Vagina Monologues Ride to Culebra Park 4/14/12

The Vagina Monologues are a series of monologues each read by a different woman about different issues concerning well..the vagina. These include love, sex, rape, masturbation, female genital mutilation and many more.

Ovarian Psycos was proud to have joined Bike Scum and ACLA in presenting their first ever Vagina Monologues at Tierra de la Culebra Park. A group of about 10 womyn rode from “La Historic National Park” – also known as “Not a Cornfield” to the event in Highland Park.

A Sexual Health Fair took place from 12:00pm-10:00pm as well as workshops, vendors and giveaways. The event was FREE and open to all womyn, men, children, trans-gender folx!

For more info on the event click here.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Ride Info:

Meeting: LA Historic National Park – “Not a Cornfield”
Meeting Time: 4:00
Ride Out: 4:30
Destination: Tierra La Culebra Park
Miles: 6-ish
Pace: Slow-Medium; Some inclines.

* Not a Cornfield is Gold-Line friendly – Chinatown Stop
* Tierra La Culebra Park is also Gold-Line friendly – Highland Park Stop
*This ride is open to EVERYONE!
*The event we will be riding to is a FREE event
* Even if you do not come on the ride, you are welcome and encouraged to come to the event!

ResuWRENCHion pt. 1

On Saturday, April 7th Ovarian Psycos took a very important step by bringing the community of Boyle Heights the very first ResuWRENCHion bicycle repair day at Proyecto Jardin in preparation of this Spring’s CicLAvia. ❤

With the help of volunteer bike mechanics from all over Los Angeles, we helped repair and tune up about 20 bikes for kids as young as 6 to adults in their 30’s and 40’s!

A special thank you needs to go out to James and Ray from Bici Libre & Andy and Chris from Bike Oven as well as a few amazing individual mechanics like Jimmy and Edgar, Bobby and Joe from LACBC and of course the Ovarian Psycos!

None of this would have been possible without the help of Josef from Flying Pigeon LA  and Building Healthy Communities Boyle Heights who kindly donated all of the materials!

We look forward to providing more bike repair workshops and work days like this one as we prepare to open up a bike co-op in Boyle Heights next year……… stay tuned for that ❤

Ovarian Psycos signing people up to get their bikes repaired at Proyecto Jardin
(Photo credit: Joe Linton) The Ovarian Psyco core learns to work on bikes as we prepare to open up a bike repair co-op in Boyle Heights.

WHEELS AND WORDS April Luna Ride! 4/5/12

Image

IT’S THAT TIME OF THE MONTH AGAIN LADIES!!!!!
– – – – – – – – –
You and your bike are cordially invited to
Ovarian Psycos April Luna Ride!

This months Luna Ride is Dedicated to April’s NATIONAL POETRY MONTH!
– – – – – – – – – –

We will be meeting up at the train friendly (red-line) stop:
Vermont/Santa Monica
& riding to
Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights. (gold-line friendly)

There we will take ova the stage at the historical Mariachi Plaza. Anyone who wants to share some poetry, music, songs, dance, play instruments, share a story, sing – please FEEL FREE! It’s national poetry month – so, why not? ♥

This is a womyn and womyn-identified ONLY ride!
– – – – – – – – – –

Meet up time: 7:30
Ride out: 8:00 – PROMPTLY!

Please, bring WORKING bikes – LIGHTS – helmets – tools – extra inner tubes – patches (if you got ‘em 🙂 )
– – – – – – – – –

* Depending on the weather – if it gets TOO cold or if it rains, we will be riding to Corazon Del Pueblo about 3 blocks away from Mariachi Plaza

* Also, even if you DO NOT ride – you are welcome to join the poetry circle ❤

CLITORAL MASS-CUMMING AUG. 31

CALLING ALL WOMBYN  PSYCLISTS!!!!

Are you tired of going to Critical Mass rides and feeling outnumbered by the testosterone energy??

Do you ever wonder what it would look like if the script was flipped and you found yourself engulfed by what seemed like an endless sea of wombyn and wombyn identified folx on bicycles, chanting, and riding and together howling at the moon?

