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news
London World Naked Bike Ride 2012 (picture courtsey Tom Amos)Hundreds strip off in London and Manchester for World Naked Bike Ride
Cyclists across the UK have stripped off this weekend for the annual World Naked Bike Ride, with hundreds of riders taking to the streets of Manchester and London in the nude and Edinburgh and Brighton also scheduled to host the event.
Founded in 2004 with a dress code of “bare as you dare,” the World Naked Bike Ride seeks to highlight the fragility of the human body, as well as acting as a protest against oil dependency and car-centric transport policies.
Now held in more than 120 cities globally, Manchester’s Ride took place on Friday evening, and London yesterday and Brighton today.
A ride was also planned for Edinburgh yesterday, but so far we haven’t seen anything on social media or in the press to confirm it went ahead.
The ride in Manchester started in All Saints Park, Oxford Road and took in locations including St Peter’s Square and Deansgate, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Some riders took the opportunity to pay tribute to the victims of last month’s terrorist bombing at the Manchester Arena by painting a bee symbol, or black and yellow stripes, on their bodies.
One, Becca Warren from Stretford, told the newspaper: “I’ve done this event almost every year. This year we wanted to go with a Manchester bee theme to pay tribute and to celebrate Manchester. And bees are important to our existence.”
Another rider whose body was decorated with bee symbols, Withington resident Joe Smith, said: “We want to pay tribute to this great city.”
The event in London had seven separate state points that converged at Westminster Bridge.
Organisers had said beforehand that the ride had been cleared in advance with the police, adding that “contrary to popular belief, since the Sexual Offences Act 2003, in England nakedness is not illegal unless you are doing it intending to alarm or distress someone – which clearly is not the intention of WNBR.”
As in Manchester, the riders were cheered on by passers-by, many of whom were surprised to see hundreds of naked cyclists flash by, reports the London Evening Standard, with some taking to social media to share their reaction.
One said: “Just witnessed a group on a naked bike ride through London. It was quite magical in its own mad way.”
Organisers of the London ride said afterwards: “Well done everyone. Thanks to all marshals. That was the BIGGEST and BEST #WNBR #London ever! Huge numbers. Sunny. Good spirited. Fun!
Bristol, Canterbury and Southampton have already hosted their legs of this year’s World Naked Bike Ride, with events still to be held in a number of other towns and cities across the UK, as shown below
Scheduled WNBR Rides in the UK
Cambridge Saturday, 17 June 2017
Cardiff Saturday, 17 June 2017
Chelmsford Saturday, 24 June 2017
Clacton Saturday, 15 July 2017
Colchester Saturday, 8 July 2017
Exeter Saturday, 24 June 2017
Folkestone Saturday, 1 July 2017
Newcastle-Gateshead Saturday, 1 July 2017
Worthing Sunday, 2 July 2017
York Sunday, 25 June 2017
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
Latest Comments
- Hirsute 16 min 48 sec ago
Radar tells me their closing speed, if they are slowing and how far away. Then I decide to say a prayer. The change of light pattern is incidental.
- lonpfrb 36 min 43 sec ago
Quite so, which is why our village 20mph zone covers the whole residential extent. Of course, enforcement is another thing..
- lonpfrb 1 hour 2 min ago
No, that's very doubtful while proper testing would be fully destructive.
- TheBillder 1 hour 49 min ago
In that £1000 exactly scenario, beginners should probably be made aware that pedals will be extra.
- don simon fbpe 2 hours 17 min ago
What's wrong with dropping down on to the Millenium Bridge, or the swing bridge, then the brief, but satisfying climb back up the hill? #training....
- chrisonabike 2 hours 57 min ago
The relatives might of course disagree, but in general I'd countenance a relatively light sentence* if only we could fix it so that those who...
- ktache 3 hours 37 min ago
Id forgotten that I got a second hand set of project two's for my getting to work bike over twenty years back.
- Veganpotter 4 hours 34 min ago
My bet is that all these tires popping off are from people with bad pressure gauges or they're simply just putting too much air in on purpose. ...
- chrisonabike 5 hours 49 min ago
David9694 - you were right! These new autonomous vehicles really are conspiring to run out of control!...
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10 comments
Check out Asian dude taking a crafty pic
Sex is usually the last thing on my mind after seeing some of these nudists.
That the mere thought that being naked could be a criminal act is in itself a reflection on how far we have fallen as a species. I look at what some people are wearing and am massively more offended by that than someone being in the flesh but the latter is pretty much to everyone disgusting and 'perverted' especially when a man does it.
i did cycle round the Garden city centre a few times this arvo in nought but my black budgie smugglers to be there in spirit, there are some limits to what one will do to a Brooks Swift
when it wasn't a problem running naked men would just go and copulate with all the naked women they see that looked alright. its our instincts. that's why we cover up initially.
of course, when you're in a society where rape is taugh as a bad thing (which i believe it is mind you!) and everyone is covered to some degree its a little easier to deal with even when everyone comes naked once a year or whatever.
you'll also notice that theres a similar reason why some religion cover in particular women, and why some will 'dress' with as little as possible. its just exploiting the same basic.
in other words, our specie hasn't changed at all (which is also scientifically proved anyway) - we just like to get offended at shit or question why some basic laws or customs are there (mainly because its hard to see further than the edge of your nose, as a human)
I'm a tad concerned you can't think of nudity without thinking about sexual assault.
Ooer, phrasing.
As a species we developed the first clothing about 170,000 years ago. This would be all hide until the first fabrics were developed around 30 to 40 thousand years ago, which were quickly followed by advanced fabrics and garments.
No way sex had anything to do with the invention of clothing. It was all about comfort. Clothing enabled us to travel in colder lands, it protected us from the brutal sun, from pests and other animals. This period of time suggests clothing was essential to survive the Ice Age conditions at the time.
We don't know alot about sexual selection at those times but it is safe to assume there were limiting factors keeping men from doing as they please. Humans roamed in clans, men and women as hunter and gatherer, respectively. This is a type of community and certainly had some structure, heirarchal perhaps, but cooperative certainly. Humans are pack hunters and we protected our reserves, not to mention raised our children. That's not to say we weren't promiscuous, unlike some animals humans can and will have sex at any time, and women can have it more than men.
But customs and ideas like modesty came much later, only in the past several thousand years. Most likely around the time we developed sophisticated fabrics and sewing
... and control systems predicated on the existence of Sky Fairies.
wouldnt want my hole all over my Arione. Sorry...
'hundreds of naked cyclists flash by' - groan.