Naked Bike Ride Day around the world: extra-large photo gallery

Cyclists ride during the World Naked Bike Ride in Mexico City. More photos from around the world, below. Probably "NSFW," depending on where you "W." (REUTERS/Jorge Lopez)

Below: naked, beer-swilling Europeans ride their bike past Trafalgar Square during the 2011 World Naked Bike Ride in London. (REUTERS/Kevin Coombs)

Below: More nude dudes on two wheels, during the 2011 World Naked Bike Ride in Brussels (REUTERS/Francois Lenoir)

Below: Cyclists raise their bikes in the air during the 2011 World Naked Bike Ride in Guadalajara, Mexico. (REUTERS/Alejandro Acosta)

• [Moriarty]

  What a great way to show everyone that bicyclists are not really crazy, cultish hippies.

• [Anonymous]

  In the Mexican ride it doesn’t appear anyone is naked. Aren’t they allowed to go naked in Mexico? I’ve been in Toronto’s ride for the last four years and there’s never been a problem going naked. In fact the first year I was in it there was a police escort. One of Canada’s top lawyers is doing a constitutional challenge to the nudity laws here in Canada on July 5th in Bracebridge. With any luck he will win his case. There’s a very good chance. Winning doesn’t mean the government will change the law it just means the law will be useless so the police won’t likely ever charge a person with nudity or public indecency because they’re naked.

• [Anonymous]

  Couldn’t help it, but read #7′s comment as “pubic bike”. True.

• [tobergill]

  You can see the testicular cancer forming…..

• [Anonymous]

  I had the chance to participate this year in Houston. We met up at our agreed starting point near downtown and cycled through the Heights, Downtown, and Montrose. All of us had our own bikes, so unsanitary bike seats was a non issue. We had participants of various ages and body types. It was very hot and humid- even though it was dark out- so we did become quite sweaty- even though we weren’t wearing much clothing. For some reason it was delayed- we planned on a 6pm starting time and it got pushed back to 9:00pm. We completed the ride at 1:00am, so it turned into a night time ride. You could see our flickering el-wire and LED lights a lot easier than our skin.

  We had a small group. We started with about 50 riders and finished with 10. This was mostly due to it being in the evening- so as it got later people dropped off and went home to take care of family obligations. Along the way we stopped at maybe a half dozen different bars/eateries. I elected to keep my beer consumption way down in favor of water/gatorade. -not a good idea to wipe out on a bike at night drunk and naked!

  We mostly had male riders but a few women did participate. Most of us were not actually naked- most wore helmets/backpacks and sneakers- and underwear/swim wear or shorts. Some of us also sported body paint- the reason for this is that we have an ordinance prohibiting public nudity here. Nipples including areolas must be covered, as well as the genitals. Some police may be kind and let you go about your business, or tell you to cover up to avoid arrest or fines- but most will charge you with indecent exposure. Also if any children are present- regardless of the nature of the nudity (kids happen to be outside on the street with their parents) you can be charged with indecency/ sexual misconduct with a minor and become a registered sex offender if convicted. Not many of us were willing to risk that possibility over something frivolous so we played it safe.

  A few of us did go nude inside at our stops, and on the streets or bike trails where there weren’t a lot of people. We saw a few police along the way- but they were more concerned with watching the crowds in the packed popular night spots and for drunk drivers than they were a few dozen cyclists showing skin. We did get cheers and positive feedback from bystanders and people we did talk to. We stopped at our KPFT Pacifica radio station, where the host was gracious enough to allow some of us into his booth where we did an informal interview for about 5 minutes- discussing what the World Nude Bike Ride is and promoting cycling in general.

  I was disappointed by the attitude of one lady who went home early- because she said she “didn’t want to be outside in her underwear in the Montrose.” We were there to have fun, so we let her go on her merry way since it was outside of her comfort zone. We didn’t let her comments (which implied baseless fear and homophobia) affect our enjoyment the event.

  The ride has only happened here for a few years. The organizer is trying to promote it mostly on social networks. If the number of participants becomes large enough he hopes to make it an official event with a permit. We were more concerned about careless motorists than any police. We looked out for each other for the most part by trying to communicate, keep the group together on the road, watching for traffic, and providing some escort for the few who didn’t have bike lights.

