out there...

You can also get embed code for your myspace, etc by going to
youtube.com/umc4

Thanks to everyone who participated and was interviewed! We cover many
different events in the city so check it out.
Much respect!

Here is Part one and Part Two:

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie"
value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BcnP5kR6QBw"></param><embed
src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BcnP5kR6QBw"
type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425"
height="350"></embed></object>

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie"
value="http://www.youtube.com/v/C3z8h-4esIc"></param><embed
src="http://www.youtube.com/v/C3z8h-4esIc"
type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425"
height="350"></embed></object>

Lots of excellent post-post-ride stuff follows below...

Tour Du Fat was excellent last Saturday.  Bikes, bands, and beer!  I left
near midnight, tanned and dusted with glitter, just as the Midnight
Marauders launched on their Solstice Ride.

After Fire Jam last Wednesday I had an impromptu slide show viewing of the
newly received raw official photos, and declared the 2008 best costume prize
winning team: Katy The Mermaid, Tricia the tree, Silvia (bike tattoo on
neck), and all three for their stellar volunteer service.  Runners up
include Melissa, the Cloud couple, and many others.  Y'all are awesome.
http://ChicagoNakedRide.com/photos

THIS FRIDAY is of course Critical Mass.  I'll be there (presumably on
skates) weather permitting.
From http://ChicagoFunNews.com
Critical Mass (since 1996). Last Fridays All ages Free 5:30p.
THE monthly gathering of bicyclists making their presence known downtown.
Unplanned route slowly winds a dozen miles or so. Thousands attend in good
weather. Includes music, hipsters, athletes, show bikes, so much more.
Skaters welcome.
Daley Plaza, 773/486-4861, 50 W Washington. Under the Picasso (giant rusty
bird), at Dearborn, SW of State&Lake train stop.
http://www.chicagocriticalmass.org


!!! LAST PLEA for PRESS CLIPPINGS and TV NEWS vids !!!  I have almost none.
Reader?  Trib?  SunTimes?  Fox?


QAPLA!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Andrew / WNBR-C on National Public Radio

Interview with Andrew recorded before ride (actually on-site early on ride
day), then played as part of a larger piece on progressive energy and
transportation subjects days later on National Public Radio!  I didn't know
that's where it'd play, and now I've been getting e-mails from people I
haven't seen in years from all over, so I've gotta guess it was heard by
large numbers!  (WBEZ locally)  Thanx Scott!
Though editing re-ordered pieces, sometimes even individual words, overall
it came across really well, and riders are quoting me from it.
The interview MP3 is linked under PRESS on our main PHOTOS page:
http://ChicagoNakedRide.com/photos
Or directly at
http://bedno.com/media/andrew/20080619-scott_iseri-smart_city_radio.mp3
Or shorter at:
http://tinyurl.com/69f9gl

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WNBR-C photos on pay-per-view website.

Andrew,
Do you know who the photographer is that calls himself Tarzan?  He takes
zillions of photos at the ride and posts them on a site other than the
official one.  (Actually, very excellent quality photos)

http://www.coccozella.com then click on new galleries.  It is however a
membership thing.

>>> Andrew's notes:
Wow.  Site appears to have Chicago 2007+2008, Credit Card required.  Other
big city groups have debated this heavily in identical circumstances.  I
think there are release issues where commercialization negates public place,
but too big a topic.
This, plus London's top challenge being quantity of photographers, plus our
compression at Belmon+Halsted, all confirm for me the efficacy and utility
of our endeavors towards low camera density at start.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ASANTE / MySpace comment
wow what i ride... fun time fa sho... endorphins kicked in from the moment
we took off..can't wait til next year

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AMMUNITION / MySpace comment
The pleasure is all mine. It was one of the best experiences of my life. I
am a proud bike rider and will happily burn calories instead of
oil....NAKED!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TURNTABLE / MySpace comment
wow, wow, wow, and drumming with ee..........shesh life is just amazing..!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EE (Environmental Encroachment) / MySpace comment
An Epic Ride, Life Memory! The best! Cheers ~EE!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Timothy M

Congrats on putting together a great ride this year.  You are the man!
Thanks for helping us get out the word that cars suck. Be free from oil and
ride a Bike!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Chicago Journal

Hi Andrew.
I AM on the yahoo group, and you may republish this.  I was also on the ride
last Saturday (my first time) and it was totally Amazing.    I did talk with
the writer of this article, Josh, for a little bit while we were riding, but
we were only about 1 1/2 into it and I must admit I was still a little
nervous thinking about what lie ahead.
This ride surpassed any of my wildest dreams and I thank you for it.     You
and your team did a wonderful job.
See you next year.
Ed

=====================================
"Baring it all for the story"

(Andrew: See online for a couple of nice photos with the article.)
http://chicagojournal.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&subsectionID=169&articleID=51
72

Web Posted 6/18/2008 10:00:00 PM
By Josh Hawkins

It seemed like such a good idea at the time to suggest covering the World
Naked Bike Ride, an in-your-face protest of sorts held Saturday that sent
thousands of naked and half-naked riders out onto the streets in cities
across the globe to protest automobile use and oil consumption. I'd get to
bike around town and call it "work." I even got a good chuckle when one of
the event organizers emailed me with some suggestions for covering the
event, including, "wear few if any clothes (seriously)." Seriously, I'm
being asked to strip for work? Hey, why not?

These are easy commitments to make when the ride is a few days out and your
biggest concern is which pair of boxer briefs to wear. The ride is "bare as
you dare" and I always knew I could dare so far, but no further. That limit
was clear from the start, though one of my editors did enjoy mocking my
manhood for not baring it all.

It was the morning of the ride when things changed for me. I started out not
wanting to go. The phrase, "I probably wouldn't get fired for it" went
through my head a few times as I considered playing hooky. See, I think I'm
a reasonably attractive guy-enough women have told me so as to overwhelm my
defenses and disbelief-but there is a difference between thinking something
in your head and believing it in your heart. In my heart, I'm perfectly
comfortable in my underwear, while sitting around my house. Outside my house
I have a moderately respectable wardrobe to help out. I'm guessing this is
all pretty normal.

I reminded myself, repeatedly, that it's really no different than wearing a
swimsuit. It really isn't, except in my head. In my head, though, the
difference is profound and simple: If you're seeing me in my underwear, I
usually have a strong motivation to be in my underwear, and work ain't it.

Once I started my routine of getting my camera and bike equipment ready
things got easier. Get busy, stop thinking so much, I told myself. By the
time I was at the start point, I was committed. There was a mass of people
when I got there, maybe 300-plus, but that would grow to probably 1,000 by
the time the ride started.

I took my clothes off, leaving on my favorite boxer briefs, a pair of argyle
socks (when you aren't wearing much, socks are a key style statement) and my
biking shoes. It took a few minutes to get somewhat comfortable, but being
in a sea of people in their underwear or fully nude made it easier. It's
amazing how little clothes matter. No one seemed to care about the flesh on
display, and I didn't care all that much either.

