Six rides for D&G in 2018; Southampton to Helsinki in heatwave June-July, the former venue a repeat stylewise of York 2017, i.e. total clobberlessness.
So these 2 pics relate to Ride 2, Portsmouth, where Silver and Gold, (as in Nutmeg and Pear) themed. Atomic Numbers 47 and 79, (the colours give away who wore which) alarmed one bloke who thought D had beaten his WNBR total! These were designs for backs. What little else was worn was gold/silver excluding bowties, which were accidentally left in the campervan!
The Periodic Table, a work more beautiful than any with the brush, self-paints the cosmic canvas from a palette of elemental electronic structures. Even clumsy human efforts to portray these symbolically, (e.g. the two above), have a certain mathematically artistic quality, which is why D&G chose to employ them as adornment. There are them as'll bugger up the elegance though and tell you that some of the subshells are energetically out of order. Well orbitals to them, but anyway these arrangements apply only to individual atoms completely isolated from others elsewhere in the Universe, including their own kind. Hardly the case in lumps of silver/gold, as when the likes of Clint Eastwood heaves a bloody big sack full of the latter across his unsuspecting horse. The GG hasn't a clue what the density of gold is and is highly unlikely to know much about the whereabouts of all the extra electrons "orbiting" all the extra nucleons it's just been saddled with. And, should you think all this a little esoteric, remember ... with the rainbow the Periodic Table isn't the property of some exclusive group ... they belong to everyone. Silver Atomic Number 47 Gold Atomic Number 79
Distance 6.71 miles Total Riding Time 1 hour 11 minutes 53 seconds Average Speed 5.6 mph Maximum Speed 12.4 mph
In fact Gene forgot to stop his bike computer at the ride's end (again!) and the above stats are adjusted for the map measured distance ride's end to campervan (0.3 miles). Weather was warm and calm with thin cloud cover, which with an early evening start is ideal when baring all, feet and hairless head (G) included. Total time was well over 2 hours and included a couple of stops in contact with Friday night's public, a ride around in front of the Guildhall and a circuit of a model yachting pond near the start/finish on Southampton Common.
P'raps 60 rode, just 10% female, but 2 of 'em with a bloke, (1 speshly), bellowed annoyingly throughout. "Oil" and "No" mostly, mebbe in a different order, but did your public get it? Riders did, like a stuck record! So how would she run the planet then? Noticeably she didn't take her knickers off. Y'can bet they were built (part at least) of synthetic stuff and so oil-sourced. One wonders eh? But this isn't how to impress the public WNBR-wise. For that see Cork. Ms Voice is in a photo (R), as is the only lass other than Diane to get all her kit off. Click 'em
When G's son Philip et family moved to Portsmouth(ish) '96-'97 (ish), he (P) showed his dad around and took him oft-ish to watch footie at Fratton Park. Pompey, (then) struggling, won every time G turned up stand-wise (even though it was all-seater by then), but fact is G had beaten P to it (Pompey) muchly. G did the Great South Run in Portsmouth (10-10-93). Better, he'd lived there, 'cos G's mam'd shadowed his wartime naval dad's ship there and 13 Pelham Road, Southsea was a roof over a titchling G for a little while. G ran his second Great South with P (10-10-04), but in 2018 he was back with his naughty bits out .. after which he went to see Pelham Road again 75 yrs on.
Distance 12.96 miles Total Riding Time 2 hr. 12m. 53 s. Speed Max 11.2 mph Ave 5.8 mph
Easily the longest WNBR D&G have done. Slightly fewer riders than Southampton and again few females. Only 2 completely naked, Diane and the girl from Southampton on 1st June. Weather hot and sunny throughout. Total time taken was around 3 hours.
Click up!
Click up!
The ride started at 2.30pm and
soon passed a church (St Mary's?) complete with wedding and reached a rest stop near "Coffee Cup" on Eastney Esplanade. At Clarence Esplanade the ride completed a circuit of the roundabout before continuing
then at The Hard near HMS Warrior another halt was caused/lengthened by "contact" between one of the bikes and a motor vehicle. D&G never discovered the why/what. At HMS Nelson the route went round a fancy gate of sorts. Pics (L) lack D&G's gold/silver bowties.