  I had a lot of fun, and may participate again. I spent the evening with some friends, and met a lot of interesting people along the way. Also, it made me go on a longer ride and to places I may not otherwise bike to on my own. Regardless, riding bikes in a group can be safe and fun. You have companionship, support, and people to talk to on the way. You don’t have to be an athlete, or an activist to do this- cycling can be a fun social activity. I hope this ride takes off in our city, and the movement continues to build!

• [Sekino]

  I guess I’m a big time weirdo, because every time I see pictures of a big crowd of naked people just doing mundane stuff together, they suddenly stop looking so… naked. It’s funny how instantly the illicit, obscene notions of nudity can vanish.

  That and the middle-aged ladies in the pics really seem to be loving what they see, so why the heck not? :D

• [Anonymous]

  Umm… this is just dumb. Now, I am all for nekkid ppls just as much as the next ppl, but, um… can you say “road rash”?!?! Srsly….

  Capcha: “recover”… lol!

• [pjcamp]

  Yeesh! A thousand brown bicycle seats. Seems like an uncomfortable way to ride, if nothing else.

• [Anonymous]

  As a young, wannabe libertine, I’ve always found it odd that our culture obsessively craves female nudity yet male nudity is discouraged as ugly and deviant. It also bums me out that there aren’t more clothes optional resorts and parks in America, and that there isn’t really much of a demand from the 20 and 30-something crowd. One of the few things I like about living in the semi-rural south is that I have access to enough wooded private property to occasionally enjoy the summer weather to the fullest without the neighbors throwing a public indecency charge at me.

  • [Gulliver]

    @ Anon #22

    As a young, wannabe libertine, I’ve always found it odd that our culture obsessively craves female nudity yet male nudity is discouraged as ugly and deviant.

    NSFW (or mealtime)
    http://www.adbusters.org/files/imagecache/item-image-full/images/adbusters_reality_for_men.jpg

    It’s not that men are inherently ugly, no more than any other animal anyway. It’s that most men and women simply do not take care of their bodies. Trust me, if we were all Greek gods there would be a lot more clothing optional reserves in the U.S. and around the world.

    • [Vidya]

      “It’s that most men and women simply do not take care of their bodies.”

      Where “take care of their bodies” means being born with exceptional genes, and not ageing.

      As a 350-lb, daily-exercising, health-food-freak vegan, I despise the use of the phrase “take care of [oneself]” to suggest that anyone whose body doesn’t conform to narrow social expectations is doing something ‘wrong’. (See also, “let [oneself] go.”) Please think about the effect this language has on the liveability of many real people’s lives before you use it.

      • [Gulliver]

        Where “take care of their bodies” means being born with exceptional genes, and not ageing.

        No, but thank you for putting words in my mouth.

        As a 350-lb, daily-exercising, health-food-freak vegan, I despise the use of the phrase “take care of [oneself]” to suggest that anyone whose body doesn’t conform to narrow social expectations is doing something ‘wrong’. (See also, “let [oneself] go.”) Please think about the effect this language has on the liveability of many real people’s lives before you use it.

        You may be in exceptional health. But the fact of the matter is that most people in this country and a few others eat atrocious diets and rarely, if ever, exercise. That’s their prerogative, but I’m not going to never point out the poor-health epidemic because it might hurt the feelings of insecure individuals who interpret any statement about taking good care of their irreplaceable bodies as an attack on their value as persons. FUCK body image. Fitness is a matter of living well. It sounds like you do. I wish more people would follow your example and I’m not going to stop suggesting it. Couch potatoes that live off junk food are gonna have a lot worse livability issues that me telling them their ruining their health.

• [funchy]

  In reading these comments, I am simply amazed how many people are self-loathing and must project it onto the whole human race. I’m also amazed at how many people are horrified that bare human skin is touching the rider’s own bicycle. It’s just skin; healthy skin is never gross or nasty.