It does help that when you're in a sea of naked people you discover all your
body flaws are really pretty common. And that whole idea of when everyone is
naked it's just the new normal, really does kind of happen, and pretty
quickly. Then when I got on my bike I really stopped worrying about looking
good. No one looks good in a biking position.

Neighborhood after neighborhood, street after street, whether it was
Michigan Avenue or Boystown, people cheered. All the bystanders I
interviewed (Yes, I interviewed people while in my underwear, I'm kind of
proud of that one actually) supported the ride and thought it was a great
idea. I'm not saying that this was a statistically sound sampling, just the
half-dozen or so people I talked to. It's easier to be brave when you can
wear the cloak of "professionalism." The interviews went something like
this: "Yes, I'm actually a journalist, not just a guy in his underwear
striking up a conversation with you, while you're having dinner with your
family at this lovely, and expensive, outdoor cafe just off the Mag Mile."

By the end, I'm not going to say I had some sort of epiphany and you'll see
me around town in my underwear, and I think my publisher is probably happy
to avoid those phone calls, but I think I'm going to be far more comfortable
in a swimsuit in the future.

With other cities now reported, Chicago's 5th annual participation in
the World Naked Bike Ride last Saturday has SET THE WORLD'S RECORD
with 1700 bodies!!!
Mad props to all; what a privilege it's been serving this world-class
anti-oil pro-freedom event.
Anyone with PRESS CLIPPINGS or TV NEWS vid of the event PLEASE
contact me as I have nearly NONE!

Like many of you, I'll probably be at Tour de Fat at Palmer Square
Saturday 10a-4p.
"Parade, party, and performance event promoting bicycles." C U!
http://www.tour-de-fat.com

Finally part rare cross-promotion, part full disclosure, wanted to
make sure everyone knows that in addition to WNBR-C and a few other
projects, I am publisher of ChicagoFunNews, "Chicago's oldest online
entertainment guide."
Wanna know the coolest things happening in Chicago, signup for the
email newsletter.
http://ChicagoFunNews.com

L8r! ~ Andrew ~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Jesse Schust / (senior WNBR staff London&UK)

Incredible outcome Andrew!

Congratulations on a spectacular ride and becoming the World's
Largest WNBR event!

The London ride remained 1000 participants (also the weather forcast
was poor and the day was a cooler day, which naturally lowers the
numbers).  My energies were somewhat diverted this year due to some
things that came up in my personal life and also a frustrating sudden
$600 Insurance cost that we normally don't have to pay since we're
normally allowed into national "Bike Week" (which offers public
liability insurance for free to all event organisers), but this year
they changed their approach (baulking at our nudity and aquiring the
corporate sponsor "Nokia" so their name was "Bike Week guided by
Nokia" for the first time).

Honestly, I don't know how we'd manage with 1,700.  For some reason
hundreds of pervy photographers come to the ride start and behave
really disrespectfully toward riders (especially the younger female
riders).  It threatens to drive away the female ridership which is
not something we welcome.  For some reason this has always been a
problem in London even when the ride had 58 riders and was held at
8pm.

Well done Andrew!!

Cheers, Jesse, WNBR London

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From: Great Lakes Area Natural Tans Society GLANTS

Thanks Andrew for this incredible update!
We, the Great Lakes Area Natural Tans Society Chicago (an AANR
charter club), are deeply greatful for your involvement in this
historical event.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Naturally Yours!
Carlos, GLANTS

From: Melissa / (painter & poster girl)

Thanks again for another great year!!!
WNBR is by far one of the best things I have ever done. I can't
believe that I almost missed it this year. Whew!
I will be around again next year for sure and will be glad to help
out with things again. Just let me know.
Much love,
Melissa

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Lyon L

Hello Andrew,
1st, massive kudos to you and your crew. You brought the ride off in
great style and it was conspicuously joyous. The ride was something I
wanted to do for the fun, for the statement that drivers need to care
for people on bikes, for the international character of the activity
and for the protest against energy profligacy. Probably my politics
go farther left, seeing this profligacy as feeding a war machine we
are unwillingly made a part of. But I was totally fine with the ones
raised in your leaflet and happy to ride on that basis, as well as
getting my own self painted with "No war for oil!" I think the ride
does have a lot of impact on people and am proud to have done it.
... (Ed: lengthy good input on route and photos clipped here and
filed)
I loved the crowd at Belmont and Halstead. Clearly people had come
out to support the ride and the high fives and cheers from the crowd
were just great.
...
Thanks a million for all your hard work!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Jeanette / Subject: amazing!!

This was my first ride and I must say I cannot wait to ride again
next year!  The comraderie, the cause, the ride everything was an
amazing experience!!  Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to put
such an event together!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From: Brian F

Hi Andrew,
I just wanted to say thanks for such a great event this year. I rode
in the 2006 and 2008 WNBR and can't wait to do it again next year. I
come from Lafayette, IN. Chicago is such a fun city and I met a great
group of people doing the rides. Makes me wish I lived in Chicago.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From: Meghen F

Hi Andrew,
Thanks for all you work! WNBR was one of the greatest experiences of
my life. My face hurt the next day from constant laughing/smiling.

=== LOST ===

DV TAPE - Labeled 'Green Ride', Steven's entire ride video, he's devastated.
Please check through your stuff.  Reward for return.

Canon battery, walkie talkie, cell phone.

2008 blue daily planner.

Wallet, small black biz card holder w/ DL etc.


=== FOUND ===

- Master Cable Lock
- House Keys with Kryptonite Barrel Lock Key
- Charteau (sp?) brand bike lock key (non-barrel type key)
- Barrel Lock Key with orange plastic grip attached to one of those big
metal clips
- Unless anyone cares we'll just stow these for next year: green wig, dark
towel, safety vest, sequined and pink fabrics, hairsprays, makeups, ribbons,
tapes...


Please reply to coordinate exchanges or report any other losts and founds.

~ Andrew ~

The fifth annual Chicago World Naked Bike Ride on Saturday June 14th
2008 was an overwhelming success, with an official participant count
of 1700.

This count was calculated using a stationary elevated video record of
the entire mass from head to toe passing a fixed point early in the
ride, counted using slow-motion, repeated four times and averaged.
The video was taken at the North East corner of Washington and Racine
as mass left a traffic signal, using a crosswalk line as count
point.  Point was about 1.5 miles into ride from gathering area,
about .5 miles from Union Park check-in point.  Mass there averaged a
dozen deep, passing about ten a second.  Margin of error could be
high, but certainly over 100 more joined the ride well after the
count (many intentionally merging at the half-way viewing point)
making 1700 a safe figure.

Others are welcome to review the count using the video available here:
   http://ChicagoNakedRide.com/photos
Several preliminary photo albums, route map, and more are also there.

