Bike-ological Warfare Ride Challenges Fossil Fuel Dependence

On Friday, March 18, members of the N.C. State Campus Green Party and local bicycle activists will set out on a 70-mile bike ride from Raleigh to attend Saturday's anti-war demonstration near Fort Bragg in Fayetteville.

Billing itself as "the Bike-ological Warfare Ride," the effort is dedicated to ending the violence associated with U.S. dependence on Middle Eastern oil. The participants want the drivers who pass them along the way to think about the 1,500 U.S. soldiers and 16,000 Iraqi civilians who have died in the ongoing war in Iraq.

Anyone who would like to join the ride or sponsor a cyclist should call 919-559-7594.

Besides raising awareness of fossil fuel dependency, the ride will also raise money for 1304 Bikes, a volunteer-run bicycle workshop in Raleigh providing students and community members with free renovated bicycles. The workshop temporarily operates out of someone's backyard, but members hope to find a permanent spot soon.

The workshop started last fall and is an outgrowth of Action for Community. Founded by N.C. State students and alumni, the group - which is currently seeking nonprofit status - is an effort to move activism off campus and into the larger community, says spokesperson Attila Nemecz, a 2002 N.C. State graduate. Driven by a desire to go beyond electoral politics, the organizers hope eventually to establish communal homes, a community center and community gardens in Raleigh.

"There are the types of fundamental changes that over time hopefully can restructure the larger system," says Nemecz.

The Bike-ological Warfare Ride will kick off Friday with a 9 a.m. press conference at the N.C. State University Belltower on Hillsborough Street. For more information about the ride, visit the Campus Greens’ Web site. For more on Saturday’s anti-war demonstration, visit the N.C. Peace & Justice Coalition’s Web site.