  The most beautiful human body belongs to the person who is secure in how he looks and doesn’t try to change to meet artificial ideals, fashions, or criticisms. The sexiest men are those who have the self esteem to go out in public and have fun doing something like this! My idea of a man who has “let himself go” is one who has let his feelings of self-worth rot away and has become uncomfortable with being touched or looked at.

  • [Gulliver]

    I’m also amazed at how many people are horrified that bare human skin is touching the rider’s own bicycle. It’s just skin; healthy skin is never gross or nasty.

    Hey, you wanna ride on a seat that’s been hosting someone’s unclothed ass and package during several hours of sweaty exertion, that is all you. I don’t have high standards of personal hygiene, but I got some.

    The most beautiful human body belongs to the person who is secure in how he looks and doesn’t try to change to meet artificial ideals, fashions, or criticisms.

    Yeah, and values their body enough to keep it running for a nice long time. You only get one.

    The sexiest men are those who have the self esteem to go out in public and have fun doing something like this!

    Yes, a lack of insecurity is a very attractive trait, as is an active lifestyle that shows an appreciation of good health. I’m still not sharing a seat on one of those bikes without wiping it down, no matter how much you think that’s self-loathing of me. You wanna tear me town for that, go right ahead, have a ball.

    My idea of a man who has “let himself go” is one who has let his feelings of self-worth rot away and has become uncomfortable with being touched or looked at.

    Who started all this “let himself go” bullshit? I said take care of their bodies. As in eat a balanced diet, don’t overindulge in toxins, get some exercise to keep the ticker pumping. Why is it so hard for some people to grasp the difference between body-conformity and physical health? It’s not complicated. One is a stupid social construct, the other is how you live to a ripe old age. You’d think I was describing quantum field theory. That or you’re deliberately twisting my meaning. Christ on a crutch!

  • [knoxblox]

    I think it’s the anus issue. It’s not the norm to brush up against somebody’s anus on a crowded bus, or to have to shake someone’s anus in greeting.

    Those are anuses on those bike seats, not flowers.

• [Donald Petersen]

  As a native Southern Californian, pictures #5, 6, 7, and 9 really made me smile. Those sun-lovin’ Brits and Belgians best be layin’ the SPF on thick this week.

  Funny how we cling to the aesthetics of our youth. Yes, most of us (in my country, anyway) aren’t in the finest physical shape, but even the fittest among us still looks kinda ridiculous to my eye when wearing nothing but perfectly healthy alabaster skin. At least when it comes to men. The sun-deprived Northern European “phosphorescent skin… glowing at the beach” (to paraphrase George Carlin) still looks a trifle sickly to me, though I know full well that it’s pretty much the opposite of true.

  I’m not proud of my flabbyish potbellied 41-year-old physique, but it bugs me a whole lot more when it’s completely absent any degree of tan. I need to get my head examined. And probably a mole or two as well.

  • [Gulliver]

    I’m not proud of my flabbyish potbellied 41-year-old physique, but it bugs me a whole lot more when it’s completely absent any degree of tan. I need to get my head examined. And probably a mole or two as well.

    What do you care what other people think? You’re the only one who has to live in your body. By all means, live a healthy lifestyle; but do it because you want to feel fit and have a long productive life, not because a world full of cynical advertising firms assail people’s self-esteem. God I hate superficiality! I’m not criticizing your way of thinking; obviously I don’t know you that well from one internet post. I’m criticizing this pernicious meme that compels people to feel actual shame at not meeting some pseudo-aesthetic notion of what a person should look like.

    *repeated headdesk*

    • [Antinous / Moderator]

      When the entire publishing/entertainment/military/industrial complex devotes most of its resources to convincing you that you’re pathetically inadequate, it’s a bit hard to avoid absorbing a bit of the poison.

      • [Gulliver]

        Yeah, sorry I got my dander up; that goes to Vidya and Donald too.

        It just drive me crazy that people think they owe it to society to conform their body to some ridiculous ideal that isn’t even particularly healthy. I admit, I’m a bit of a health maniac. But take these so-called supermodels in fashion shows; they look like they’re ready to collapse. And then there’s these male sports figures that look like walking ads for anabolic steroids. And advertisers do it because it works; folks actually swallow this crap. I see kids buying into this BS and it makes me want to scream. I’m not usually one to wish for the power to subvert self-determination, but if someone gave me the spell for wiping out this obsession with appearance, I think I just might use it.