If this sounds like you… hit us up! We are currently looking to form a Clitoral Mass committee with sisters that are down to help organize LA’s first ever CLITORAL MASS RIDE!

Honoring wombyn cyclists everywhere.. together reclaiming the night, reclaiming our streets..
while also celebrating:

OVARIAN PSYCOS 2YR ANNIVERSARY!!!!

for those interested in being part of the organizing committee
email us: ovarian.psycos@gmail.com

WE’RE MORE THAN A BIKE KREW.. WE’RE A MOTHER LOVIN’ MOVEMENT ♥

WHAT? LA’s First Clitoral Mass

WHEN? August 31st, 2012

HOW? ORGANIZE, OUTREACH & EMPOWER

Take Ova of LA Streetsblog

To view the entire article, click here.

The Ovarian-Psycos Bicycle Brigade Make a Space for Women on the Eastside

by Kris Fortin

The Ovarian-Psycos Bicycle Brigade is a all-women bicycle group based out of the Eastside. Xela de la X of the Ovarian-Psycos Bicycle Brigade throws up the Ova’s sign with the rest of the group in the background. Photo by Rafael Cardenas via EastsiderWriter.com

(We’re working on a photo essay tomorrow following up on today’s story.  So, come back tomorrow. D)

Two months ago, when 22-year-old Bree’Anna Guzman was murdered in Lincoln Heights, the all-women bike group Ovarian-Pscyos Bicycle Brigade scrapped their previously planned ride to ride instead through the neighborhood to protest the killing.

“Whose Streets,” one woman called out.

“Our Streets” the more than 30 women riding answered.

While many recent bike groups are either bicycling for recreation, bringing awareness to bicyclists on the road, or use the bicycle for social justice movement events, the Ovarian-Psycos Bicycle Brigade is a community inspired women’s movement that does all of the above and then some.

In Los Angeles, fewer than 1 in 5 people cycling were female, according to preliminary data from the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition’s most recent bicycle count. While this trend has been the constant in cities across the nation, the number of female bicycle groups in Los Angeles has grown from just a couple a few years ago, to at least four.

The currently all-Latina collective with roots from various parts of the Eastside pride themselves with their exclusivity to women, with sticker slogans like “Ovaries so big, we don’t need no fucking balls.” Their monthly all-women Luna Rides, which takes its name from the moons connection with a woman’s menstrual cycle, bring up to 30 women riders each ride. For their two-year anniversary in July, the Ovarian-Psycos are also planning the first female version of the monthly Critical Mass, which will be called Clitoral Mass.

For many of the women it’s their first time being involved in an all-female collective. The oldest members are 33 and the youngest is 20. Some are artists that ride bikes, and some are pure bicyclists. Yet the Ovarian-Psycos has become a type of sisterhood that, for many, they have never had before.

“Being around women, learning that we can interact in a way that was not hostile or competitive; it’s been a very new experience,” said Magally “Maga” Miranda.

Though the group has found stability recently, the group’s continued existence was never a sure bet. On the very first Luna Ride in July 2010, Xela, the de facto leader of the group at the time, hit a pothole on the road and fell face forward off her bike, hospitalizing her for two weeks.  Andrea Ramirez, or “La Blackbird,” recalls that many bike riders didn’t come back after the first ride because they were scared.

Though one half left, and another came back for the second Luna Ride, Xela said, the group stagnated for the first year, never topping more than 20 riders.

“I was worried always that it’s going to die someday,” Xela said.

The Ovas wait at Olvera Street to start their Take Back the Night Ride, where they rode to protest the murder of a 22-year-old woman from Lincoln Heights. Photo by GLoTography

Yet, right before the Ovarians one-year anniversary, Xela started to recruit core members to better organize the group.  After the one-year anniversary at Solidarty ink, and with a fairly consistent 12 core members, the group finally started to take off. Like before, each ride had a theme. Specific workshops involved speakers, and teachers on a range of social issues, and bicycle issues. Some workshops talked about women’s health, while other covered self-defense. Yet, the groups were getting bigger, and the core members were helping spread the word.

Many of the women say they feel they are not taken seriously in the biking community because their rides aren’t as long as traditional rides, there are usually many first-time riders, and the ride will stop and wait for one person. But, these limitations, Ova member Natalie Fraire said, can be a positive.

