world naked bike rideWord's out that there will be a lot of naked people riding around the southern hemisphere on bicycles on fri 13th mar. Anyone out there keen to organise a Naked Bike Ride in your city?

Take a look at worldnakedbikeride.org if you're game.

I don't think there's been a successful, large Naked Bike ride on public roads in SA yet. If memory serves the one that was supposed to happen in CT in June 2007 was cancelled due to general confusion. So here's a great chance for some organiser to make history (and get your pic in Die Son).

Here's a recent communique from the international organisers:

Ladies and Gentlemen, Behold! The Most Fun You Can Have Naked!
Sign Up to Roll Out a World Naked Bike Ride in Your Own Neighbourhood!

The World Naked Bike Ride has become an international sensation that has spread to 73 cities around the world. This year we will be making the event bigger, louder, and with 75% more paint and feathers than ever before. Imagine, the streets of your fine city teeming with cyclists of all ages filling the downtown core curb to curb! Look here a common conversation along the Naked Ride route:

"Excuse me sir, is that a carbon credit in your back pocket?"
"Why, how kind of you to notice my concern for the global climate crisis. But no, my good friend, I have no credits in my pockets -- in fact, I have no pockets!"
"Ha -- Well, I'll be!"
"Yes, you see, I'm naked!"
"Ha! Indeed you are! Where might you be off to, so finely un-attired?"
"Crusing with the World Naked Bike Ride on this splendid day, in fact. Care to Join me?"

Our goal this year is 200 cities. So if you or anybody you know is interested in organizing a ride please send us an email and our veteran nude riders will help you with the promotion of your local ride.
Getting naked and riding your bicycle around town is a lot easier than you might think.

The Southern Hemispere ride is March 13th, 2009. So soon!

The Northern Hemisphere ride so far looks split on June 6th, 2009 and
June 13th, 2009.

One of the questions that we get every year is: "Isn't that illegal? Won't we all get arrested?"
To be perfectly honest, I thought we would all get arrested the first time we did it back in 2004.
It is now 5 years later and to my surprise it does seem like the law is on our side. In a recent case in Portland the judge ruled that the World Naked Bike Ride is a legal event.
In many cities around the world, the event has become sanctioned by government and the police.

However there are still cities in the world were there are legal risks associated with the event. And after 5 years we have learned how do deal with them. If the the clothing swathed, auto driving authorities threaten your ride:

1) Invite the media. The police do not want to be seen on national television arresting colorful, peaceful naked people. Is all media attention good attention? For us, yes. For them, no.
It just makes them look really silly. Especially if the body paint rubs off on those fine, crisp uniforms.

2) Make the ride as big as possible. The bigger the ride, the less likely the police will interfere.

3) Grab socks and duct tape.
If the police do show up to spoil the party and insist people put on underwear for the event, do it. Oddly enough it does not take a lot of fabric (banana peels, pasties or pylons) to make a ride unquestionabley legal. A strategically placed stocking, a bit of ribbon and duck tape and away you go! The resulting makeshift modesty is so wonderfully absurd that the cops will never again venture to ask cyclists to cover up.

Here is a photo of a rider in Vancouver after the police insisted the cyclists wear underwear.
With no policies and procedures on hand to inform them of the criminal offense of cock bags, they were royally confused quick to be on their way. Click here to see the photo.

Bottoms up!