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news
World Naked Bike Ride London - courtesy Tom Amos.JPGWorld Naked Bike Ride returns to London - and other British cities - this summer
The 15th London edition of the World Naked Bike Ride will take place on Saturday 9 June, with thousands of cyclists in the capital – and in other cities across the UK this summer – set to rise to the challenge to ‘Go as bare as you dare’ to protest against oil dependency and car culture while highlighting the fragility of the human body.
Participation is free, and feeder rides are confirmed from Kew Bridge, Tower Hill, Regents Park, Hyde Park and Clapham Junction with an afterparty taking place at a venue to be confirmed.
To keep up to date ahead of the event, head to the WNBR London Facebook page.
Other cities around the UK where dates have been announced for this year’s rides are Portsmouth (2 June), Manchester (8 June), Cambridge, Cardiff (both 16 June), York and Chelmsford (23 June), Canterbury (29 June), Folkestone (30 June), Colchester (14 July) and Clacton (21 July).
Brighton is set to welcome the ride back on 10 June, although that is not fully confirmed, while according to the worldnakedbikeride.org.uk website, dates have yet to be announced for planned rides in Bristol, Edinburgh, Exeter, Newcastle-Gateshead, Scarborough, Southampton and Worthing.
As for the legalities of stripping off in public, organisers point out that "nudity is not illegal in England, as was established in the Sexual Offences Act 2003, but using nudity to intentionally cause harassment, alarm or distress may be illegal.
“Don't act offensively and you are unlikely to be arrested."
One person who won’t be taking part in the London ride, however, is the comedian, Stephen Fry.
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.
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22 comments
TIme once again for annual stupidity, attempting to draw attention to a serious cause through sensationalism.
Apparently these people are not very serious about changing anything, after all, did Martin Luther King and his followers march around naked in an effort to stop the oppression and killing of blacks?
Yeah, i can't really understand that an activity gains more weight of meaning by taking your clothes off. Maybe I should try that next time I try for promotion.
Most likely it will be full of those at the wrong ends of spectrum, i.e. show offs with decent bodies and those who really should not be seen. Don't forget we also live in the age of look at me on social media.
Being naked is a well known technique for getting people's attention.
I think it's a welcome relief from the all the fakeness of social media - when you're naked, there's no filters and no taking 50 selfies to get the best look - it's just you.
No, but it has often been used as a form of protest against war and for gender equality.
How does "being naked while riding a bike" protest against the overuse of oil/petroleum, exactly?
Most clothes use petro chemicals in them/for their production for one thing, making people take notice of cycling, to make it seem like a normal activity that people of all shapes and sizes, skin colours/races and sex do. if it encourages one person to get on a bike it's a win, if it encourages just one person to think more about how they drive around people on bikes it's a win.
One person might not sound like much but it can make a big difference, domino effect is why. You get overtaken by someone who goes wide and indicates to do so, there's a greater chance the following vehicle will do to than if the person at the front hadn't. DfT reckon that if every 4th person stuck to the speed limit this would self control the whole road network in terms of excessive speed. (I think it's on in 4).
ATEOTD people expressing themselves that harms no-one is never a bad thing and if it brings about a good thing then it's a bonus.
Or do you think this will turn more hatred towards people on bikes, I hardly think so because we're at peak hate are we not?
OK, I see: thanks (WNBR will have to stay as one of those things that I don't 'get', I think).
More hatred? No. Possibly more confusion, though, or more feelings of "Cyclists are a bunch of loons", though...
Nakedness draws attention to the vulnerability of cyclists in comparison to large, heavy, fast moving oil driven vehicles.
Make them all run on electricity and they'll still run us over. The fuelling isn't really the problem.
True, there are at least two issues being protested (oil use and the danger of motor vehicles to cyclists). Almost all motor traffic is oil fuelled now, and has been for the hundred years or so since it's existed. Maybe if and when it's mainly electric or hydrogen (or whatever) powered, the naked protest will emphasise the danger to bodies.
The danger of air pollution to the vulnerable body is also being highlighted. Also the fact that often all you need to get from a to b is a bike and a body, not an engine. I suspect the oil thing might be a serious sounding excuse for fun. And the thrills of exhibitionism, which probably also comes under 'fun' if you're that way inclined.
I'd be interested to know if that's really the first (second, third or...) thing that people seeing the WNBR pass actually think of....
I was out in London with a friend last year, we were riding our Boris Bikes (Sadiq Sycles??) down towards Piccadilly and this mass of naked humanity was coming along it. We were trying to turn right and actually the first thing I was thinking was "bloody hell we'll never get across this road" followed closely by "FFS, my free 30 minutes is nearly up, I need to dock this bloody thing"
The third thing was "I hope next time I hire a bike, it's not one that has had that fat person's naked arse rubbing against it!"
Your thought processes may vary...
I have done this in the past. It is an experience everyone should try. The intention was to go on the tandem with my partner but she got cold feet and backed out. So I substituted her with an inflatable doll. Unfortunately, she got pierced by a prick, that was picked up on the road, and went down on me. Fortunately, I had something suitable to plug the hole. While I was doing this, a fellow rider offered to give her a pump. We got lots of applause from those passing by. Soon she was firm and ready to ride again. Afterwards, the passer by offered to give me his pump. Turned out he was a bi-cyclist!
Long live Finbar Saunders and his double entendres.
If it is raining, how many of the bikes will be adorned with mudguards and flaps?
And so begins another annual pun & double entendre festival.
Cue words such as helmets, air bags, (spoke)nipples, ruts and crevices in the road.....
No doubt plenty more to come.....
You've just shafted all my best puns
A lot of them are just low hanging fruit.
I can'tr stop myself from coming over to say you're a bit crabby, one might say you're a bit of a sorepuss, no?
I just hope no one encounters a bonk on this ride, oh where will they put the mars bars?
They'll probably have a curly wurly.
Looks like a good craic.
Seems an uncannily obvious a subject to start talking about helmets..
Men here are at disadvantage... they need two helmets