Cheers to everyone for their tremendous courage!  I'd guess that over
90% were in briefs or less (and paint), and 5-10% of those were nude
or bare-breasted despite risk, with gender mix not far from even.
The mass included a marching-type band and several large music
systems, over a dozen inline skaters, several skate boarders, many
art bikes, and a rear-guard of trailers.  As usual, participants have
trouble describing the experience, with even gushing words like
magical, miraculous, incredible, unbelievable, transcendent,
and "best time of my life" barely sufficing.

Route covered about 14+ miles, and for our first time a text
messaging group was used to broadcast our progress live.  The throng
of fans at viewing point (Belmont and Halsted) was exceedingly
massive (compressing and lengthening the mass), and we arrived there
fashionably late.  Some 24,000 informational handouts were
distributed en-route.  Accidents, flats, and altercations with cars
were few.

Massive kudos to the volunteers and coordinators who gave outstanding
performance and dedication under pressure.  Body painting capacity
was more than doubled, and additional activities and more snacks and
water were added.  Also for the first time we rented porta-potties,
and had a large after-party.

1700 nearly triples Chicago's 2007 turnout, and I would presume sets
another US record.  This year we intentionally under-publicized, to
save on printing and distribution, to throttle growth and filter for
earnest and repeat participants, and to focus on safety instead of
growth.  In modesty, Chicago's WNBR benefits greatly from sheer
population, an active bike culture and clubs, 10 years of Critical
Mass, bike friendly city government, good weather on ride day, and
especially being a night ride.

*** ANYONE WITH PRESS clippings or TV NEWS captures of the Chicago
ride PLEASE retain and reply.  Don't assume we already have it.  I'm
told I was on TV again this year, but have yet to see it. ***

Finally but foremost, boundless sincere gratitude goes to mayor
Richard M Daley and to the Chicago Police for their acceptance and
facilitation of this ride.  This and other massive local rides
tangibly show Chicago's ongoing success in becoming a notably bike-
friendly U.S. city.


_______________________________________________
World Naked Bike Ride / Chicago
Promoting Freedom from Oil Addiction and Positive Body Image
Next ride, Saturday June 13th 2009.
http://ChicagoNakedRide.com

From: Susan / 2007 WNBR-C Public Relations coordinator, should've
been pre-ride message to all (my bad).

One door has closed in my life and I am on an arduous journey in
search for that next opened door. With that said, I will not be
joining in on the ride this year. Thank you all to past and present
who have participated in the ride and made it what it is. I will miss
seeing the hundreds of people gather for a common cause that they
believe in and make a stand in unity. It helps me put some faith back
into humanity again. I will miss taking over the streets of Chicago
and go where no biker has gone before. I will especially miss the
feeling of energetic spirits and positivity around me. Please
remember this ride is an exhilarating experience, but don't get
distracted from the real focus of the ride which is to promote
freedom from oil dependency. I will be with you in thought, so be
safe and smart….. and WNBR will be one of the most amazing
experiences you will ever have.

P.S. I am very proud of the more prominent focus of going green
within the group….
SPREAD THE VISION


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: *A*L*E*C*

The World Naked Bike Ride - Chicago was, sincerely, the most fun I
have had in a long, long time. Riding around the streets of Chicago
butt naked on my bicycle was the most amazing feeling ever. You truly
missed out if you didn't ride. I highly recommend anyone and everyone
to ride next year. Sure you're naked but so is 800 other people.
There's no room for discomfort nor awkwardness. Chicago is a big city
so there were of course thousands of spectators. Seeing their
reactions to hundreds of naked bicyclists, rollerbladers,
skateboarders, and one guy that jogged the entire three hours/
18miles was the best part. AND it's all for a good cause. WNBR-C is a
fun and conspicuous event celebrating the end of the oil era, and
promoting positive body image. We definitely made a scene and we
definitely made an impact on the people of Chicago. Knowing that is
truly rewarding. Again, give it a try. You won't regret it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Isaac L

Sorry I wasn't able to help. I got the message too late in the day to
act on it. You guys did a fantastic job with the ride, I would have
gladly helped with the cleanup as a show of my gratitude. This year
was my first ride. It won't be the last. Consider it a standing offer
that I'll  be available to help with the cleanup in the next ride.

Isaac

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Silvia H

Thanks for organizing this amazing ride. The world should make a
statue of you so we all can ride bikes around it!!!

Until next time!  besos y abrazos

From: John F

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: John F

Thanks to all the volunteers, making this great event another
success!  This was my third year and definitely the best.  While I
bared all for the ride, the helicopter flying over the post-party
worried me, so I cut out early.  It sounds like everything went
fine.  I think my highlight was helping two WNBRs with flats, getting
them back on the road and "back in the pack" quickly.  Being naked
with a flat could be a bummer.  Thanks again and keep me on the
grouplist.  MORE ASS, LESS GAS!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Sonja / MySpace comment

A group of us rode (motorcycles) to Chicago from Indianapolis on
Saturday. We were on our way back to a friend's place to crash, and
hit a red light right when the Naked Riders went by. We actually rode
up to block traffic the other way. Cheers to all that participated.
It was great to see a real protest in these days of apathy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So now the 2008 edition of Chicago's World Naked Bike Ride is done,
and I need to get some of my thoughts and ideas out before they dry
up and blow away.

The first thought is that people don't realize how much work went
into it.  For many of us the ride began back in April, when we began
meeting to discuss the route, the publicity, the promotional pieces,
the problems of past years and how to avoid them, etc.  Everyone who
was involved was a volunteer who did this out of the goodness in
their hearts; many spent their own cash for printing, posters, etc.
True, there were a dozen people who were heavily involved in
organizing this thing, but the task was huge, and each of us spent
many hours on it.  Andrew and Steven in particular
worked like dogs to pull everything together.   I hope everyone on
the ride got the chance to shake
Andrew's or Steven's hand; many kudos go out to them and the other
organizers for all their hard work.

Weeks before the ride I found myself wandering the neighborhoods of
Evanston, Rogers Park and Lakeview with a wad of posters and fliers
in one hand and a roll of tape in the other.  At first I hit bike
shops, then coffee shops, then eco-friendly restaurants (yes,
including the Heartland) and alternative lifestyle shops.  Finally I
got smart and began taping fliers to the handlebars of every parked
bicycle I saw (I gave up on handing out fliers to actual riders, as
that inevitably resulted in long discussions about the time, place,
method, etc.)  I'm sure a lot of retirees and prudish people got
offended by the Naked Biker drawing, but I hope a lot of riders
learned about it who otherwise might not have known (HINT: anyone who
came to the ride because you found a flier taped to your bike, please
say so, or I'll think I was wasting my time and won't bother next
year.)

My second thought is that I broke the rules by driving down to the
ride.  That felt weird; driving to a ride to protest oil dependency.
But I was one of the only ones who actually had a car (required since
I have 2 separate jobs 15 miles apart).  So I was given a long
shopping list; in addition to myself and my bike, I drove to the ride
with 4 cases of water, 4 bags of ice, 2 coolers, 2 cases of soda, 3
boxes of leaflets (which my wife and I copied and cut out ourselves),
assorted snacks (the 2 dozen bananas in particular were gone within
minutes of my arrival), some painting/costuming items and a variety
of tools (my can of WD40 was a boon for several cyclists).
I'm glad it worked out the way it did.

