A bicycle-powered climate action project
1017 L Street #288
Sacramento, CA 95814
© California Bicycle Coalition 2023
There is no question: to avoid climate catastrophe, human-powered vehicles MUST play a role in our future. The Humpbacks of Notre Dame climate action believes that supporting CalBike is a great way to do that.
Join the human-powered movement by signing up here. Check out our Take Action page to tell your elected officials to do the right thing for the climate. Or chip in to power CalBike’s work.
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Letter from a Humpbacks founder
My partner Dawn and I conceived of Humpbacks of Notre Dame as a way to spur people to action. We carry our artistic vision of one possible catastrophic destiny on our human-powered vehicle, pushing into urban streetscapes to increase the visibility of human-powered transportation. Although we are large and slow, people driving in their cars are amused and entertained rather than frustrated as we model human-scale traveling speeds.
With your help and commitment, we can work towards a better future for everyone.
Thank you for taking action to help preserve the future habitability of our beautiful planet.
Yours Truly,
Bob
The Story of Humpbacks
In the year 2069, all the world’s ice has melted.
100 years ago in 1969, a visionary named Hobart Brown founded a human powered spectacle which grew to become the Kinetic Grand Championship. This race combined feats of athleticism with astounding engineering and playful art sculptures to test even the most skilled humans to their limits. Teams competed on land, sand and water for speed and glory.
Now in 2069, amphibious bikes are commonplace as people have adapted to a world with new coastlines and a ban on all burning of fossil fuels. The kinetic race is no more, the entire course submerged beneath the waves, including its epic “Deadman’s Drop” down a terrifyingly steep dune face. Now, all bicycle trips in urban centers are so-called “water crossings.”
Team Pineapple enters this world on a mission to celebrate nature’s adaptability. We’ve gone to Paris with our amphibious pedal car to explore the partially submerged ruins of Notre Dame Cathedral, where we discover Humpback whales breaching, feeding, and singing where once a mighty organ played and the faithful worshipped.