Candy Cranks

10 responses so far ↓

• 1 Meg - Sydney // Jun 16, 2009 at 12:49 pm

  I haven’t been to it, but I have seen the Sydney Naked Riders riding through Newtown one afternoon. There was about 20 or so of them in various states of dress and undress. Can’t say I’d be too keen to participate! Yikes!

• 2 Lauren - Los Angeles // Jun 24, 2009 at 10:57 am

  Just bummed into this site. Looks like a nude photo booth at a naked ride in Chicago. They have links to other naked rides in their area.

  http://glitterguts.com/worldnakedbikeride.php

• 3 Peter - Atlanta // Mar 13, 2011 at 9:50 am

  There is a main site for the World Naked Bike Rides:

  http://www.worldnakedbikeride.org

  There are events in 70 cities in over 20 countries.

  I haven’t participated but would be interested in doing so within the next two years, hopefully in 2012.

  Not everyone is as disrobed as in the picture you are presenting (by the way, I think the photo you have presented is from the 2009 Toronto, WNBR). There is a motto of “Bare As You Dare” and total nakedness is not enforced, and there are those who have participated who are entirely clothed (for what passes for the summer months) or in costumes. A matter of fact, most of the WNBR’s strongly suggest (either because of bike safety knowledge, that they want to set good examples of, or because of mainly local laws) that the participants wear helmets and some kind of footwear.

  The countries outside of North America, that have WNBR events, that seem to have the most people with the least amount of clothing on are as follows: England (sometime in the future I might like to participate there, London has the largest recorded participation of least clothed people), Spain (another country I’d be interested to go to participate), the Netherlands (yet again another country I’d like to go participate in) and then Australia (yes, I’d like participate there as well).

  Atlanta did attempt to have a WNBR in 2006, but as with many places in the southeast the laws regarding indecent exposure are taken, I feel, to an extreme, in what is intended and all participants I’ve seen in videos and in photos, observe, is a non-sexual event. But Georgia and the southest, itself is not alone in the fact that very few participate with the minimal of clothing, believe it or the following other states (besides also Florida which still has rides) have similiar laws regarding indecent exposure that has made it much more likely that there will be more clothing at WNBR’s in these states are: New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, D.C., New Mexico, MIssouri and Colorado (Denver & St. Louis’s events have not had many with minimal of clothing) and yes, even California outside of San Francisco has many laws regarding indecent exposure that have made the WNBR’s in other places tame by comparison and lacking many with minimal of clothing.

  You don’t necessarily have to participate in a WNBR riding a bike, but it does have to be something that has wheels that isn’t motorized (meaning you have to use and exert your own energy to make the thing move), some have used skateboards, roller skates (there is an image on wikipedia about these WNBR’s that shows a young man in London nearly totally naked on roller skates), skateboards, non-motorized scooters, tricycles and unicycles

  From what I have researched the cities in North America with WNBR’s that have the most participants riding with the minimal of clothing (including some that, in my humble opinion, unwisely, do not wear helmets) are in order: Portland, OR (the largest worldwide in terms of participation, 3rd Saturday in June, evening; this group though seems the most prepared safety wise with the use of the helmets, Bravo to them), Toronto, ON (2nd Saturday in June, daytime), Victoria, BC (2nd Saturday in June, daytime), Seattle, WA (2nd Saturday in July, daytime), Chicago, IL (2nd Saturday in June, evening), Victoria, BC (2nd Saturday in June, daytime), San Francisco, CA (2nd Saturday in June, daytime), Madison, WI (that just had it’s first WNBR in 2010, surprisingly with only six citations for indecent exposure {that have since been thrown out of court} out of a crowd of at least 100, mainly with minimal of clothing on, 3rd Saturday in June, daytime), Montpelier and Burlington, VT (both 2nd Saturday in June, daytime)

  I do think the helmet usage is vital, both for clothed and nearly naked bike riders, because I had a bike accident back in 1985, with a car, when I was 21-years old, and a student at the University of South Florida in Tampa where I suffered what turned out to be a minor head injury (but did it hurt at the time and the doctor’s did say it could have been much worse).

  The two main messages which I think are very important ones of these WNBR’s are as follows (kind of summarized by me):

  1. The protest of the over usage, in this world, of non-renewable energy sources and long-term non-sustainable fossil fuels for transportation. (By the way, many people do not know that most roads in this world were built before the introduction of automobiles, and weren’t originally built for them in mind.)

  2. And that last statement, in parenthesis, leads to the 2nd message of the WNBR’s, trying to bring awareness to the fact that both cyclist and other pedestrians (since I have been both and been in that aforementioned bike accident, that was caused by an automobile driver who didn’t even stop to see if I was okay, I can certainly appreciate and applaud this) rights are many times (I had this just today in Atlanta as a pedestrian) are violated and disrespected and we are treated many times as though we are naked or nude in terms of whether we are there or not.

  I do realize that some of the participants probably lose sight of the messages and use the events as a tool to just have a good party time, and an excuse to get as naked as they can in public, that they are trying to envey, but most participants do not.