I was particularly pleased with the leaflets, which were my own
baby.  The first few years of the ride there wasn't much promotion or
publicity; a small circle of folks knew about it and spread the word
among friends and other riders.  Then we'd appear, get painted and
costumed, and ride around.
All the bystanders would say, "Hey, naked bikers!  What gives?" and
had no idea what we were about.
So two years ago I drafted a little leaflet entitled "Why are we
riding our bikes naked?" and began to copy them to pass out to the
crowd.  I've been a bit of a pain about it, constantly hollering to
all the riders to take a packet of leaflets, and at every stoplight I
would bellow a reminder to everyone to pass them out, to get the
message out.  But I went to the ride with 28,000 leaflets, and came
home with less than 4,000, so I hope they served their purpose.  If
we don't get a message out then the ride is really pointless (other
than being a naked party on wheels, that is) Here's the text of the
leaflets:

"WHY ARE WE RIDING OUR BIKES NAKED?
      1) To promote freedom from oil dependency
      2) To combat pollution
      3) To foster a positive body image
      4) To highlight how vulnerable bicyclists feel every day
           when they share the road with cars.
      5) TO GET YOUR ATTENTION!
Bicycles are a cheap, efficient, clean and healthy mode of
transportation. Bicycling helps fights obesity and disease. Bicycles
don't use foreign oil, don't spew pollution into the air, and don't
contribute to global warming. If more people rode bicycles we'd have
fewer problems with traffic congestion, lack of parking space, road
rage, accidents, and DUIs.  We'd like to encourage everyone to get on
their bike today…and every day!
For more info, go to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Naked_Bike_Ride or
www.worldnakedbikeride.org   or   www.ChicagoNakedRide.com"
I wrote them to be as non-political as possible (something some folks
didn't seem to grasp: "Why don't they mention the oil war/Bush is a
chump/an anti-SUV message/promote organic living/etc."  I wanted them
to be as basic and all-encompassing as possible, so that EVERY rider
could agree with the thoughts they contained and would be happy to
pass them out.  Many thanks to everyone who passed the things out and
helped spread the word, and to everyone who put up with my constant
hollering about the damn leaflets.

So, I arrived at the pre-party, to find some of the pals I knew from
past rides getting set up.
Riders gradually dribbled in and began to disrobe and get painted.
Clothing was optional, of course; many chose to go naked but many
more rode in undies, shorts, swimsuits, etc.  Three professional body
painters volunteered their services and did an awesome job; many
thanks to Melissa and the other two talented ladies (whose names I
didn't get)

One of the early problems, which kept re-occurring all evening,
occupied my mind a lot; the problem of pictures.  Four of the
organizers (including me) had been designated as official
photographers; we were supposed to ask permission first, and not to
post photos on porn sites or the like. (We also divided the ride
between us, so there was an official photographer at the front, rear,
and two spread in the middle.  The idea was that if any trouble
occurred—as has sadly happened in the past—we were to get pictures or
videos right away.  That way aggressive police officers or drunken
gropers would appear on YouTube the next day; and our presence might
prevent trouble before it started.

Others weren't supposed to take photos at the pre-party.  But a bunch
of people didn't get the message.  It's fine if someone takes a
picture or two of their friends, with their permission, before the
ride starts.  But a number of folks showed up just to snap-snap-snap,
without the courtesy of asking first, and who knows where their
pictures would end up?  In particular, one young lady (and you
thought all such perverts were men, didn't you?) with a large camera
and separate flash seemed to be all over, shoving her huge lens right
up against people and snapping a half-dozen shots of any bared skin
whatsoever.  I challenged her on it, and she insisted she was asking
permission from everyone, which I hadn't noticed.  (To be fair, she
did ride with us, which wins points in my book; it's fine to take
pictures as long as you 1) get permission, and 2) get on your bike.)
Then two guys in wheelchairs appeared and began rolling around and
gawking; they weren't riding bikes, so why were they even there?
Andrew later told me they'd volunteered to help at the entrance gate,
but as soon as he'd left them there they were over by the
bodypainters, trying to take pictures.  I guess there are volunteers,
and then less enthusiastic volunteers.

So I wandered about the pre-party, saying hello to those I knew, and
taking photos of the painted designs, slogans, bikes, costumes, and
people (I'll admit it, I'm a voyeur, but I tried to capture the
festive spirit of things, rather than just roam about looking for T
&A).  I also had a stack of cards that I kept giving out; these had a
dual purpose.  One side listed my art fairs, because I'm shameless
when it comes to promoting my stuff.  The other had my email address
and website, which reassured some people.  I've already gotten 8
emails from riders; 6 wanted me to send them the photos I took of
them, and 2 wanted me to NEVER send ANYONE the photos I took of them.

The crowd grew, and grew; by the start time over 300 people had
crowded into the bodypainting area.
There was a band (the Environmental Encroachment Marching Band) and
hula-hoopers, jugglers, drummers, and all kinds of shenanigans going
on.  It was chaotic, confusing, but wonderfully fun; the presence of
so many happy riders, naked or not, just spread a joyful spirit
through the crowd.
(That joyful spirit is what distinguishes the WNBR from some of the
Critical Mass rides I've been in; sometimes they're focused on fun
and love, but too often they seem antagonistic and haughty to me.)
Eventually, we worked our way out into the street and, about 9:15
Steven led us off on the fifth edition of Chicago's World Naked Bike
Ride.

To be continued...

Here's the legal report:

I appreciate Joseph's appreciation of the police.  And I so much
appreciate how riders were so respectful of the police -- it made the
ride go so much smoother.

For instance, as we rounded the last turn from Damen on to Hubbard, a
lone squad car was at the intersection.  I rode up to the driver's
side window, and started explaining what was going on.  They were
surprised, confused and taken aback by what they saw (they had not
heard about the ride.)  It was everything I could do to reassure them
that everything would be alright (we didn't want them going into
arrest mode.)

But riders made a crucial contribution.  Many riders, as they passed
us on their bikes, shouted out "Thank you!" to the police officers.
You should have seen the impact of your "Thank you!"s -- I did.  With
each friendly greeting from a rider, their faces moved one step
further from anxiety, and one step closer to smiling.  It is so hard
to maintain hostility or suspicion for people thanking you.  Sure, I
kept talking until they calmed down, and decided to leave us alone.
But it was all those "Thank you!"s from riders which really did the
trick.

Sure, us lawyers do some work to keep the police off your backs.   But
you did a lot of the work yourselves.  You made the difference.

Another year with zero arrests!  Pat yourselves on the back.  It is an
honor to represent such a great group of people.

Jerry Boyle
NLG Legal Observer
(the guy in the jacket and tie)

1. ANYONE WITH NEWS VIDEO or PRESS CLIPPINGS please hang on to them and
reply.
I heard I was on TV but haven't seen.  PLEASE retain any vids.