“We are encouraging a lot more riders and that’s more important,” said Fraire.

Riding as a women group has also made the riders more aware of the difficulties of riding in the city as a woman. Individually, or in small groups, Ova Elvira “Ashes” Arvizo has been catcalled by men on the street, and during one Luna Ride, the group noticed a male motorist was trailing the group. The women stopped and started to yell at the motorist, which caused him to flee.

Creating Sisterhood

As the group has grown, the women have needed to get closer. Many of their biweekly meetings resemble the chaos of a family dinner. At a recent meeting, Maryann “La Fingers” Aguirre would belch across the room, giving many of the girls a laugh, and Fraire ran to the oven to find she burned the artichoke dish brought. If the meeting ever got out of order, a clit checker (meeting organizer) would bellow out a warning to get the meeting back on track.

Each Ova have brought various skills in community organizing, photography, graphic design and bike mechanics which they also share with the rest of the group. Gloria “GLoTography” Vasquez takes most of the photos that are on the groups websites, but she has also taken the time to teach Ovas like Fraire how to use a camera. The group has also helped Vasquez to break her shyness and talk more with women on rides.

“Now run into women across streets and able to converse with them than just pass them by,” said Vasquez.

Each season there are rotating leaders of the group called a left and right ovary, and many of the women are expected to step up to take care of a portion of their work.

Many of the women have never ridden with an all female bike crew, and let alone worked with an all-women group. Yet, the same reason Xela started the group is the same reason the women joined: they couldn’t connect with the rides already in LA.

Andrea “La Blackbird” Ramirez said she could never get comfortable riding with the Midnight Ridazz because men always outnumbered women. Aside from men outnumbering women during Critical Mass, Arvizo said will leave riders behind, and that can deter a young woman-rider to join a ride.

The Ovas end one of their bi-weekly meetings. Photo by Kris Fortin

The Ovas offer a space for women, Xela said. And the rides though recreational, can become extremely personal, with some events bringing women to tears. During a stop on their ride that was themed on domestic violence, many women came forward about their experiences.

The personal nature of the rides, and the already numerous LA bike rides is the reason Xela said, why it’s exclusive to women.

“It’s just a time for women. If they are trying to open up, won’t be comfortable opening up if there are men around,” said Aguirre.

Xela, whose been a part of women collectives that have never lasted, said she knew the Ovarian-Pscyos was a different type of all woman collective at the one-year anniversary. Jocelyn “Joss the boss” Hernandez brought a cake she made and designed to the group at the end of an interview at the Boyle Heights online radio station Centro de Comunicación Comunitaria. The cake had a symbol of a car with a slash over it.

“You do that for your sister, your best friend, and she did this for the Ovas. “That’s nice”

For more information on the Ovarians, send an email to ovarian.psycos@gmail.com or go to their website at ovarianpsycos.com.

Get to Know the Ovas–Ashes!

AshElvira is left/right Ovary for the Winter season!

    • Name/Ova Alias: Ashes, Elvira, AshElvira
    • Your bici’s name/alias: Red (70’s Raliegh)
    • Born and raised: Monterrey Park, East Los ❤
    • Day job/night job: Part time drug dealer :P(legally), full time ova ❤
    • First ride: Luna ride almost 2 years ago! seems like yesterday…
    • Reason(s) for joining/staying: there are so many but to sum it up.. the
strong Mujeres, cycling, the excitement and good energy from all the riders.

    • Best and worst experience from a ride: my best experience was my first experience of an ovarian Luna ride, ill never forget ^.^ Xela had her accident that same night which also made it the scariest experience
    • What have you accomplished/hope to accomplish: A whole year and some of spreading bici love with these inspiring women ❤ hope to help heal our mamas with cycling
  • Words of wisdom: “Lack of proper recognition of your own value is always
    harmful and can lead to a state of mental, emotional and spiritual paralysis”

Fill in the blanks

  • The best thing about being a Muxer: the ability to be strong and wild while being compassionate.
  • My favorite form of hydration: yerba mate;)
  • My Ovarian Psyco sisters are: hard working wombyn!
  • Best way to get rid of cramps: Te de manzanilla
  • My bike is my: freedom machine

Feb. Luna Ride Recap–WHO’S STREETS? OUR STREETS!!