    • [Donald Petersen]

      What do you care what other people think? You’re the only one who has to live in your body.

      Sure. But you must realize that despite our advanced civilization, pot-bellies have a harder time getting laid in this culture. I’m not saying that it’s just or rational, but it does help explain why people care what other people think.

      My self-esteem is healthy enough; I’m a swell guy. From my teens through my late 20s I was a tall skinny dude (6’2″ and 140 lbs) with bad skin and worse hair. I had to do my best to attract mates with charm and wit and intelligence, since I was never really all that much to look at. I did get better looking later on, once I got the hair and skin sorted out and I put on a few more pounds. But even then, I didn’t turn heads with my looks alone, not by a long shot. I learned to attract women through other means, and in the end that has helped my relationships start out with what seems to be a stouter foundation than simply visual attraction. But I did always feel a tad bent out of shape when conventionally better-looking fellas would get all sorts of attention from all sorts of women, no matter how badly they treated them. I tellya, it’s a cultural psychosis.

      But honestly, the reason I’m “not proud” of my current physical state is because it’s completely my fault that I’ve become flabby in my old married dotage. For Christ’s sake, there’s the empty wrapper of a medium #4 from Carl’s Jr, complete with fries and Dr Pepper, sitting on the table in front of me as I type. And it was yummy, too.

      I’m not ashamed because my bad dietary and exercise habits keep the cheerleaders out of my bed. I’m ashamed because I should keep myself in better shape for the sake of my wife and children and other loved ones, if not for my own bad self. Heart trouble runs in my family. That’s all.

      But your point is well taken.

      • [Gulliver]

        I tellya, it’s a cultural psychosis.

        An apt diagnosis.

        I’m not ashamed because my bad dietary and exercise habits keep the cheerleaders out of my bed. I’m ashamed because I should keep myself in better shape for the sake of my wife and children and other loved ones, if not for my own bad self. Heart trouble runs in my family. That’s all.

        Those are sage reasons. I think for the younger crowd (and obviously I’m generalizing since there are doubtless many exceptions) its more about trying futilely to conform to an unhealthy image and then, when that doesn’t happen, treating their bodies like crap and it never occurs to many that the best reasons to be fit are for themsleves and the people that want them to stay among the living.

        But your point is well taken.

        I feel bad for jumping on yours and Vidya’s cases. It’s not your fault the world is shallower than the Platte River.

        • [Donald Petersen]

          I think for the younger crowd … its more about trying futilely to conform to an unhealthy image and then, when that doesn’t happen, treating their bodies like crap

          Well, you know what they say about the young and their feelings of immortality. The reason I was so scrawny as a lad wasn’t because I couldn’t get enough to eat. I had a very fast metabolism, with lots of energy to boot. I ate a lot of fast food simply because it was fast and cheap and plentiful, and I could tear ass through my day without worrying too much. In my late 20s, my metabolism slowed, and in my 30s, my job became much more sedentary, so staying fit required more time and consciously-applied energy. I didn’t see that coming when I was 20 and delivering pizzas and playing drums in a band. I thought I’d be effortlessly skinny forever, since I never could figure out how to gain weight back then. And all I wanted was to not be so damned scrawny.

          Kids don’t have a referent for their future, and they’re not inclined to listen to hopelessly out-of-date codgers like me. Changing the culture’s ideals of beauty and attractiveness to a healthier range would indeed be an admirable goal, but I get the impression it would be akin to changing the Earth’s gravitational pull to help our shoes last longer. And divorcing attraction from visual stimuli (or other superficial cues) strikes me as outside the realm of possibility for our species.

          Really, what can be done? Some people are attracted by a sense of humor, others are attracted to money or power or success. Some people put a premium on intelligence or curiosity, some value cartoonishly oversized and paradoxically buoyant mammary glands. Most people, in my experience, discover that their heads can be turned by a specific set of superficial physical parameters, and the celebration of the head-turning powers of these parameters has resulted in some of the world’s loveliest and most enjoyable art. Most people enjoy having their heads turned, and I daresay most people would enjoy turning a few heads themselves, if it didn’t interfere too much with their ability to walk unmolested wherever they will.

