Quote:
Originally Posted by flanker7
From the offical WNBR site:
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 may review the count using the reference video on our photos page. Several preliminary photo albums, route map, and more are also there.
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It would be hard to argue with anyone from Chicago that their ride wasn't the biggest. After all, they have DOCUMENTATION! Portland only has guestimates.
Exact numbers are hard to come by. That is - unless you rode in Asheville, NC this year. The count? Four men in their skivies. I think I'll pass.
So, but one positive consequence of having all these rides in different cities, though, is the inevitable competition to have the biggest and best one. I have to admit, Chicago really goes all out, and 1700 riders is impressive. But if the ride had been held in the daytime, would they have been able to match London? And what about Portland's estimated 2500 riders? Reliable, or.........what?
Competition should bring out even more riders. Lets have a worldwide "WNBR bike off" next month between Portland, London and Chicago, internationally broadcast on NBC.
And the winner is..........
PORTLAND......by a.......er.........nipple...!!??
klondike