…I think we all had a mutual understanding that these mujeres were our neighbors, our sisters, ourselves.

When Sunhands brought the idea to us to dedicate the February Luna ride to the recent kidnappings and murder of two young womyn from our communities, I think we all felt it in our gut that this was the right impulse. In a very eerie way, I think we all had a collective sense that these mujeres were our neighbors, our sisters, ourselves. And just like that we began to organize the resources at our disposal, each and every Ova contributing to the ride in their own special way. “Who’s Steets? Our Steets!” became the mantra representing our unrest and our desire to create safe communities FOR ALL TO FLOURISH… ❤ mm

First-timers and experienced Luna ridazz alike gathered at Placita Olvera on the eve of the full moon to take back the night in a very special ride dedicated to the kidnapping and murder of two young womyn from LA.
The Xicas engage in synchronized stretches that help loosen limbs and create a sense of unity.Riders stopped to enjoy refreshments courtesy of the lovely ladies of The Airliner!The brigade rides down N. Broadway in Lincoln Heights chanting, “Who’s Streets? Our Streets!”
They arrive at their destination, Corazon del Pueblo in Boyle Heights where the Ovarians host a dialogue
Martial Artist Lubia Hernandez steps up to teach the womyn some self-defense moves specifically designed for their needs

Choosing the Right Bici … for Dummies

We get a lot of companer@s telling us they would like to join our rides but they don’t own a bike, and in fact, don’t have the slightest clue about how to choose the right one. Some of us will recall our companera, a new rider, who came on one ride with a fixie that was really hard for her to ride! 😦

So I thought I would put together this guide to choosing a bike that will serve your height, your lifestyle, your budget and hopefully take you on many many great adventures.

It’s all about the height!

Probably the most important thing to consider when getting a new bike is the height of your frame. Riding the wrong size bike can do serious irreversible damage to your knees. While you can make minor adjustments to the height (i.e. raise/lower the seat, change the tire size), you should get a frame that is the right height for you! You might feel like Goldy Locks for a while but hang in there and you will find the right frame for you.

You might feel like Goldy Locks for a while but hang in there and you will find the right frame for you.

Most bike frames are measured in cm and the height of your bike depends on your inseam. I copied the following chart from http://bicycling.about.com/od/howtoride/a/bike_sizing.htm

Determining Your Road Bike Frame Size
Height Inseam Length Bike Frame Size
4’10” – 5’1″ 25.5” – 27” 46 – 48 cm
5’0″ – 5’3″ 26.5″ – 28″ 48 – 50 cm
5’2″ – 5’5″ 27.5″ – 29″ 50 – 52 cm
5’4″ – 5’7″ 28.5″ – 30″ 52 – 54 cm
5’6″ – 5’9″ 29.5″ – 31″ 54 – 56 cm
5’8″ – 5’11” 30.5″ – 32″ 56 – 58 cm
5’10” – 6’1″ 31.5″ – 33″ 58 – 60 cm
6’0″ – 6’3″ 32.5″ – 34″ 60 – 62 cm
6’2″ – 6’5″ 34.5″ – 36″ 62 – 64 cm

Your lifestyle:

  • The Commuter: You use your bike to get from home to school, work, run errands, etc. Typically you want something sturdy so consider a mountain bike frame or a road frame with good tires ( we’re usually talking 26″ or 27″ rims). Another thing to consider for your commuter is ergonomics, the science of good posture–you might want to go with handlebars that are high so you are riding in a comfortable upright position. Lastly, get yourself a rack, basket, saddlebags or a trailer to carry your loads on your commuter.

Ex. Flying Pigeon LA, Brompton Folding Bike, Schwinn, Nishiki, Raleigh, Huffy, Gary Fisher

You use your bike to get from home to school, work, run errands, etc.