D&G saw her at Brighton too. Was she at London?
Evens & Odds D&G's 1st 3 London rides had 5 merging starts, since increased to 6, so they changed from Marble Arch to Tower Hill for 2018's 4th. This start increased Thames cycle crossings from 2 to 4 and getting there/back by rail/bike added a further 2 .. (Southwark, Blackfriars, Westminster, Waterloo plus Tower & London Bridges). D&G found the Union Flag adaptable to 6 and 8 point stars and since both have been at odds with EU's 5 pointers since June 2016, 2 flag designs came out of the blue into a brighter blue, which they flew!
London WNBR Saturday 9th June 2018
Distance 8.35 miles Riding Time 1 hour 35 minutes Maximum Speed 13.6 mph Average Speed 5.2 mph
Total time was about 3 hours 15 mins in lovely weather, the sun being thoughtfully veiled by very thin cloud for the ride's duration. Info seemed to suggest a rendezvous with other starters in Trafalgar Square, but an Embankment ride direct to Westminster Bridge led to a Forum Magnum Square meet up. The later stages were different too; the trip down The Mall getting the heave-ho for
some reason. Instead Shaftesbury Avenue featured and led to Piccadilly Circus, then Piccadilly to Wellington Arch finish the "wrong" way!
Odds & Evens 7 colours in the traditional rainbow. Also 7 letters in the word "Rainbow", and the words "Numbers" and "Colours", (which wouldn't be so in the US version). Just to even things up there're even 7 letters in the word "Letters" but oddly D&G left that one out of their R&R bike decoration designs for their 4th Brighton ride in 2018. Bike flags were the same design as last year's but bigger due to their increased size.
ZERO Well? What about zero? Is it even, is it odd? Divide by 2. Is the answer integral? Answer zero, so back to square 1. Bugger! What's so special about dividing by 2 anyway? D&G went to Peacehaven en route home post Brighton WNBR. Tunstall, well known to G is the anti-Peacehaven, both have zero in common, as in zero longitude. The Greenwich Meridian meets England at T and leaves at P, so which English WNBR's are in eastern/western hemispheres? See later ......
Distance 8.75 miles Riding Time 1hr 32m 45s Maximum Speed 16.1 mph Average Speed 5.6 mph
Sunny and very warm throughout the ride and the temp "tattoo" on Diane's back melted! Well actually the ink "ran" as D "perspired". G's survived the ride so what they say about horses men and women could be a load of whatsit ! Route as in previous years, in Prog as in previous years and rest stops Hove Lawns and Old Steine as in ditto, anything but restful ditto ditto. Phantom Limbs rocked and D&G got to meet Eddie van Driver at Black Rock ! G's turn to icecream queue. They melted, but weren't gull-attacked as in Helsinki !
Brighton Prog 2018
D&G who hit 70&75 respectively in 2018 oft attract WNBR attention, mebbe 'cos they're a couple. Much photographed they've made a front page or two. At Brighton's Old Steine "rest" stop a Brazilian tourist asked to be photographed with D&G and nestled between them by the fountain. "Wait!" she decided, stalling the shutter to go topless before renestling, only to think again again and strip completely for the shot. D&G are keeping her name under her hat (see pic in gallery above). But what a compliment to D&G. More though ..... such refreshingly healthy freedom for a woman in the west comfortably to uncover and join with others who ride expressing their individual whole-self beauty with a natural confidence not
always permitted. Truly this is the WNBR message.
Video bottom of page has caption 'London'
but that is YouTube's choice of thumbnail. It is shot at Brighton with music at rest
stops and contains images from Southampton, Portsmouth, London, Cork and Helsinki 2018 also.