          This only becomes a problem, I believe, when it’s taken too far: when the ideals become unrealistic and virtually unachievable, or when the obsession with attaining or maintaining one’s ideal shape interferes with a healthier, less-superficial mindset. And that, I think, is where we’ve arrived as a culture.

          But what do we do? Seriously, how does one alter this planetary spin, as it were?

        • [Gulliver]

          Kids don’t have a referent for their future, and they’re not inclined to listen to hopelessly out-of-date codgers like me. Changing the culture’s ideals of beauty and attractiveness to a healthier range would indeed be an admirable goal, but I get the impression it would be akin to changing the Earth’s gravitational pull to help our shoes last longer.

          Granted. Each of us has to learn through our own unique experiences. But I’ve noticed our civilization has an obsession with mass culture than borders on the sort of compulsion one sees in opiate addicts. Maybe I’m just out of touch, but each year it seems to be getting stronger and stronger with the mainstream twenty and thirty somethings and, to some degree, with the forty somethings.

          And divorcing attraction from visual stimuli (or other superficial cues) strikes me as outside the realm of possibility for our species.

          I’d be happy if people could take a step back and reflect on their visual attraction standards. I’m not blind to physicality, but I find healthy humans more attractive than the parodies promulgated by mainstream culture. I think maybe if people thought a bit about it, and about what kind of body is fittest to live in, they’d hopefully be a bit more inclined to tune out the propaganda and see health as a part of beauty and not treat it as something to compromise for beauty.

          Really, what can be done? Some people are attracted by a sense of humor, others are attracted to money or power or success. Some people put a premium on intelligence or curiosity, some value cartoonishly oversized and paradoxically buoyant mammary glands. Most people, in my experience, discover that their heads can be turned by a specific set of superficial physical parameters, and the celebration of the head-turning powers of these parameters has resulted in some of the world’s loveliest and most enjoyable art. Most people enjoy having their heads turned, and I daresay most people would enjoy turning a few heads themselves, if it didn’t interfere too much with their ability to walk unmolested wherever they will.

          Again, I enjoy looking my best too. But this meme that convinces so many that they have a moral responsibility to conform to an image, that they won’t be accepted or find a mate if they don’t emulate unhealthy behaviors, as you said, it’s a psychosis.

          This only becomes a problem, I believe, when it’s taken too far: when the ideals become unrealistic and virtually unachievable, or when the obsession with attaining or maintaining one’s ideal shape interferes with a healthier, less-superficial mindset. And that, I think, is where we’ve arrived as a culture.

          I think so too.

          But what do we do? Seriously, how does one alter this planetary spin, as it were?

          The phrase ‘culture jamming’ springs to mind.

          Ultimately I think it will probably either Darwinianly undo itself or it’s here to stay. Even if it is, though, we can still spread counter-memes to unplugged already dissatisfied minds from the Matrix. I haven’t seen too many wake up, but I’ve never seen any who realized how much better life was when they accept themselves and lived healthily for their own sake even contemplate returning to the collective delusion.

          My thing is, most people who find those “idealized” caricatures of beauty attractive do so because they’re told that’s what beauty is. But people who find beauty in truly healthy lifestyles and the self-confidence that comes from laying down the body-anxiety society foists upon them from childhood, those people find it beautiful because they know on a genetic level that a healthy, confident human is a far better mate and/or role-model.

• [Pincinator]

  Two things:

  (1) None of the ‘naked, beer swilling Europeans’ are swilling any beer in those photos
  (2) All the bikes with the bright blue Barclays mudguards are public hire bikes. Eew.

  • [Antinous / Moderator]

    There’s a reason that they make you bring a towel to naked yoga classes.

    • [Gulliver]

      People really hold naked yoga classes?

      I learned today why I will never ride a public bike. Ever.

      • [GreenJello]

        People really hold naked yoga classes?
        Yes. Having tried it myself, in private, alone, I can tell you that men need some structure to keep things out of the way. Naked biking would appear to have the same issues.

