Above image from a French poster, c. 1895 "Cycles Gladiator". Artist unknown.     Poster at left is "Cycles Sirius" by Jean de Paleologue (Pal) c. 1898. Poster at right is entitled "Les Cycles Wonder" by Paul Mohr of France in 1923. It is a vintage French bicycle advertising poster for speedy bicycles. If you are looking for a history of World Naked Bike Ride (WNBR) please visit the WNBR history page. There are WNBR event summaries for past events and info on upcoming events as well as a collection of media coverage. We look forward to seeing you at a local event!

See also Wikipedia's article on clothing-optional bike rides and our Wiki article on the same topic. The bicycle was invented in the early 1800s. Early fashions were extremely cumbersome and dangerous for the rider. Like the open water swimmers who rejected the dangerously heavy swimwear of their day, there can be little doubt many tried riding their cycles naked, however, little information about such outings was made. For the most part the naked cycling that has taken place has been mostly at naturist/nudist communities and resorts around the world. Small community festivals, less-traveled roads, mountain trails, and other remote outdoor areas have also been favorite places for those looking for peace and fresh air away from their hectic urban lives. As streaking became popularized in 1974, more streakers reached for their bikes for some fun variation. Several parades and fairs became targets for those wishing to crash the event and add a bit of spontaneity and thrills. The Summer Solstice Parade in Fremont District of Seattle is probably the best example. Naked riders also showed up randomly at Critical Mass events around the world. All of the groups on this page have had their own approach to cycling naked. Some focus on body painting and participate within the context of ancient cultural celebrations. Others use their body to bring attention to political issues. Some ride at night and others during the day. Some ride tricycles, unicycles, skateboards, rollerskates, or rollerblades. What is your city's ride going to be like? Left: "Cycles Sirius", by H. Gray is vintage French advertising art poster for bicycles in Paris. It features a French woman soaring through the sky on her bicycle!

España (Spain):

Zaragoza

pictures by Quique posted at Indymedia ACP (Madrid) 12 June 2003

Naked cyclist demonstration in Spain - Manifestación ciclonudista en España

Above image courtesy of Manifestación Ciclonudista

NEW SITE! http://www.ciclonudista.net

Above image courtesy of Manifestación Ciclonudista, from ride in 2002.

The 12 June 2003 event was the third naked cyclist demonstration. 250 people were said to have demonstrated.

Indymedia UK: "Naked cyclist demonstration in Spain - Manifestación ciclonudista en España" Story dated 17 June 2003

Public and international call to action (spanish/english):

Ciclonudista de Zaragoza:

http://www.unizar.es/pedalea/ciclonudistas/

from the site:

This is the third time this demonstration takes place. Due to the success of the past two gatherings (2001 and 2002) this year we want to go further: we have decided to spread our call worldwide. We invite everyone to join in (twenty people is enough to do it!).

We'll cycle with no clothes on through the centre of Zaragoza as the last two times. This the first time we announce it beforehand. It's a defiance to the established power and a bet for civil disobedience.

Stop the dependence on oil! Down with the pollution! Down with textile industry!

Naked in front of traffic against the oil and car dictatorship and its wars. Reclaim the streets for the people.

This event will take place on Thursday the 12th of June , and we suggest you to do it in your own city on the same date or as near as possible. Its fun and generates social debate.

It's a call of the "Coordinadora de Colectivos Ciclonudistas de Aragón (C.C.C.)", that is part of Fucking Clothes World Association.

For more info e-mail [email protected] (organizer)

More photos (13) by Quique posted at Indymedia ACP (Madrid):

"Más fotos de la marcha ciclonudista en Zaragoza" 13 June 2003

And more photos (12) posted at Indymedia ACP (Madrid):

http://acp.sindominio.net/gallery.pl?sid=03/06/14/1833205&mid=03-06-14-183523

2001 & 2002 event: [no info collected yet]

see also

http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2003/06/266455.shtml

Canada

Vancouver, British Columbia:

Artists Against War / Artists for Peace / Work Less Party

http://artistsforpeace.ca http://artistsagainstwar.org http://worklessparty.org Photo of the 2003 Bare As You Dare bikers courtesy of Artists For Peace / Artists Against War. Click on image for larger view.

This group have organized four successful naked bike rides in Vancouver, B.C. in 2003 and have also staged some other naked protests.

57 men and women get naked in Downtown Vancouver's Sunset Beach to promote peace on February 23, 2003. Organized by Artists against War / Artists for Peace.

The Province "Sun shines as artists strip for world peace"

Vancouver Gets Naked for Peace!

United States (USA)

Seattle, Washington

Some of the Nekkid Bicyclists in the 2001 Fremont Summer Solstice Parade. Pictures above appear courtesy of Gary David Yngve. Visit his site at http://www.cs.washington.edu/homes/gyngve/ for the original versions of these images and for more 2001 Solstice Parade pictures.

An artist produced this painting to invite the community of Seattle to mock the looming threat of police arrests of naked participants, including the Nekkid Bicyclists, during the 2001 Fremont Summer Solstice Parade. Pictures above appear courtesy of Gary David Yngve. Visit his site at http://www.cs.washington.edu/homes/gyngve/ for the original versions of these images and for more 2001 Solstice Parade pictures.

From 2003 Parade. Photo above by JC. Click on image for larger view

Below, Nekkid Bicyclists at the Fremont Summer Solstice Parade in Seattle. Year and origin of photo unknown. Click on image to view at larger size.

Painted Cyclist of the Summer Solstice Parade
[ unofficial, site was supplement to magazine article ]

Portland, Oregon

The 100 naked person ride was at the end of bike summer 2002.