2. Lost+Found list is growing.

PLEASE reply with anything lost or found, even if its small.


3. Several photos sets are already posted.
Also a printable souvenir copy of the route map.
Follow the PHOTOS link from the ride home page.

http://chicago.worldnakedbikeride.org/photos.html


4. Preliminary turnout reports are so huge that I must wait on video count
to confirm.


5. Ride reviews so far (submit your own by reply):


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Ron / Subject: Yesterday's ride was great!

I have been to the last 3 events and I must say this they are getting better
every year, the get together, the ride, the party afterwards.
Everything went well with no misshaps. :) I wish we could have more of these
kind of events through out the year.

Sad thing is, I don't have any pictures of me being there. If anyone has a
picture of me. can you please Email (naked_ron@...) it or them to me?
Or mail a disk? I can pay postage and something for your troubles.
I was the naked long haired guy with mustash
This is me from last year: http://bedno.com/photo.php?c=20070609&i=119

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: CHITOWNDAWG / Subject: WOW... WHAT FUN

damn it was awesome.. was my 1st naked bike ride.. while organized one.. lol
i am a nudist and folks form my group came also.. and wow..
did we have a good time.. not only bein nude but also promoting a good
cause.. just wanted u  folks to know how much fun it was..  and i shall see
u all again next year.. and hopefully some of you will come to our events

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: axch16 / Subject: ride

hei this was an awesome ride !
my first one and not the last for sure - thanks to all the volunteers for
the great work and the gentleman in suit doing his best to keep the ride
moving in an organized way. I was right up there near by him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Joseph L. / Subject: Great Success and Organization!

Andrew and Steven,
Kudos to both of you for another well-organized ride. Sorry not all riders
take responsibility for the mess they help create, but I'm certain everyone
had a great time due largely to your efforts.

From my perspective, the police did a fine job of protecting and serving. I
talked with three different officers at the check-in point and they really
seemed more concerned with keeping everyone safe and not hindering the
freedom of expression. I think the Chicago police deserve a special public
thanks if that is possible. Some riders at the check-in point wanted photos
of their group taken in front of my check-in sign. The officer chatting with
us offered to take the pictures. People handed him their cameras and he
stood there taking pictures on everyones' cameras for about ten minutes. Of
course they were trying to get info about the ride by chatting with me and
the riders at the check-in. They easily could follow people from the
check-in to the real start point if they wanted to hassle us. I think they
realize the smartest action is to let the ride happen, keep everyone safe,
and let the citizens of Chicago have some harmless fun.

The people of Chicago also deserve a special thanks. Their enthusiasm and
support for the riders is outstanding. You feel like a celebrity riding
through a narrow gap in the crowd with people reaching out for high-fives.
Every one of them embraces your freedom of expression and many probably
secretly wish they had the kind of self confidence it takes to ride a bike
naked through the streets of Chicago.

I look forward to working with you both next year for the 2009 ride.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Todd
Subject: my first WNBR

I expected the naked ride to be a mixed bag: a little thrill from the public
nudity and a large dose of discomfort both physical and mental.
Undoubtedly the thrill would diminish and the discomfort might grow.
And internet photos can hang around a long time.

I prefer to think of myself more as a rationalist than a coward but it was
easy to 'decide' to sit the naked rides out for several years.  As dark
clouds gathered on the horizon yesterday evening I imagined a sorry scenario
of a torrential downpour dissolving the ride as I cold, wet and alone donned
a raincoat to howls of derisive laughter from cruel onlookers.

But I had offered to haul a performer on my trailer and having made a
commitment I wasn't going to back out from just a threat of rain.  The ride
theoretically had a purpose of voicing a progressive message.  I've been
making an effort to do this on critical mass rides.  I didn't think
nakedness would contribute much to any message or lend credibility to the
messengers.  But the more informed I become, ie the less I depend on
corporate media for information, the more I realize that we must be our own
media.  And to do that we must sometimes leave our comfort zone.

With a very supportive wife and no boss to offend I had no excuses left to
not ride this year.  Well I did have one last excuse and it's one that is
surprisingly common.  My body doesn't fall into either of our idealized
extremes of masculinity or femininity.  I'm a guy with tits.
Small enough that any shirt mostly hides them.

If I was a chick with a dick instead of a dude with tits it would have been
easy as most everyone was topless but plenty kept their bottoms on.
I considered remaining fully clothed but doing so would be cowardly,
motivated by a fear of embarrassment or ridicule.  I'm not ashamed of my
body and somewhat unusually I know why I'm unusual.  Specifically I have an
expansion of a polyglutamine repeat on my X chromosome in the place that
encodes a receptor protein for the hormone testosterone.  And while my body
is swimming in testosterone its effects are uneven and it fails to fully
perform the function of suppressing breast formation.  I just happen to know
this because the same genetic variation is the cause for my neuromuscular
degeneration which is known as SBMA/Kennedy's disease.
Scientific understanding of our genetic diversity should lead to greater
acceptance of our differences.  If only science had as much influence as
faith.

Anyway, my expectations/fears were not supported by reality.  The rain never
came.  The temperature was perfect.  The gentle breeze of motion felt great
everywhere.  But best of all was the huge positive energy.
Most everyone was happy and smiling, both the riders and the public.
Even the police.  I didn't see any heckling or any embarrassment by anyone.

The ride was big enough that there were folks of most all shapes, sizes,
ages, colors, genders, orientations, etc. from completely clothed to
completely nude and even more variety in body painting and costuming.
And very quickly it all seemed normal.

The ride had similarities to a typical mass but it was more organized and
directed and yet more festive.  It was apparent that a lot of work went into
this ride and it worked.  There was an element of protest, but without
hostility in either direction.  The end result was something of a Mardi Gras
/ carnival parade, especially in the bar areas of Clark and Halsted where
for blocks at a time cheering throngs lined the sidewalks and occasionally
even flashed us.

Public nudity didn't horrify or harm anyone.  Mostly it delighted.  It did
get me thinking and it makes me wonder how f*cked up we are institutionally
when Janet Jackson's costume "malfunction" received such heavy media
coverage and was promoted as such a scandal and the ongoing obscenities of
Iraq, Afghanistan, our vast prisons, our absurd war on drugs, our racism,
our sexism, our bloated military budget and shrinking social services, our
deteriorating environment, our corrupt and broken facade of Democracy, our
violent entertainments, our ridiculous car centric transportation system,
...(I could go on and on for far too long here), scarcely ever get honest
and thorough coverage.

A year or two ago I had an exchange with Aurora Butterfly here in the forums
where I stated that the whole bicycle + nudity + protest thing just didn't
make sense to me and she said roughly, "Try it, you'll like it."

She was right and I was wrong.  Thanks to everyone who worked to make the
ride what it is.

And perhaps next year I'll dispense with the briefs if someone will write
across my back "There's more to life than the bottom line" and put a red
stripe across my ass.

