Bringing the Wild and Scenic Film Festival On Tour with the Pleasant Revolution will serve to broaden the regional platform for local environmental advocacy and allow for teams of like minded people to become more involved and aware of the diversity of environmental projects taking place.  The bike route will stretch from Vancouver to Mexico, much of which is considered Salmon Country – areas of rivers in need of protection to save the remaining population of salmon endangered by the damming and pollution of important water systems.

During the months of May through November we will be hosting from 15 to 20 Bicycle Music and Film Festivals and showing a variety of different environmental films at each stop. Are you one of those people who can’t sit through a movie? Well, you will be the perfect volunteer pedal-powerer for the bike-in movies and pedal-powered film projector we will be premiering.  Maybe Rock the Bike will surprise us with a pedal-powered popcorn maker to go along with those delicious smoothies!! Expect to taste the work of a finely bike-blended smoothie on this year’s tour!

More tour info to come!! Be sure to check out the magic of last year’s Pleasant Revolution 2010 European Tour… and please be in touch if you want to bring the magic to your town.

A documentary by Jonathan Grevsan

Our photo stream..

Cool article about Europe tour posted by one of our sponsors – YUBA bikes

El próximo día 3 de Noviembre se acercará a Santander el evento musical-bicicletero The Pleasant Revolution (La banda de música a pedales) dentro de su gira por toda Europa…
Se trata de un paseo por la ciudad en bicicleta, acompañando a diversos grupos musicales que componen esta curiosa banda y que pedaleando, ofrecen un espectáculo festivalero, con sus instrumentos y altavoces para hacer una llamada de atención sobre el deterioro de nuestro planeta y la reivindicación del uso de la bici.
Naturalmente, la masa crítica santanderina, además de su cita mensual, no quiere perderse este evento que estará lleno de color, música y diversión por las calles de la ciudad.
Recuerda: el miércoles día 3 de noviembre, a partir de las 19:00 en los Jardines de Pereda…
Como este mismo jueves tenemos nuestra masa crítica del mes, aprovecharemos para charlar sobre el tema.
Apúntalo en tu agenda, no te olvides de acercarte a disfrutar de este evento único.

You can see our route on Google Maps.  The downhill from La Molina to Castellar de n’Hug was EPIC!

Route: Munich to Wasserburg to Passau (along Inn River) to Linz, Austria (along Danube) to Vienna to Budapest (along Danube) to Lake Balaton, Hungary to Ljubljana, Slovenia

Miles traveled: 860 mi (1380 km)

Traveling days: 17

Average daily pedaling distance: 41 mi (66 km)

Average speed: 8.6 mph  (14 km/h)

Average travel time/day: 9 hours

Average saddle time/day: 5 hours

Longest travel day: 12 hours

Most saddle time in a day: 6 hours 45 min

Terrain: mostly flat, tending downhill along flat river shores, couple days of mild hilliness, one multi-hour climb and descent on a “shortcut” over the mountain to Budapest from Estergom

Biggest mechanical: (tie) broken frame, blown speaker

Flats: not many (thanks to awesome Schwalbe Big Apple tires and clean Euro-pavement)

New friends who joined for multiple days: 7

Their nationalities: Czech, Austrian, German

Average group size in cities: 16

Average group size on rides: 12

Train journeys: 2, totaling 120 mi (200 km)

Trucks, cars, buses, taxis, subways: 0

Pedal power shows: 14

Large stage shows: 2

Live! On Bike rides: 2

Days we performed amplified music: 10

Shows arranged more than 1 month in advance: 6

Shows arranged less than a week in advance or not at all: 10

Rehearsals: 1

Bands other than our five that played through our pedal powered system: 8

Bicycle Music Festivals: 1 (Vienna)

Collaborating organizations: Vienna Bike Kitchen, Velosophie Magazine (Vienna), US Embassy (Budapest), Verkehrsclub Deutschland (Passau), Passau Green Party, Vienna Critical Mass, ROG (Ljubljana), Siofok Festival, Velo M, R33, Sziget Festival, Heavy Pedals Cargo Messengers

Income from major festivals and planned gigs: 50%

Income from selling t-shirts: 5%

Income from selling stickers, patches and buttons: almost zero

Income from CDs: 30%

Income from passing the hat: 15%

Riding on separated bike paths or nearly empty shared roads: 50%

Riding on bike lanes on roadways: 30%

Riding with traffic: 20%

Burliest rider: Louis, carrying 2 speakers, trumpet, electric engineer parts box, Pebbles the dog, guitar, flute, some stuff at the bottom of his bag that he forgot he had, and all personal gear while riding faster than everyone else in a higher gear

Louis Gaspar’s loaded Yuba Mundo cargo bike: 240 lbs (est), 110 kg

Nights guerilla camping: 15

Nights sanctioned camping: 3

Nights in houses of friends met that day: 1

Nights in houses of our friends’ parents: 2

Nights in new friends’ houses arranged ahead of time: 8

Nights in hotels: 1

Nights we paid for lodging or camping: 0

Best camping spot: huge hidden forested beach along Danube with endless firewood and added excitement of upstream dam opening its floodgates and slowly filling beach as we packed up

Worst camping spot: (tie) 120 dB Sziget festival mudpit behind US Embassy Tent, empty lot in Siofok that smelled like the taste of cheap perfume mixed with cat poo fertilizer next door to a dog that barked continuously at us from 6:30–7:15am and the dog’s owner widower who scowled and growled at us contemporaneously until we packed and left

Best Lodging: Gerfried and Christina’s bed and breakfast art house with piano, laundry, bath, translation services, wireless, free telephone, fax, and—it seemed like—room service.