  Many but not all of the WNBR’s also provide body painting to express opinions on the messages I reported on, upabove, many, but not all, participants again come in costumes, some put signs on their bikes.

  So, yeah, I would be interested in participating. And I would go and participate in the minimal of clothing on with just a helmet, sandals and I’d include kneepads (just because when I had that bike accident I really banged my knees as well, and my knees I don’t yet to totally recover from that.) Yes, it’s possible that I want to participate because I am kind of cheeky and yes, perhaps a exhibitionist. I’d probably would try and see about getting a group together, if I could, of like-minded individuals in the Atlanta area that might be frustrated that there is not a WNBR in Atlanta and would try to participate in the first time, hopefully in 2012, in the WNBR’s in Toronto, Chicago, Portland and Seattle. So, I’m hoping they continue and actually grow bigger (pun unintended). Unfortunately, I don’t have a bike right now (and I would want to go and particpate on a bike). I”m going to ask for a bike for my birthday in November and try to get lessons on just how to navigate around cities (It would be a bike that is urban type, not racing, and these WNBR’s are not races or suppose to be competitive, by the way.) So, hopefully in 2012 I’ll see people (both other participants and spectators in nearly my birthday suit) at the WNBR’s in Toronto, Chicago, Portland and Seattle.

• 4 Marie NYC // Mar 14, 2011 at 8:19 am

  Peter, thanks for the comments on what I’m sure is an eye-opening event!

• 5 Virginia+Thomas // Jun 5, 2011 at 9:27 pm

  I+have+been+asked+to+photograph+at+one+of+these+events+by+the+organisers.+They+really+are+amazingly+good+fun.+It+is+not+a+prerequisite+to+be+100%+naked+to+take+part,+a+lot+of+participants+do+get+fully+body+painted,+and+the+one+that+is++organised+this+year+is+not+at+the+crack+of+dawn+as+in+the+previous+years.+

  It+really+is+so+much+fun,+and+last+year+around+50+people+participated,+from+being+only+6++the+previous+year+the+word+keeps+spreading+and+this+year+well+over+100+have+signed+up….
  ….as+for+the+person+above+saying+they+don\\\’t+own+a+bike,+I+say+get+involved,+sign+up+and+it\\\’s+amazing+how+many+people+own+more+than+one+bike+in+their+house+hold+and+are+willing+to+lend+it+out+for+the+few+hours+it+takes+to+participate+in+an+event+such+as+this,+and+if+in+doubt,+they+are+always+looking+for+safety+stewards+who+remain+clothed+throughout+the+event+and+announce+to+pedestrians+in+advance+of+the+arrival+of+the+naked+cyclists+that+they+are+on+their+way+and+to+not+look+if+it+might+be+offended…they+also+halt+traffic+at+crossroads+to+prevent+accidents+etc.+This+way+you+could+get+a+feeling+for+how+well+one+of+these+events+are+run….the+faces+on+those+who+witness+the+event+is+absolutely+brilliant+and+the+feeling+of+accomplishment+of+getting+the+road+safety+and+fossil+fuel+message+across+and+having+one+of+the+most+liberating+cycles+of+ones+life+is+worth+going+along+for.
  On+top+of+everything+else+our+cities+naked+bike+ride+had+numerous+body+painting+workshops+throughout+the+year+so+that+when+the+day+of+the+bike+ride+arrives+there+are+as+many+colourful+designs+and,+messages+painted+on+bodies,+even+rain+can\\\’t+wipe+of+the+participants+smiles+:)

• 6 Marie - New York City // Jun 6, 2011 at 9:49 am

  Thanks V&T!

• 7 Cyclerock // Jun 22, 2011 at 1:12 am

  NYC’s raindate for the Naked Ride is July 24th, 2011. Departing from East River Park, (at Delancy St, NYC), 6pm. Ride prep and body paint session are earlier and a party follows the ride. Go to Times-up.org for more details.

• 8 Cyclerock // Jun 22, 2011 at 1:14 am

  …and to answer the question, Yes, I participated in 2010.

• 9 Marie NYC // Jun 22, 2011 at 1:20 am

  Thanks, Cyclerock! Sounds like we need to do a new posting about it!

• 10 Grahame // Nov 2, 2011 at 3:33 am

  I took part in the ride in Exeter, UK in June 2011 which was also the first ride for this city. There were only about 30 of us as the weather was a bit dull but we persevered. About 75% of the guys were toatally naked, including myself, and about 60% of the girls were topless but none were naked. Initially the police were against total nudity but the organisers persevered and in the end it was accepted that some would be totally nude. We rode through the main shopping centre at lunch time on the Saturday, the busiest shopping day of the week. We were mainly greeted by applause, mostly from the women, and we even had a police escort throughout. I have never seen so many cameras or phone cameras clicking away all in one area.

  It was the most exhilarating feeling imaginable. I can’t wait for next years ride. I just wish cities would space them out a bit so I could go to more than one.

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