Todd Allen

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Jason S / Subject: my first WNBR

I would like to apologize for "crashing" kinda the WNBR...my wife and i were
biking home down wood..and i took  us down an alley to get to damen..and
woops...there was WNBR...now we were stuck...we rode with you all for a few
blocks before finding thomas and taking that home..

not that i was embarassed or anything..but i felt like a jerk...you all took
the courage to be as "bare as you dare" and get a good ride going and here
are 2 punks fully clothed hoping into the ride ...kinda of taking of
advantage without the work...

plus the section  we were in was riding on both sides of the road ....which
i thought was not really cool and didnt want to get dinged

otherwise it looks like it was a great ride...and the ppl we were around in
the ride were super nice..

cinchel

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Lewis / Subject: what a blast.

What a great group and what fun that was.  Thank you all so much, I loved
being a part of it.

I was wearing a marti gras style feathered mask and had a green print sarong
over my shoulders, but was other wise nude.  If anyone has any pictures of
me please send them to chicagowad@... I would love to see them.

If anyone who chatted me up would like to continue an open line of
communication, that is where i can be reached.

Ride safe.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: John / Posted My Pics and Video of the Ride

http://www.flickr.com/people/johnjensen/

Go sign up for a free flikr account and friend the above site to see the
hidden set containing World Naked Bike Ride photos and videos for Chicago.

I had a blast!  I loved being naked with you all!

Till Next Year!

JJ

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Like Steven said: "I will be cleaning up the neighborhood we trashed, so
please stop by Hubbard & Wolcott to help out (3-5pm TODAY)."

That's 460 N Wolcott TODAY/NOW Sunday June 15th.

And: "If you left your bike at the gathering space parking lot, I regret to
inform you that your bike lock will be clipped tonight. I will try and claim
all the bikes and get them back to you, but your best chance for getting
your bikes is coming to the parking lot and picking up your bike by sundown.
Sorry, I have no control of the situation, but I'll do my best to keep track
of the abandoned bikes."


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LOST & FOUND: Please reply with details of anything you lost or found and
I'll coordinate a list.  Already got a boxful of interesting stuff.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Post-ride reviews are being digested.  Feel free to reply with your
thoughts.  Cannot quote turnout until video is counted, but initial guesses
are huge.  As usual it was mind-boggling.

But most importantly:


GO TO 460 N Wolcott RIGHT NOW Sunday June 15th 3pm- to HELP CLEANUP and get
yer bikes.


~ Andrew ~

If you left your bike at the gathering space parking lot, I regret to inform you
that your bike
lock will be clipped tonight. I will try and claim all the bikes and get them
back to you, but
your best chance for getting your bikes is coming to the parking lot and picking
up your bike
by sundown. Sorry, I have no control of the situation, but I'll do my best to
keep track of the
abandoned bikes.

I will be cleaning up the neighborhood we trashed, so please stop by Hubbard &
Wolcott to
help out (3-5pm TODAY).

~steven

CHECK-IN for the Chicago World Naked Bike Ride is at UNION PARK
Southern triangle, near 100 N. Ashland, near Washington/Ogden
intersection, South of Green/Pink Line Ashland/Lake stop, AT the
statue of former mayor Carter Henry Harrison Sr.
GoogleMaps: http://tinyurl.com/4jsjjr * YahooMaps:
http://tinyurl.com/52vgo6 * MapQuest: http://tinyurl.com/3rfktm
Saturday June 14th, rain or shine, 6-9pm gathering, then riding for
several hours, ending near beginning.

DO NOT COME except participants on people-powered wheels, due to
crowd management.

NON-RIDERS go watch at the recommended VIEWING point Halsted+Belmont
some time after 10:15-ish.  Belmont Red/Brown stop puts you in the
neighborhood.  We should pass that point twice over a period.   Last
year a sizable throng assembled there and your cheers were greatly
appreciated!  To get live updates en-route text message JOIN WNBRC to
8762.

RIDERS come at/after 6pm if you need body painting or wanna hang for
tunez, contests, bike decorating, eco banners, camaraderie,
donations, etc.
Or come to check-in closer to launch time, like 8:45pm at the latest.

YOU are responsible for your own bike+self, travel+lodging, ID+money,
food+water, clothes+towel, etc, and help others.  m'K?
Maybe bring some snax or drinx to share; also bells/whistles,
blinkees/glowies, helmet/backpack, smiles, etc.
There's no storage to leave stuff behind for the ride, but at least
we may have a potty this year.

DONATIONS are solicited on site to help defray costs, or use PayPal
from http://ChicagoNakedRide.com

CELEBRATE positive body image and the end of the automobile era with
WNBR-C.  Bare-as-you-dare outfits range from body paint to fanciful
costumes to beach-wear.  GREEN is the theme color this year.
Chicago's past rides rallied hundreds of cyclists and numerous
skaters winding over a dozen miles of city streets.  The ride's
atmosphere is
extremely joyful, convivial, and transcendently fun.  Now in its
FIFTH YEAR, Chicago's turnout is among the largest of many cities
participating globally.
With gas prices skyrocketing and obesity an epidemic, our messages
have become truisms.


=== GUIDELINES ===
1. ABSOLUTELY DO NOT visibly carry open alcohol.
2. ABSOLUTELY DO NOT arrive naked or be anywhere near the park naked.
3. DO NOT COME unless you are participating on people-powered wheels
due to risk of overcrowding.  NON-RIDERS come watch at Halsted near
Belmont some time after 10:15pm.
4. No photographs allowed before ride except by identified authorized
personnel.  Assume however by participating that you may be
photographed anywhere anytime.
5. Exposed goodies may make you a target for arrest.  Even naked
butts may be risky.  Do so at your own risk or remain minimally
covered or painted.
6. If confronted by police obey commands and comply, do not escalate
and do not argue. If told to put something on simply do so
immediately. And thank them en-route for their help.
7. This ride is monitored by National Lawyers Guild volunteers who
can serve as witnesses in case of trouble. If arrested immediately
call the NLG office at 312-913-0039
8. Remember the messages: Promoting freedom from oil addiction and
positive body image.  Not antagonizing cagers and residents and
authorities.  Hostile acts are completely uncool towards cars not
directly threatening riders.
9. For maximum First Amendment protection integrate your
messages: "burns fat not oil", "nude not lewd", "no concealed
weapons", "naked is how vulnerable I am sharing the roads with cars"
10. DO NOT LITTER.
11. For more information see ChicagoNakedRide.com or try the hotline
at 773-578-6289 or text JOIN WNBRC to 8762.