Meals in restaurants: 4

Meals cooked for group of 16 on our one-burner stove: 30

Pounds of meat and bread consumed: much more than desired

Best meal gleaned from a farmer’s harvested field: potato salad

Predominant picking fruits: apples, pears, plums

Predominant buying fruits: peaches, watermellon

Average food expenditure: $7/person/day

Increase in chocolate consumption between tour and home: 1000%

All data applies to primary traveling group. On most days of the period (and of the tour so far) at least some (and at times more than half) members have chosen alternative itineraries due to illness, injury, personal needs, or traveling ahead to organize events. Distance and speed data taken from Kipchoge’s cycle computer. All listed percentages are estimates. If there’s some particular stat you’re dying to know, drop a comment.

Photos, except the blurry one of Louis, by Andrej Kostic, a dude who happened to pass by Prague BMF, snapped some photos, had no idea who we were and found us from the Ginger Ninjas sticker on the kick drum in the photo.

“The US Embassy in Berlin was delighted to help fund your performance because it showcases the breadth and diversity of U.S. music and environmentalism – as well as blasting German audiences with the fresh winds of your innovation, perseverance, earth stewardship and inspiration. The more we at the Embassy learned about the Bicycle Music Fest and all the values that underpin it, the more excited we were to have a hand in allowing hundreds (thousands?) of Germans to enjoy your music. Not merely to enjoy the event, but to help create it by powering the sound system, riding the bikes, broadcasting your show on their radio frequencies, accompanying you all on your rides through town, reproducing your bike technology if they wish, and so on. You and your fellow travelers enable the audience to plunge right into the experience, rather than sitting passively by. In this age of obesity, over-reliance on fossil fuels and the disengagement of young people from their governments, Pleasant Revolution encourages people to get out of their cars and engage with big problems like global climate change. The events themselves are a powerful metaphor: don’t just be entertained – get up, find your creativity and get involved! We were really happy that young Germans were able to witness one of the really amazing things about the US, namely the willingness of visionary, independent young people to follow their dreams and harness their energies to make a positive change in the world – and to have an incredible adventure in the process.

“Kerstin said you were all great musicians and had the audience in Görlitzer Park mesmerized for hours. Congratulations!

“If you need us to put in a good word for you at any other Embassy or Consulate, just let us know. Meanwhile, safe and happy travels!”

Best wishes,

******

Deputy Cultural Attaché

U.S. Embassy – Berlin

looks happy for a hurt girl!

Mikhel’s loaded bike lost its equilibrium and pitched her leaving a broken wrist and foot, and many selfishly mourn her accident because the PR has lost her! At least for awhile. She is such an awesome  ingredient to the tour- a brilliant dancer and singer,  always greeting the crew with a smile, looking after them- she arranged  for Paul Stamets’ amazing mushroom company, Fungi Perfecti, to sponsor the tour and donate a bottle of their top of the line immune enhancer to each member;

a bottle each of exquisitely scented calming and essential oils from Lady Caroline’s Medicinals; a medicine bag of remedies for whatever ails, the list goes on. Such is her loss that half the tour have offered to carry her on their own bike.

More coming from this correspondent.

-Cactus Woman

It all starts with a sunset ride through town to Ashkenaz.

We’ll be taking this route. Cruise with us!

Click on the flyer for more details. ]]> http://www.pleasantrevolution.net/2009/06/show-your-bike-you-care/feed/ 0 http://www.pleasantrevolution.net/2009/02/riding-through-the-jungles-of-chiapas-mexico-and-guatemala/ http://www.pleasantrevolution.net/2009/02/riding-through-the-jungles-of-chiapas-mexico-and-guatemala/#comments Thu, 26 Feb 2009 19:35:47 +0000 http://www.pleasantrevolution.net/?p=402 Continue reading →]]> On our second or third day of non stop bicycle riding from Comitan, Chiapas, en route to the Guatemalan border we came across a construction site shortly after the sun went down on our hopes of finding a campsite before dark. At first I thought there were some minor road repairs taking place, but I was totally wrong. A river had washed out some of the road we wished to cross. A huge tractor was scooping up a bunch
of dirt and filling in the road while a growing line of cars facing both direction waited. After the tractor smoothed over the road they started to let cars pass. We squeezed our way through the cars one by one on our eight fully loaded bicycles and stopped after passing the work site to wait for everyone to get back together. After parking our bikes on the side of the road we suddenly heard children crying and
people screaming through the rumbling of the tractor and the other vehicles. The group ran without hesitation to find that the road that had just got packed in and that we had just crossed started to give in again and a passing pick up truck had fallen partially in the dirt . All passengers were safely evacuated from the truck as we hurried over. When I got to the scene people started yelling at me in Spanish and English saying they wanted to use my light and that they needed a large chain that was in the back of their truck. Without thinking I quickly jumped into the back of the truck which was halfway off the road trying to find a chain. Shortly after throwing everything around frantically, I found the chain and then carefully jumped out. They connected the chain to the tractor and the tractor pulled the truck out… Watch the outcome