Naked Bike Riders Protest Oil Consumption Across Globe

Naked Bikers Stage World-Wide Peaceful Protest

The World Naked Bike Ride pedals into  at least 25 cities around the world Saturday.

It's a peaceful protest against international oil consumption.

Just how peaceful likely will depend on the site since public nudity is illegal in many areas and most of the bikers plan to be totally naked.

"We don't expect everyone to be OK with this," Aurora Danai, a 26-year-old Bucktown, Ill.. resident told the publication RedEye. "We're just trying to have a good time and raise awareness."


 

Up to 500 riders travelled routes in London and Brighton as part of the World Naked Bike Ride.

The event was first held in 2004 when more than 120 riders cycled naked through London and Edinburgh.

Last year 250 people took part in the event, making it the UK's biggest naked protest.

'Fun but serious'

A spokesman for the event said the protest was over car culture and the vulnerability of cyclists using roads.

He said it also recognised the "power and individuality of the human body", and denied the mid-afternoon start time deterred some cyclists because it clashed with the England vs Paraguay World Cup game.

London rider Melissa Evans, 33, said: "The ride is fun, but has a serious side as well. By going naked, we show our vulnerability as cyclists in the traffic.

"I'd like to see London become a city for cyclists and not cars. Most of my friends would love to ride bikes here in London, but they're afraid of the motor traffic.

"Ban cars within the M25, and most Londoners would choose to get around by bikes because they're the safest, fastest, healthiest form of transport."

Sussex Police used police patrols and CCTV to monitor the cyclists in Brighton.

A spokesman said that no-one had dared to bare completely and consequently no arrests for nudity had been made.

World-wide event

Other naked bike ride events took place elsewhere in the UK, including Bath, York and Edinburgh.

Around the globe cyclists took off their clothes and hit the road in countries such as Poland, the US, Russia, Japan, New Zealand, Spain and South Africa.

In the Czech Republic, a handful of young cyclists took to the streets of central Prague for an hour, wearing paint - and in some cases not even that.

More than 60 men and women took to York's medieval streets on Friday evening in a bid to encourage riders to take part in the London ride the next day.

Jesse Schust, one of the riders who took part in that event, said they were warmly supported by revellers heading to bars in the city centre for a night out.

Meeting up at wellington arch from around midday, it soon became clear this travelling naked protest against the dominance of car culture and oil dependency was going to be something extraordinary.

cyclists, skaters, and a few walkers stripped off in their hundreds, and accompanied by a low-key police cycle presence (who looked rather hot and over-dressed in their yellow jackets) at soon after 3.30 they set off down piccadilly.

counters were asking people to go through the arch as they left, but many didn't realise and simply joined at the front. even so, more than 600 were counted, so the actual number was considerably larger.

the pink (and very english pale white) mass was dotted with a few darker hues as well as a few folk who didn't bare all (the ride is clothing optional). they cycled through piccadilly circus and trafalgar square to whitehall, where there was an impromptu stop and a fun photo opportunity outside the gates of downing street. on round the corner of parliament square (with shouts of support to brian haw the peace campaigner who is still there after more than five years) and across the bridge.

the reception from passers-by was very good with cheering, whistling and cameras clicking. back over waterloo bridge, the route passed through the heart of covent garden - what a spectacle for the tourists! cyclists handed out leaflets about the purpose of the ride, and the pavements were crammed with disbelieving onlookers as the naked riders wheeled their way up charing cross road to oxford street.

along oxford street, shoppers stopped and reached for their mobiles and cameras as the road was filled with flesh. then on to the american embassy where naked bums were flaunted en masse.

they cycled down the final straight of park lane with car traffic held back by the friendly cops, warm breeze on naked flesh as all three lanes were occupied. wow - why can't cycling always be like this?

back at the arch, the police bade farewell, and a small party with sound system continued until the last of the nudists finally robed near 8pm.

all shapes and sizes, genders and ages were involved. one of the oldest was a woman of 84 who was too cold to go naked last year. she was thankful for the brilliant sunshine yesterday.

the world naked bike ride is still in its infancy. if present growth rates continue, there will be thousands of riders forming the largest ever british 'critical mass' next year, and naked rides are sprouting up in cities all over britain and throughout the rest of the world.

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