=== PRACTICAL RIDE ADVICE ===
1. Keep a slow pace, it's easy to get excited and start pedaling
faster, but we need to stay together and not get stretched out.
2. We don't need to blast through every red light.  They're a great
chance for the group to mass up, so we must stop every so often to
allow the group to remain in a tighter formation.
3. Avoid passing cars and swallowing them up in the ride.  Drivers
caught in bike masses tend to make erratic moves, so it's best to
just stop behind a pack of cars and wait for them to move on.
4. Stay out of the oncoming lane, we don't need both sides of the
street and must leave room for emergency vehicles.
5. If you have never been on a big group ride in Chicago here's some
helpful tips: http://chicagocriticalmass.org/about/newbies
6. Mr Bike has some great tips for riding naked:
http://www.mrbike.com/how.php


==== SOUND BITES ====
"Say no to oil."
"Less gas, more ass."
"Cars support terrorists."
"Naked is how vulnerable I am sharing the roads with cars."
"Bikes don't block traffic, bikes ARE traffic"
"Why are we naked? Because it got your attention."
"This is an annual free speech exercise promoting bicycling."
"Bicyclists make better lovers!"
"My bush would make a better president."


THANK YOU participants for being the most wondrous community I've
known, and crew for having brought your A games, and the mayor and
police for being so bike friendly.  C U tomorrow!

~ Andrew ~
WNBR-C Coord and avid inline skater.

CHECK-IN point for the 2008 WNBR-C will be *** UNION PARK ***
Southern end, near 100 N. Ashland, near Washington/Ogden
intersection, just South of Green/Pink Line Ashland/Lake stop, AT the
statue of former mayor Carter Henry Harrison Sr.  After much thought,
last year's spot seemed the best solution.  This is final and
supplants any previous suggestions.
GoogleMaps: http://tinyurl.com/4jsjjr
YahooMaps: http://tinyurl.com/52vgo6
MapQuest: http://tinyurl.com/3rfktm

Saturday, June 14th 2008, 6-9pm.

DO NOT COME unless you are participating on people-powered wheels.
Love you all, but mass requires that we actively prevent overcrowding.

NON-RIDERS come watch at the recommended VIEWING point, Halsted near
Belmont some time after 10:15-ish.  Belmont Red/Brown stop puts you
in the neighborhood.  I'll try to get a more exact time, but skilled
cell users can join the text messaging group for live updates en-
route.  Last year a significant crowd assembled there and your cheers
were greatly appreciated :)

Riders come at/after 6pm if you need body painting or really wanna
hang.  There'll also be tunez, contests, bike decorating, eco
banners, camaraderie, donation jar, etc.
Otherwise come to check-in closer to launch time, like 8:45pm at the
latest.

More later, but y'all should now be ready to go.
ONLY FOUR DAYS LEFT to drag your coolest friends into this.
And if you rock, bring a bunch of something easy to share like trail
mix or waters.

Volunteers, photogs, painters, etc all set, thanx!
Though we could always use more pedi-cabs, trailers, bands, and
performers.

Remember the basics:
WNBR-C is a fun and conspicuous event celebrating the end of the oil
era, and promoting positive body image.  This event is global with
dozens of cities participating world-wide, and Chicago routinely
setting U.S. turnout records.
This is a bare-as-you-dare event, with outfits ranging from body
paint to fanciful costumes to beach-wear. Chicago's past rides
rallied hundreds of cyclists and numerous skaters covering about a
dozen miles of high visibility city tourism and recreation areas.
The ride's atmosphere is extremely joyful, convivial, and
transcendently fun.
Bicycles constitute the best solution to reducing America's petroleum
addiction and improving public fitness.  With gas prices astronomical
and obesity an epidemic, our messages have become truisms.

(chant "please don't rain please don't rain please don't rain...")

~ Andrew ~
http://ChicagoNakedRide.com

hello, my name is Steven

I hosted the pre-ride gathering party last year, and I 'steered' the ride, which
put me in a
good vantage point to videotape Chicago's 2007 WNBR. That being said, I must
apologize
for the overall crappie quality of the video, and for not editing it down
further (30min), but
it should be useful for those that have never been on a World Naked Bike Ride.

You get to see the pre-ride gathering, where you can get your body painted if
you arrive
early enough (this year body painting stops at 8:30pm). I realize everyone is
super anxious
to know where we are gathering this year, please be patient as we are still
working to
confirm a location, just keep in mind it will be very near Union Park again.

IMPORTANT! The video has a lot of me yelling directions to the group and
screaming SLOW
DOWN!!! Part of that was my fault as I should have delegated the responsibility
of leading
the ride, this year we'll have maps to hand out, and if anyone wants to help
steer the ride,
please contact me offlist.

EVERYONE! If you find yourself at the front of the ride:

1. Remember to keep a slow pace, it's easy to get excited and start pedaling
faster, but we
really need to stay together and not get stretched out.

2. Keep in mind we don't need to blast through every red light just because we
can, red
lights are a great chance for the group to mass up, so we should stop every so
often to
allow the group to remain in a tight parade formation.

3. Avoid passing cars and swallowing them up in the ride, drivers caught in bike
parades
tend to make erratic moves, so it's best to just stop behind a pack of cars and
wait for
them to move on.

4. Stay out of the oncoming lane, we do not need to take both sides of the
street.

The rules are a little different for the group responsible for the tail end of
the ride, so
please refer to Howard's previous request for volunteers to mind the rear.

If you have never been on a big group ride in Chicago, the following link offers
some
helpful tips (http://chicagocriticalmass.org/about/newbies).

Mr Bike has some great tips for riding naked (http://www.mrbike.com/how.php).

ok, here's the video of last year...
---------------------------------
World Naked Bike Ride: Chicago 2007
http://bike365.blip.tv
---------------------------------

~steven

http://www.chicagonakedride.com

Looking for folks interested in pulling trailers and sound systems on
this ride.  If you don't have your own you would need to be at my place
(24th/Rockwell) by about 5 PM to get one.

I have two trailer-based sound systems and two that fit over your rear
rack (if it's reasonably sturdy) to lend out if it doesn't look like
rain-- they're MP3 or portable CD payer ready. You would be dispersed
throughout the ride, and on your own with your playlist choice.

We also need to put together a "rear guard"-- a line of bulkiness across
the back to keep gapers in cars and taxis from getting too close to the
riders. Sound systems don't make much sense back here since the back
folks need to communicate with the rest of the ride via walkie-talkie,
but large trailers, pedicabs, etc. do.  Please contact me if you can
pull one-- can hook you up if you don't have one.

This ride is "bare as you dare"-- actually better for the rear guard not
to be nekkid.

Thanks for your assistance!

Howard

I've created a text messaging group for the event.
Anyone in the group can send text messages to everyone else in the group.
Now we can broadcast our progress and other chatter live so fans and press
and late joiners can find us using their cell phones or web.

A join form for this new "Mobile Alerts" system is now on the home page at:
http://ChicagoNakedRide.com

Or send "JOIN CGONAKEDRIDE" to 8762

Or visit http://upoc.com/group.jsp?group=CgoNakedRide

To help make this work, could someones with fast thumbs please volunteer to
be authoritative en-route location updaters on ride day?  Reply for my
records. THX!