  • [proginoskes]

    Almost all of us in the Montpelier WNBR this year were completely naked.

    • [proginoskes]

      Montpelier, Vermont — to be specific.

• [franko]

  it looks like burning man, but with 99% less playa dust.

• [Anonymous]

  “We’d like to thank the 5,000+ riders, as well as the 3 women, that came out to show their love for cycling…”

• [zyodei]

  I participated back in around 2005, in Chicago.

  It was definitely one of the more interesting experiences of my life.

  Although I had a thin pair of cotton Indian pants with me, I was buck naked about 2/3 of the time, except for those pants wrapped around my head like a turban.

  I’m an expert at riding hands off – so, whenever I spotted a cop in the distance, I would quickly unwrap the pants from my head and toss them around my waist like a loincloth; then pop them back on my head again when the police went by.

  I think three times during the ride I had to stop and pop the chain back on the sprocket :-S

  Being Chicago, it got pretty cold and rainy as the afternoon wore on.

  We went all over the place – starting south of wicker p, we went all the way to the south of downtown, and then up broadway to uptown, then back down to logan square..it was a LOT of riding!

  Two things I remember in particular:

• [noen]

  Clothes, they really *are* a good idea.

• [zyodei]

  1. Somewhere near a train station entrance (maybe damen?) I got stopped by five pretty blonde Polish girls, tourists, who thought the whole thing was the funniest thing they’d ever seen. They stopped and took a shot that consisted of all five of them posed around me, making peace signs. If anyone has ever seen a picture like thet floating around the interwebz, let me know :-P

  2. Coming up Broadway, the front of the pack got away from the rear. So, I went ahead of the rear pack, trying to catch up with the forward group and tell them to slow down.

  Whenever I want to really go fast on a bike, I love to take my hands off and start pumping my arms, as if I were running. I really notice a 30-50% boost in power when I do so.

  So, this consisted of a buck naked dude (me), racing furiously, all alone, furiously flailing my arms about, up broadway through boystown.

  Which felt a little bit different from ‘world naked bike ride day.’ More like ‘some maniac flasher call the cops’ ;)

  Oh shit, what a fun day. I’ll never forget it. Walking into the bar buck naked later on too, yay :)

  Do hope to do it again someday.

  It was also world skateboarding day yesterday – for some reason I just felt compelled to check out the excellent local abq skatepark, never having been there before, just for the fun of my daughter..and shit, there were hundreds of people there, dozens of skateboarders and whatnot, it was most fortuitous..and a lot of fun.

  But next year, i’m in on the naked bike ride for shore ;)

• [skeletoncityrepeater]

  If I have to use a public toilet, I will wipe it down.. I would do the same to a rented bike. Someone’s sweaty junk has been on it, naked or not.

  Anyway I saw a version of this event last week in LA and females and males came out alike. It apparently has something to do with showing the vulnerability of cyclists.

  • [Victor Drath]

    “If I have to use a public toilet, I will wipe it down.. I would do the same to a rented bike. Someone’s sweaty junk has been on it, naked or not.”

    Witness!! I made a similar comment on another article a while back and I see I’m not alone. Although I’d do more than wipe it down, I’d just not sit on it period.

• [Anonymous]

  OOFAH,
  What a sausage fest…

• [Anonymous]

  This is looks like lots of fun…
  Wouldn’t catch me doing it though
  xoxo
  Jess

• [MacBookHeir]

  For the sake of the defenseless bike seats, I’m all for a 25-year moratorium on this event

• [Ben_R_R]

  Humans are ugly creatures, aren’t they?

• [Anonymous]

  i see all the dudes had 2 helmets on…

• [Anonymous]

  World Naked Bike Ride Toronto 2011 Video
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNORrWYQKi4

• [Anonymous]

  Portland, Oregon held a good World Naked Bike Ride again:
  http://bikeportland.org/2011/06/19/world-naked-bike-ride-how-was-it-for-you-55083

  • [Anonymous]

    Watched it from the corner of 39th & Hawthorne for about 30 minutes. There were SO MANY PEOPLE, of both genders.