View the Special Report

Bend, Eugene, & Portland (Oregon)

Terri Sue Webb:

Terri Sue Webb BMX biking down Alberta street in Oregon with massive police response. Dec. 30, 1999. [source: Terri Webb, more info in N 21.3] Terri Sue Webb "more naked activity in Eugene. Several arrests and release without charge, numerous encounters with police. My first naked bike rides. Participation in anarchist "Festival of Resistance" activities and organizations, often topfree, sometimes naked. It became clear that Eugene police will not interfere with topfreedom--this is not against the law." Spring - Summer 2000 [source: Terri Webb] Photo at left courtesy of Terri Sue Webb.

Terri Sue Webb "Began, once again, to ride top-free during Critical Mass. Early on I was threatened w/ arrest if I did not put shirt on in public park, but in other instances it was overlooked. Went for first nude bike ride, was stopped by police and held overnight for psych. evaluation. .... The day following release there was a festival downtown. I stopped to listen to some music, took off my shirt, hopped on my bike and headed home. Police, familiar from the day before, stopped me and asked how everything had gone in the hospital, and why did I have my shirt off? "we're not taking you anywhere today" they said. I said the shirt was uncomfortable, they said fine just don't distract anybody, that might be cause for "disorderly conduct", but we've been watching you and you're not doing that. So I was on my way and quite pleased! I felt that nude bicycle riding was a beneficial and rewarding experience, and it seemed this would now be condoned by police, so it was with this attitude that I ventured out on more rides, all successful w/o police intervention until my arrest on July 18." Summer 2001. [source: Terri Webb]

Terri Sue Webb "Sept. 11th, 2001 bike ride observed and reported to newspaper, beginning of publicity." [source: Terri Webb]

Austin, Texas

Nudity and the Law in Austin, TX
A resource page for those participating in clothing-optional bicycle rides in Austin. Riders wanted to know exactly what legal problems they could run into by riding around naked or half-naked.

Chicago, Illinois

Naked riders during a Chicago Critical Mass ride, fresh off of I-290, one of the biggest interstate expy's in the city.

Check out this year's WNBR Chicago ride.

New York City, New York

Critical Ass
BikeWorks NYC (bikecult.com) Underwear Only Bike Ride
Saturday, April 19, 2003

Critical Ass #2
all underwear bicycle ride
Sept. 13th 2003

Black Rock City (The Burning Man Project), Nevada

Southern California

Skating:

Picture at left from activity in San Francisco. See link below for details. Click on image for larger picture.

On Sunday, June 17, 2001, forty skaters gathered in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park for a nude inline skating photography session organized by San Francisco skater Sandy Snakenberg and photographer Jack Gescheidt. The purpose of the event was to capture on film the joy and purity of form inherent in skating.

Sandy Snakenberg's World of Skating

Sandy's Naked Skating page

That page links to other press coverage, QT movies, and more pictures

Nudes in the News: "Skating With No Tan Lines" with Kathie Fry

Describes nude skates organized by Sandy Snakenberg and others

Nude and Natural Vol 21.3: Spring 2002. "San Francisco's Nude Skate Dude: How a naked roller put body freedom on wheels".

Various locations

Naked Skating Photo Gallery - A Collection of Photos and Articles About Naked Skating

Naked Skating

Deutschland (Germany):

Check out the bicycling event, Radtour 2001 from June 14, 2001. The following stills come from the film "Radtour-Classics 2001: Nackt-Radtour in und um Karlsruhe am 14. 6. 2001", a film by Karl-Heinz Kreuter, 45 min, Germany, 2001

Information about this event (in German / Auf Deutsch) can be found at Wald-FKK:

http://www.waldfkk.de/radtour2001/

There are some individuals who have gone without clothes in organized efforts and have had some public relations successes. Some web sites exist below for these people.

Public nudity is tolerated more in Germany than most other countries. There are many free beaches and even a few clothing-optional public parks in the middle of major cities.

site for activist Peter Niehenke in Germany (in German/auf Deutsch)

http://www.waldfkk.de

The United Kingdom (UK):

England:

Activist Richard Collins:

"I started regularly cycling nude through Cambridge in June 2002. After
about half-dozen trips I was in the Daily Mail (Oct 4th), other local
and national papers, and on Anglia TV News.

I continued throughout 2003 and was in Anglia TV's 'Table Talk' two
weeks ago for 1 hour (nude) and talking about nude cycling!

I've done well over 500 miles nude on roads, country lanes and footpaths
cross country." [source e-mail interview, 11 Feb 2004, with Richard Collins]

Richard, who lives in Hardwick, Cambridge has been arrested numerous times and released. Richard says: "My outings are NOT protests as such but 'activities'. Simply me having fun! And exercising my right to nude freedom!"

Nederland (Netherlands):

Robbert Broeskstra (now deceased) was involved in a group called "Friends of Nature". The would often go for naked excursions on public lands, sometimes in urban areas, often taking pictures.

See the book "Robbert Broeskstra's Nude World, 1997" and also "Naked Travels 1", by Charles MacFarland (see picture below)

Publicity photo from Naked Travels 1 (1998) courtesy of Charles MacFarland / Synetech Video (synetechvideo.com). Address is Synetech Video Co, PO Box 1137, Glastonbury, CT 06033 USA. The toll free number is 1 (877)-NUDE-LIFE which is 1 (877) - 683-3543.

Australia:

The first annual Sydney Body Art Ride will be held on 13 February 2005. This event will involve a large group of people, adorned with body art, riding bicycles from Randwick to Maroubra Beach to raise funds for the Children's Cancer Institute Australia and promote healthy, sustainable living.

** This event is not a truly naked ride as the event organizers actively discouraged people from going completely naked by explicitly requiring a minimum amount of clothing around the waist. The ride is not affiliated or associated with WNBR. **

Official web site: http://sydneybodyartride.org