C U next Saturday ~ Love you ALL!
Andrew


~~~ basics for newbies ~~~
WNBR-C is a fun and conspicuous event celebrating the end of the oil era,
and promoting positive body image.  This event is global with dozens of
cities participating world-wide, and Chicago routinely setting U.S. turnout
records. 2008 is our fifth annual ride!
This is a bare-as-you-dare event, with outfits ranging from body paint to
fanciful costumes to beach-wear. Chicago's past rides rallied hundreds of
cyclists and numerous skaters covering over a dozen miles of high visibility
city tourism and recreation areas.  The ride's atmosphere is extremely
joyful and transcendently fun.
Bicycles constitute the best solution to reducing America's petroleum
addiction and improving public fitness.  With gas prices astronomical and
obesity an epidemic, our messages have become truisms.
Ride is NEXT Saturday, June 14th!!!
6pm gathering and body painting, 9pm ride, location TBA.
http://ChicagoNakedRide.com

hey cyclonudistas,

We have been getting emails inquiring about parking for cars, and others have
mentioned
they'll be driving in from the suburbs and out of state. I fear many people are
not really
understanding what this ride is about, so I thought it might be worthwhile to
post the
following from the WNBR Wiki:

Evolution of a message
In the beginning of WNBR, the message was balancing protesting against oil
dependency
and celebrating the power and individuality of the human body. In 2006, there
was a shift
towards simplifying the message and focusing on cycling advocacy. While the ride
does
include and appeal to participants from social nudity circles, the rides is not
focused on
promoting social nudity directly as much as cycling.
       Conrad Schmidt has pointed out that the most active support has coming
from the
cycling advocacy community, with groups such as Critical Mass. While we have
been able
to get many people from social nudity circles to take cycling more seriously,
too many
people are coming to the event without really supporting the primary focus of
the ride.
Focusing on cycling helps clarify this.
(http://nakedwiki.org/index.php?title=About)

It's getting much easier to travel by train with your bicycle:
Metra (Chicago area): http://tinyurl.com/5y4pr6
Amtrak (Midwest): http://tinyurl.com/6l4vo

I live right by the train stations (Ogilvie & Union), and for those who can make
it to
Chicago going Car-Free, I'll help you get situated and give you all the inside
information
on Chicago's World Naked Bike Ride 2008.

~steven

PS. The ride will not be gathering at my place again, so do not show up to 613
North
Racine; no one will be here, and you will miss the ride.

It's just 12 hours until the start of Ride of Silence 2008

Please arrive at 6:45PM tonight to Daley Plaza at the Eternal
Flame and tie on your black armband. Choose a sign to pin on.
PLEASE WEAR YOUR HELMET.  You don't want to be another accident
victim.

We'll ride 13.1 miles and pass several of the ghost bikes which
memorialize fallen riders.  We end at the bike of Isai Medina
at 1100 N. Western.

From the Ride of Silence website:

DATE: May 21, 2008
TIME: 7:00 pm
WHERE: Hundreds of locations world wide

Join cyclists worldwide in a silent slow-paced ride (max. 12
mph/20 kph) in honor of those who have been injured or killed
while cycling on public roadways.


WHY DOES THIS SITE EXIST?

     * To HONOR those who have been injured or killed
     * To RAISE AWARENESS that we are here
     * To ask that we all SHARE THE ROAD

THE RIDE OF SILENCE? WILL NOT BE QUIET

Please forward this message to any lists you are on.

The FIFTH Chicago World Naked Bike Ride is just 25-ish days away!!!

=== VOLUNTEERS ===
People able and committed to helping this ride happen are encourage to
volunteer.  Primary needs include experienced body painters,
corking/security/route, supplies/cleanup/help, promotional, trailer/pedcab,
more.  Photo is already well covered, thanx.
Please simply reply to this message with your name, skills, phone, and
email.  Past years helpers and ESPECIALLY all who attended the 1st meeting
please confirm same as well just in case.

The 2nd planning/admin/coord meeting for the FIFTH ANNUAL Chicago World
Naked Bike Ride is TUESDAY (tomorrow), May 20th.
Meet at Jody's place at 6:30pm Tuesday evening.
Jody works at the Chicago Bicycle Federation, and her spark has made her
well known to many in local cycling community.
Come to 1228 N. Noble St #3.  Top floor. Up the skinny stairs on the north
side of the building then through the door with the clouds painted on it.
Blue line to Division, 3 blocks east to Noble, 1/2 block north. On the west
side of the street with Burkhart's art on the front.
Division bus: Westbound stops AT Noble, Eastbound stops the block before
(Cleaver)
Major cross streets nearby: Milwaukee, Division, Ashland, freeway.


=== AT THIS SECOND MEETING ===

We will hastily discuss actions since last meeting, and plan next immediate
actions.
Top priorities include: Publicity to all press media, bike shop flyer
distribution, route planning, supplies, volunteers.
Then we'll race to the full moon fire jam (after 8pm south of Foster beach),
so come early/on-time if yer coming, or find us at the jam.


!!! DONATIONS NEEDED !!!
If you love this ride and can show it, please click the PAYPAL link at the
bottom/left of the WNBR-C homepage:
http://chicago.worldnakedbikeride.org

Last year's ride cost hundreds of dollars in supplies, and this year we
don't have a printing donor yet!?!?!?
Seriously, $10, $20, $100, would sooooo ease my mind, and get you a shoutout
on request.


=== SOME CONCLUSIONS FROM 1ST MEETING ===

1. No strong need to actively grow mass.
600+ is fine. Less publicity filters committed attendees, saves on printing,
eases traffic.
Clear message and safety/comfort of riders are higher priorities.

2. Increase the carnival/performance atmosphere.
Gets more attention to message, and maybe more safety for mass.
X peeps, we're thinking pre-show.  Anyone with skillz and/or show bike
welcome.
Need more BANDS! (Thanx EE) Even harmonicas and cowbells welcome.
Need more trailers (find a way to pay some fares)
ROLLERDERBY girlz! (dear fellow skaters, step up to the plate)
So all you colorful peeps REPLY NOW so we can think lineup.

3. Body painting must be more streamlined/standardized.
Not all stenciled, but selected within theme (leaves/ivy/bikes/words).
If you need custom, do it yourself (have yer own little painting pre-party).
***GREEN*** is the event's favorite color (flyers, body paint, costumes...).

4. Starting point options suggestions welcome.
Considering funnel in from secondary starting points, or encouraging
riders/groups to merge downstream by communicating route live in progress,
but details unfinished.

5. Route plan pending.
Priorities include: considerably shortened (earlier ending good, shorter
distance good, slow is good), do neighborhoods where we are welcome, avoid
big empty spaces, require wide streets, think skater friendly (minimum
tracks/grates/bridges), end near beginning, have 1+ water/rest stop, define
viewing point.
Input from good route planners welcome (hey Critical Mass / Rat peeps!).

6. Volunteers always needed.
Probably giving away an event specific clothing accessory free to
volunteers.
Probably making the after-party for volunteers and their invitees only.
Thanx big time to everyone who's ever helped before ;)



Andrew Bedno - World Naked Bike Ride / Chicago coordinator
Promoting Freedom from Oil Addiction and Positive Body Image
andrew@...
http://ChicagoNakedRide.com