H-Town WNBR thanks Pride Bike Ride Houston, the Houston Eagle, Gristworkz Brewing Company, and Super Happy Fun Land for contributing to a splendid rolling soirée.
About 40 cyclists and skaters participated in the event, which followed a more-or-less triangular route starting at the Eagle and proceeding to Gristworkz, SHFL, and back. They wore undies (and some stray outerwear) in an eye-grabbing variety of styles and patterns.
The ride also paid tribute to fallen Pride Rider Shane McKinney, a victim of a hit-and-run collision by someone driving an upscale SUV on West Dallas Street last October, at the Ghost Bike commemorating the tragedy.
David Loredo, a facilitator of the Pride Ride, arranged for the use of the Eagle as start-finish, as well as a stop at Gristworkz, formerly Local Group Brewery in Hardy Yards. Local Group served as a stop for the WNBRs in 2021. David took the photos below of participants and other guests outside Gristworkz.
In 2021 and ’22, some representatives of H-Town’s WNBR community traveled to Austin to participate in two superb nights of Ciclonudismo. We love our ATX comrades. This year, however, there is a move afoot to try something different: New Orleans! It’s an opportunity to ride through the Crescent City during daylight hours.
The New Orleans WNBR organizers have set Saturday 10 June as their ride date for this year. As of this writing there is no official Facebook event. Austin’s group has not yet set a date, but it will likely also happen on the 10th.
It is shorter than H-Town’s ride, with maybe one pub stop and an after party.
The ride hires a police escort, which eliminates a lot of the fear-of-being-arrested factor. This is not cheap, so the organizers are asking for donations to defray the cost. (Riders can still be arrested if they do something blatantly illegal, such as public lewdness or vandalism.)
In order to make the journey as fuel-efficient as possible without actually biking to NOLA, the plan is to travel via Amtrak’s Sunset Limited line. This is a chance for an additional adventure, especially if you’ve never traveled by train in the United States.
Here is what you need to know about the trip there and back:
The Sunset Limited runs three times a week in each direction between New Orleans and Los Angeles, unlike almost all other Amtrak long-distance lines with trains running daily.
The Houston to New Orleans train is scheduled for departure Friday 9 June at 12:10 pm, arriving at 9:40 that night.
The return train leaves New Orleans Monday 12 June at 9:00 am, reaching Houston at 6:18 pm.
As of this writing, coach seats cost $46 each direction. These seats offer far greater comfort and legroom than coach seats on most airlines, as do the on-board lavatories.
Sunset Limited trains have (limited) bicycle storage in the baggage car. There is a small fee for trainside bicycle check-in. Other restrictions apply, such as maximum weight of 50 pounds, so please read and digest Amtrak’s rules thoroughly.
Lodging accommodations for three nights in Greater New Orleans will depend on the number of travelers.
Any additional information will appear in a follow-up post.
If you plan to join this trip, please let us know in the Comments; if you don’t, please don’t.
There have been no objections from H-Town’s WNBR constituency to scheduling our ride for Saturday 9 September. So we’re putting it on our calendar for that night. Gather & paint up at 6 pm, ride at 8 pm.
No other details, such as the theme or the official start/finish location, are available at this time.
Here’s a minor update to our North American Rides for 2023 page. Toronto joins Montpelier VT in kicking off Northern Hemisphere WNBR season on Saturday 10 June.
Meanwhile, nearby Buffalo NY is going with a July ride, like last year. Buffalo’s facilitator(s) quietly announced the date back in January, apparently.
The page listing World Naked Bike Rides in North America for 2023 has been created. Expect frequent updates; when a major update occurs, we’ll post a note about it.
Rides that have listed dates so far are all in the US: Chicago, Los Angeles, Madison WI, Milwaukee, Montpelier, and Saint Louis. San Francisco continues its more-or-less monthly WNBR, the next instance of which happens 22 April.