  • The Young Urbanite: You are typically young and trendy and use your bike mostly to ride around with friends. Your bike is probably going to be a road bike or fixie (with 700 “thin” tires) with a vibrant customizable color scheme. These bikes tend to be fast and lightweight or sleek, but prone to flats (you will need to learn how to repair a flat on command). The more gears, the easier it is to ride. Fixies can be difficult to ride but are great for conditioning because they don’t move unless you are pedaling. They are very easy to find on Craigslist.org

Ex. fixie (Micargi), Bianchi, Peugot, Motobacane, Trek, Specialized, Giant, Fuji, Univega, Centution

 You are typically young and trendy and use your bike mostly to ride around with friends.

  • The Adventurer: You are an adrenaline junkie and will use your bike to handle tough terrain or go very fast. You would benefit from a mountain bike or cyclocross/track frame. These bikes are sturdy with thick tires and usually have a number of speeds.

Ex. Cannondale, Diamondback, Specialized, Trek, Mongoose

You are an adrenaline junkie and will use your bike to handle tough terrain or go very fast.

  • The Cruiser/Easy Rider: You use your bike for relaxation, light exercise and general cruising purposes. Typically these bicycles are very comfortable and easy to ride and might have coaster brakes (the bike stops when you pedal back). These are not built for speed and are usually very heavy. They are recognizable because of their heavy frame and tire fenders.

ex. Easy rider, Beach Cruiser (Schwinn)

You use your bike for relaxation, light exercise and general cruising purposes.

Budget

If this is your first bike purchase, it’s probably smart to start off with an economically priced frame. Road bike, fixies, mountain bike, even trickter/bmx bike are relatively easy to find on Craigslist for a good price (less than $500). Remember to search by height!!

Be very careful if you’re buying a “fixer-upper” because it will require that you invest some (possibly a lot) or time and money. If you do buy a fixer-upper, you can learn to do your own repairs for $5/hr plus the cost of materials at one of LA’s many bicycle co-op–Bike Oven, Bike Kitchen, Bici Libre, Bici Digna, etc. 😉

Be very careful if you’re buying a “fixer-upper” because it will require that you invest some (possibly a lot) or time and money.

Bike technology can be really innovative so you might be wowed by some of the new carbon fiber bikes that are ridiculously lightweight. If you have the desire and the resources to buy something like that, by all means go ahead.

ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS lock up your bike no matter how much you spend on it or how safe you think it might be on your front porch. It’s an investment you made and your very own freedom machine. Buy yourself a good u-lock or heavy-duty chain! Try to stay away from thin chains as they can be cut very easily.

ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS lock up your bike no matter how much you spend on it or how safe you think it might be on your front porch.

Good riding ❤

-La Maga

Ovas Unite 2012! by Ariel Climer

(A reflection on the January Luna Ride dedicated to the Zapatista Uprising of ’94)

Back in September, I was invited by my friend to an event at the Echoplex
called Mucho Libre, a concert and community event gathering together screen
printers, crafters, bike enthusiasts, and fans of cumbia, Son Jarocho, and
rock. There, I first met some of the wombyn called the Ovarian Psycos,
women who gather together at each full moon to celebrate womanhood, to be
in solidarity with other wombyn and to promote the healthy, fun, and
political act of cycling. This full moon, I finally participated in a ride!
The all-wombyn and wombyn-identified crew rode from Pasadena at Memorial
Park station to Solidarity Ink, a new artist collective and organizing
center in Lincoln Heights.

I began the ride by taking the Metro to Pasadena. I rode to the purple line
at Wilshire/Western and spoke with an older man on the train who was also a
cyclist. He was surprised to hear of an all women’s ride and wished me good
luck and a good time. I speed walked myself and my bike over to the Gold Line, almost forgot to buy another ticket, and then hopped on, crossing past a handful of kids riding the Gold Line in their underwear. Were they part of a flash mob? I didn’t ask and instead just admired their statement.

The Gold Line cruised up the slow slope out of downtown, past Chinatown and
into Highland Park. At one stop, a wombyn with a bicycle got on. We caught
eyes and her dark long hair and intense yet excited demeanor made me
wonder, would we be flying through the night together soon? Another wombyn
guided her bike on to the train at the next stop. Our eyes crossed paths,
and I smiled and nodded what’s up. All three of us were spaced out evenly
across the car in the train, me in the “elbow” as I like to call it, where
bike or strollers often sit, the other two wombyn at the doors, standing
tall nears the brushed metal poles. I felt the strength of the two wombyn
standing regally with hands balancing delicately yet firmly upon the
handlebars and seats of their bikes.

