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G8Bikeriders return to London, Offer Cycling Lessons to George W. Bush.

Peter Panier | 10.07.2005 00:34 | G8 2005 | Ecology | Education | Health | London

A reponse to the most recent calamity to afflict the Leader of the Free World from the tired but beautiful folk of the G8 Bikeride

For Immediate Release. Sunday 10th July.

G8Bikeriders return to London, Offer Cycling Lessons to George W. Bush.

On Sunday July 10th 30 participants of the infamous G8Bikeride will return to London, having left on the 19th June. Members of the group felt great empathy with fellow cyclist George Bush who ran into difficulties when confronted with an obstacle at the recent G8 Summit. The G8Bikeride also encountered obstructive police officers at the Glenealges hotel (on the other side of the fence, however) but thanks to 700 miles of experience managed to engage our brakes and avoid cycling into them. The G8Bikeride arrived in Scotland ahead of Bush and were in Edinburgh in time for the Make Poverty History march, before attending the blockade of Faslane Nuclear Submarine base, the protest at Dungavel detention centre and a week of non-hierarchical and ecological living at Stirling's 'HoriZone' eco-village. On Wednesday 6th July, the opening day of the G8 Summit, the G8bikeride travelled to Gleneagles - supporting and participating in blockades of the undemocratic and rubbish meeting.

Having cycled from London to Scotland, the G8Bikeride feel they are uniquely placed to offer the US President the advice and training he is clearly in need of. Indeed, several of our group work for the Cycle Training Collective - which offers basic and affordable lessons, which should not cause Congressional stress or increase the national debt. Other members are involved in work with children and those with special needs and hence believe they are suitably skilled for the challenges placed by the 'Leader of the Free World'. The G8Bikeride also has lots of colourful stickers and banners that should help Dubya learn without placing too much strain on the Presidential mind. We feel is it an essential matter of Health & Safety that George find time in his busy golfing schedule to deal with the perils of cycling in a world addicted to cars.

Having successfully completed their 700 mile trek to and around Scotland, the G8Bikeride is planning a similar trip to the 2006 G8 Summit in Russia - and are inviting others to join them. The commitment to respond to the challenge of Climate Change shown by the G8 leaders on Friday suggests that they should be some of the first to register for the ride. The G8Bikeride wishes to stress that ordinary people should not be put off by the possibility that they will be joined by the leaders of the world's 7 richest and most powerful countries - all meetings will continue to be open and non-hierarchical, with decisions being made by consensus. The hope is that this truly democratic method of decision-making may 'trickle down' into the corridors of the Kremlin, thus paving the way for the creation of a fully representative G6Billion which could begin to properly adress the fate of the planet and its people.

The intention of the G8Bikeride has been to demonstrate and celebrate the feasibility of the bicycle as a practical, sustainable, enjoyable and beautiful method of mass transit. Organised non-hierarchically, and staying at many of Britain's protest camps and social-centres (the Low Impact Living Initiative in Redfield, Coventry Peace House, Nottingham's 'Sumac Centre', Manchester's 'Basement', Lancaster's 'Bungalow', the Nine Ladies anti-quarry camp, Penrith's Bluebell Bookshop & the Talamh Life Centre near Lanark) the G8Bikeride has shown that other ways of living are feasible; that other worlds are possible!

For further information please visit www.g8bikeride.org.uk, www.cycletraining.co.uk, www.g8bikeride.blogspot.com or www.risingtide.org.uk or call Peter Panier on 07816364739.

Peter Panier
- Homepage: http://www.g8bikeride.org.uk, www.cycletraining.co.uk


Comments

Hide the following 2 comments

G8 Bike Ride video (MP4 or Quicktime)

10.07.2005 07:31

See the London start of the G8 Bike Ride here:

MP4 H.264:  http://www.archive.org/details/G8BikeRide

Quicktime:  http://www.archive.org/details/Doug_the_Plug

Doug


Fine stuff

10.07.2005 10:39

Ha ha ha...Very fine stuff, you are stars. See you when you get back.

Asterix


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