Zero Tolerance
London 2013 at the Lincoln’s Inn Fields stop G asked D if they’d passed St. Paul’s. Some overhearer of a nearby bloke said, “Yes. It was that big church!” Yes thanks. G does know what a cathedral is and recognises St. Paul’s when he sees it. But in 2014 and ‘15 the ride nipped up Chancery Lane and gave St. Paul’s a miss, so what about 2013? G’d have clocked the big church and doesn’t recall registering a tick! So G went on-line and found Steve Ritter’s description of 2013’s London route (Link below)
Steve confirms what G’d thought; the ride didn’t pass St. Paul’s. So what D&G wrote on WNBR re 2013 route is incorrect, as was the then map on the London WNBR webpage.
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Here’s the thing though … these words feature in Steve’s account
… For every one naked cyclist there may have been two onlookers. Part of the reason for dividing the start was to thwart the irksome, intrusive, oily inadequates that gather solely to snatch photographs of those taking part. Marble Arch was always likely to get the worst of it, being near the finish at Wellington Arch … It is the socially dysfunctional snappers – the furtive, or brazenly disrespectful – that are annoying. Thanks, therefore, out go (sic) to those who at least had the common courtesy to ask permission before taking pictures.
Just who does Ritter think he is that he can stand naked in a public place and judge those who come to look at what’s going on? WNBR can do without arrogance and hypocrisy at any level and those who strip off in public should realise that they‘re the ones behaving unusually. They will attract attention, as intended, but they don’t have the right to define the curiosity of others. In general a member of the public can photograph anything in a public place, so if you don’t want to be photographed keep your clothes on. If you get your kit off face the cameras and quit moaning!
D&G have been photographed with and without permission on every WNBR they’ve done. They’ve been flattered mostly. They’ve never refused permission and never will.
They have seen less than acceptable behaviour from participants on several naked rides however, London and Brighton in particular. Maybe Mr Ritter should direct his disapproval their way and have them removed, better that to serve WNBR than cockily tossing labels like “oily inadequates” and “socially dysfunctional” in the direction of the public.
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Best bit about the Greenwich Meridian is that it knobs off the French! Well, yes it does, but that ain’t the best bit. Zero longitude’s got top spot, separating the left - right Earth hemispheres, east and west and in Britain only England is sliced by the Prime Meridian with a mere handful of counties east/west divided. Norfolk, Suffolk and Kent alone are entirely eastern hemisphere. If you wanna know more (including the highest English eastern hemisphere hill) go to (whence find your own way back!)
But this is about naked bike rides. All of Scotland is west of Greenwich and it's worth repeating, Scotland
doesn't have a naked bike ride. Check out Edinburgh WNBR Wiki page. You have to cover the bits that matter and it's got now't to do with climate! Ireland outside UK and Wales have naked rides but are western hemisphere so UK eastern hemisphere naked bike rides are in England. English eastern hemisphere WNBRs are Cambridge*, Canterbury*, Chelmsford, Clacton*, Colchester, Folkestone, Hastings. Ipswich will join the list after 6th July 2019. * Diane and Gene have participated in these naked bike rides 2016, 2014, 2017 respectively.
Which rides are closest/furthest from the Meridian is another question taken up on the Cork & Helsinki 2018 WNBR page
Heading south from the Pole the Meridian makes first landfall at the shifting East Riding coast near Tunstall, a place well
known to Gene in his youth. D&G visited Peacehaven on 11-6-18 post Brighton WNBR to witness the Meridian leaving England's shores.
CLICKABLES (Scroll video off-screen first).
2018 UK Routes 1. Southampton 2. Portsmouth
3. London 4. London 2010 including St. Paul's. with
implications for proximity to the Prime Meridian.
6 years
14 venues
22 rides
Video left covers Southampton, Portsmouth, London, Cork and Helsinki all incorporated into footage shot at Brighton's "rest" stops with music and dancing; the "London" label is YouTube's choice of thumbnail.
* NB YouTube placed the video under an age restriction (18).
Video 12 minutes 26 seconds
Uploaded 4-9-18
Views (9th Jan 2020) 33,771
Link to video
Info on 4 other WNBR videos on
Flagged Up
2018 WNBR continues on
where also appear interesting info on the Meridian and links to external sources for D&G's WNBRs 2018.
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