I felt the strength of the two wombyn
standing regally with hands balancing delicately yet firmly upon the handlebars and seats of their bikes.

We rolled out and up the steps at Memorial Park station to find a few more
wombyn waiting for us. At the top of the steps we found space to chill, and
we waited and watched as more trains dropped off more sisters. Soon, we
were 37 strong. We pumped up tires, adjusted seats, and checked for proper
gear. “Make sure you use your lights if you have them!”

We circled up for stretches and did some beautiful reaches up toward the
moon, some stretching of our powerful legs, and a lovely meditative stretch
of our arms. We went over safety rules and we were off!

The wonderful realization you have when you ride with all wombyn: you are
riding with all wombyn therefore everything is wombyn influenced. We used
safe calls such as “Pothole!” for potholes, whistles to alert of people
getting too far behind or of bike malfunction, and generally warned each
other to stay to one side when one lane presented itself to us and to take
up a whole lane when two lanes were present. We obeyed traffic lights to
avoid tickets. We never left anyone behind. The existence of this truth
messes with the individualistic and competitive side of long distance bike
riding that I feel has been inculcated in me by males in my lifetime. Not
that a male might leave someone behind for good, but I have definitely
heard men tell me to not be a pussy and pedal harder to make a light or to
be annoyed at the people who ride slower and are slowing everyone down or
to keep up or else I will get lost. I felt the tendencies to feel and think
these values into my comments and mutterings along the ride, but instead, I
stepped back from my brain, held them in my palm and said to them, “No, you
do not fit here. We are here to take care of each other. We are only as
strong as our weakest member. We ride as one.”

We never left anyone behind. The existence of this truth messes with the individualistic and competitive side of long distance bike riding that I feel has been inculcated in me by males in my lifetime.

All eyes of the wombyn were on the wombyn. We kept watch over each other.
One wombyn had problems with her bike but we had tools to fix it and did.
We stopped at a liquor store. We peed in a park. A few miles before our
destination, we met with the river trail and glided along in absolute
silence under la luna tranquila. She spoke to us of blue and of white, of
childbearing and of puberty.

A few miles before our destination, we met with the river trail and glided along in absolute
silence under la luna tranquila. She spoke to us of blue and of white, of childbearing and of puberty.

Our final destination brought us into the large space of Solidarity Ink. We
watched a film about the Zapatistas of Mexico and wombyn spoke to us of the
need for solidarity with our brothers and sisters down south and of the
need to prepare ourselves for our own revolution. We listened with young,
old, brash, and wise ears. We soaked in one more experience where caring
and convivial living swam to the surface of our consciousnesses, mounted an
aquatic bicycle, and rode 12 miles on the open sea.

Thank you for a great first ride. I look forward to many more.

Ovarian Psycos:January Luna Ride! Dedicated to Zapatista Uprising of ’94!

It’s that time of the month again ladies! Ovarian Psycos present the January Full Moon Luna Ride!
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
TIME:

Sunday, January 8th, 2012 RIDE OUT NO LATER THAN 7:30pm
MUST BE ON TIME @ 7:30 OR YOU WILL BE LEFT BEHIND!

LOCATION:

Meet @ Memorial Park Gold Line Station in Pasadena

End Up @ Solidarity Ink in Lincoln Heights

TO VIEW THE ROUTE, CLICK HERE

We will be riding to one of our favorite community spots (also where we had our 1 year anniversary) SOLIDARITY INK!!

We will ride to the community space and watch a short film called: Corazon Del Tiempo – A story of a revolutionary Zapatista muxer forging her way through the struggle (film is in Spanish, however it WILL have subtitles)

We will also have a sister from A.R.M.A speaking to us about the current delegation to Chiapas.

We are workin’ like psycos to finish settin’ it up to make a very special ride for the beginning of 2012, so hold on to your ovaries and stay tuned! – ♥

%d bloggers like this: