Better apply plenty of sunscreen if you plan to ride during the daytime, Credit: AFP/Getty
Wanna feel the wind in your hair, the sun on your face and the peering eyes of confused neighbors on your naked parts as you ride a bike through a major US city? Well you'd better mark June 12th on your calendar, because that's the day when thousands of people around the world will be taking part in what's known as the World Naked Bike Ride.
This year, official rides will be taking place in Chicago, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Portland, and a few other bike-friendly cities. Times, dates and public nudity laws vary from state to state, so you'll need to consult the WNBR's official wiki to get details about your ride -- and about how little clothing to wear. But be prepared for a certain level of secrecy; a few of the better-organized rides will only broadcast the route via text messages to participants on the day of the event, to prevent gawkers, we assume.
What's the purpose of the World Naked Bike Ride? According to Chicago organizer Andrew Bedno, "Chicago's official slogan is 'Celebrating freedom from oil and the beauty of people.'" OK, that makes some sense, right? We'd all like to be less dependent on our cars, especially in light of the recent oil spill, and we're down with the beauty of the human body -- although that brings up another question: Why the nudity?
Because nudity is newsworthy, duh (that's why Holidash is covering it). If you're trying to attract attention, nudity is definitely the way to go. Just ask PETA. The WNBR site declares, "We face automobile traffic with our naked bodies as the best way of defending our dignity and exposing the unique dangers faced by cyclists and pedestrians as well as the negative consequences we all face due to our dependence on oil and other forms of non-renewable energy."
So how effective is the naked bike ride at raising awareness of global oil issues? It's hard to tell. As you might imagine, this clothing-optional event brings together a very wide range of participants. "Most of the cyclists are pretty seriously anti-oil, consider it a demonstration, and account for maybe half. Very roughly another third is nudists, frustratingly many coming by car, and the rest come for fun," Bedno tells Holidash.
The bottom line is this: these naked riders aren't nudists or exhibitionists. For the most part, they are anti-fossil fuel protesters with a few freeloading naturalists mixed in. The World Naked Bike Ride may be a boisterous and fun event, but it does have some serious sociopolitical underpinnings ... they just get kind of drowned out by the whole nudity thing. We're hopeful that this year, the environmental message will trump the naked people, though.
If this sounds like a good idea to you and you'd like to bring the WNBR to your town, check out the Chicago WNBR's how-to formula. Organizing a ride is actually pretty simple, but that doesn't mean it's easy -- or comfortable. Then again, who ever said protesting was supposed to be comfortable?
World Naked Bike Ride 2010 Promo... the making of.. from ps on Vimeo.
Lita,6-12-2010, 2:03PM
Yes, these nut jobs riding naked through the city makes me interested in their issues and creates in me the desire to take what they have to say seriously.
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berg1928,6-12-2010, 5:56PM
They are going to take it seriously, too, when they are sunburned on parts of their bodies not normally exposed to the sunshine.
Dunk,6-12-2010, 7:45PM
What's the harm in this? Unless there's a nude woman on her period leaving a trail. Maybe it's not YOUR idea of fun, nor mine, but who are we to badmouth their event? I'm guessing most of the angry, bitter people writing bad things about it are negative people in general. Sucks to be you.
ajschrod,6-12-2010, 2:14PM
Asinine--completely asinine! With all the poverty and ways for young adults to help those less fortunate, what a bunch of useless jerks! Harmless fun?-sure, but also worthless fun!
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Matt,6-12-2010, 2:27PM
all fun is worthless fun.. ya gotta take joy in the little things in life man... i probably wouldn't do this though... i'm kind of a shy person
mgrtec1,6-12-2010, 3:21PM
I've seen photos from a few of these "naked rides" and they were pretty ugly. I suspect that most of these people have no idea how they appear to the rest of the world and most likely they don't care.
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JACK,6-12-2010, 2:44PM
WWJD Not that I can tell you!!!!!!!!!!!
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wil2660,6-12-2010, 2:49PM
What a bunch of tools.
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nadiine9,6-12-2010, 4:17PM
ya - Literally
*cough*
geomcd,6-12-2010, 2:53PM
I hope the mosquitoes, wasps, bees, etc are out in full force enjoying nature too! A nice fall on the pavement might also be a good lesson on the protection of clothing too. This is the dumbest think I've heard of. I'm thankful I don't live where this is taking place.
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jbjg24m,6-12-2010, 3:26PM
anybody wanna buy a good used bicycle seat?
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JohnK,6-12-2010, 3:26PM
Nice headline. Those aren't bikers, they're bicyclists.
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jpuzzlewhiz,6-12-2010, 3:38PM
Did you use a dictionary before you wrote your post? If you had, you might have found out that a biker is defined as "one who bikes". And bike is considered short for BICYCLE. So, the term is not as inappropriate as you claim.
Martin,6-13-2010, 6:44AM
YEAH, BUT... hey the Boy Scouts of America is a gang but we do not say that... because the word gang now denotes deviants and such. Now, the word biker denotes a motor bike rider. I opened this because I thought it was pertainer to those bikers and some protest going on at the ROT Rally going on in Austin, Texas this weekend.
jpuzzlewhiz,6-12-2010, 3:29PM
What worries me about events such as this is that those who disapprove of WNBR's methods might get militant about it, and try using deadly force. I hope there are plenty of police around to provide top-notch security.
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Marcus,6-12-2010, 3:47PM
These naked bicycle riders are the same clowns that hate the police and always try to get them in trouble for the least little infraction. Why would police protect these stupid idiots? The police should let what happens to these clown just happen.
Think about it!!!!,6-12-2010, 3:42PM
Lets see.... ride bikes naked to protest OIL, HMMMM? What are the tires made from???? What are the inner-tubes made from???? What is the seat made from???? What lubricates the bearings so that they can peddal with the least amount of effort???? HMMMMMM?????? OH YEAH, THATS RIGHT....OIL !!!!!! Lets see them ride bikes with out these things. I bet it makes it really uncomfortable with out that seat. Plus.... there is the elastic and other fibers in they're clothing. GET A CLUE!!!!!
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jamesnpost,6-12-2010, 5:14PM
Don't look now, DBD, but there is still such a thing as natural rubber. Also, synthetic polymers for tires can be made from hemp oil. The seats, and the riders clothes, can be made from hemp fiber. The lube and the paint also can be made with hemp oil. MIllions of Americans have been jailed, disenfranchised, even shot, to protect the oil market from unwanted competition from the natural product hemp. Hemp is kept illegal to protect the oiligarchs from such competition. Hemp is life; oil is death.
phil,6-12-2010, 3:50PM
Dictionary be damned. Bikers ride motorcycles, bicyclists ride bicycles.
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jpuzzlewhiz,6-12-2010, 3:58PM
When you were a child, didn't you ask your parents if you could go out and "ride your BIKE"? I'd say that would make you a "biker".