On Saturday, I plan to shuck my clothes and ride my bicycle naked through Montpelier, Vermont. Fortunately, I’ll have a lot of company: thousands of bicyclists will be riding this weekend in dozens of cities across the northern hemisphere — most with no clothes on.
The clothes-free rides (known collectively as the “World Naked Bike Ride” or WNBR) are designed to grab people’s attention, of course, and to make us all think about the “indecent exposure” to cars and to pollution that we all endure.
By reducing our dependence on cars, we:
- reduce our oil consumption;
- reduce the perceived need for off-shore oil drilling;
- produce less air pollution in general;
- reduce greenhouse gas emissions;
- reduce noise pollution;
- reduce traffic congestion.
See http://wiki.worldnakedbikeride.org/index.php?title=About#WNBR_message for more information.
But, naked? Isn’t that illegal?
This varies greatly from place to place, of course. In Vermont, as in the U.K., simply being nude in a public place is entirely legal unless there is a local ordinance against it. (Lewd acts or “an intent to alarm or distress” are other matters altogether, of course.)
So, while cyclists in some parts of the world will have to overcome their inhibitions and break the law, I’ll have it comparatively easy.
But, naked? Why?
It gets people’s attention, for one thing: it got yours, didn’t it? It’s also symbolic, of course: emphasizing the frailty of humanity compared to the behemoth machines it creates.
Also, as WNBR’s information page puts it, “by cycling naked we declare our confidence in the beauty and individuality of our bodies and the bicycles’s place as a catalyst for change in the future of sustainability, transport, community and recreation.”
But, naked? Completely?
The idea is to be “as bare as you dare.” Some choose to wear underwear or bikini bottoms; others wear more. The rides in Seattle and in London have great traditions of creative body paint. I don’t know any good body painters, but if there’s an opportunity to get a festive paint job in Montpelier, I might indulge. I will be wearing some sort of foot gear and a helmet.
But you don’t live in Montpelier. How will you get there?
You got me: I’ll be going by automobile. But before you shout “hypocrite!” and go back to whatever you were doing before reading this, please hear me out:
- I hope to carpool;
- the ride’s 20 miles away and is three miles long: I’m in pretty good shape, but I haven’t ridden anything approaching 43 miles in a very long time;
- I feel that it’s very important to help “get the message out,” and that joining in the ride is the best way to do it;
- I work at home, so my daily commute uses no oil; I batch my errands so much that I often find it’s been eight or 10 days since I’ve gotten into a car (note to city dwellers: that’s remarkable for a rural location);
- I’m hoping that my guilty conscience will help me get into good enough shape that I’ll be able to ride 46 miles next year.
If you feel at all supportive or curious, find a ride near you and join in (bicycles, skateboards, skates, anything non-motorized) — or at least cheer us on.
Recent press
- Miami Group Says Grin and Bare It for BP — Energyboom
- Naked Bike Ride’s Oil Issue Getting Attention, Says Organizer — Metronews.ca, Ottawa
- The Appropriate Approach to Naked Bike Riding — Vancouver (Wash.) Voice
- Ottawa Cyclists Protest Oil Dependency at the 6th Annual World Naked Bike Ride — Marketwire
More info
- World Naked Bike Ride wiki
- List of rides
- FAQs
- Wikipedia article
- Montpelier’s WNBR site
- World Naked Bike Ride UK
- The Transition Handbook: From Oil Dependency to Local Resilience, Rob Hopkins
- A Thousand Barrels a Second: The Coming Oil Break Point and the Challenges Facing an Energy Dependent World, Peter Tertzakian
- The Art of Moral Protest, James M. Jasper
